LSN : News : Instagram’s new feature lets brands tease product drops

Diesel turns recycling bins into storefronts

(Re)Collection by Diesel and Coca Cola

Global – The fashion brand has teamed up with Coca-Cola for a capsule collection that can only be purchased by photographing a recycling bin.

The (Re)Collection is a new line of apparel from Coca-Cola and Diesel that incorporates recycled materials such as cotton and PET textile derived from plastic bottles. The range merges Diesel’s streetwear aesthetic with the drinks brand’s iconic logo, and includes t-shirts, tracksuit bottoms and hoodies.

Diverging from typical hype retail channels such as a pop-up shop or e-commerce drops, those who wish to get early access to The (Re)Collection must use their phones to scan the recycling logo found on recycling bins around the world, which then unlocks access to a microsite where they can buy the garments.

In our macrotrend Resilience Culture, we explore the potential for Enigma Brands – labels that eschew frictionless paths to purchase by instead challenging customers to go off the beaten track to acquire their products.

This colourful campaign wants to humanise IVF

IVF Made Human by New Hope Fertility Center. Campaign by Terri & Sandy

New York – The New Hope Fertility Center has unveiled a campaign that aims to change the narrative surrounding IVF.

Created by advertising agency Terri & Sandy, the emoji-filled campaign has taken over the Columbus Circle subway station in New York, with posters including statements such as: ‘Humans tend to hate needles. And sharp pointy things in general. So we made Needle-free IVF’. The company's messaging is rooted in the fact that women going through IVF often report feeling like science experiments, subjected to invasive and dehumanising treatments, while also facing daily trips to their clinic.

‘We wanted to bring a more human tone to the IVF discussion, as the process itself often makes people feel quite the opposite,’ says Sandy Greenberg, co-CEO of Terri & Sandy. ‘The campaign uses emojis to make it more relatable, and to capture the rollercoaster of emotions women experience when their bodies are subjected to a multitude of hormones, shot after shot, and the exhaustive process of racing to the doctor every day for treatment.’

At a time when modern fertility is in crisis, The New Hope Fertility Center is hoping to alleviate women’s fertility concerns while revolutionising the IVF industry.

Instagram’s new feature lets brands tease product drops

US – Instagram is launching drop reminders to encourage brands to promote new releases and purchasing within the app.

Initially debuted in the US, the new feature will integrate product drop tools directly into the platform, allowing brands to add ‘reminder’ buttons to new launch announcements shared on Instagram Stories. Brands can also use the feature to add product details and release dates to images posted on their feeds, which followers can click to enable reminders.

Shoppers who opt in will receive push notifications before the drop. At the time of release, they will be directed to purchase through Instagram’s in-app checkout, now available to 20 global brands taking part in its beta launch, including Adidas and Levi’s.

Tapping into the Hype Market, the drop reminders are the latest in a series of new in-app features transforming the way consumers buy and interact with products across social media.

Instagram product drop reminder

Stat: Diversity in advertising is good for business

A new study from Deloitte agency Heat links diverse representation in advertisements to an increase in both stock value and public perception of brands. Encompassing more than 17,000 data points, the Heat Test looked at ads for 50 brands spanning eight industries. Key metrics included showcasing diversity in speaking roles, positions of power, and in contrast to stereotypical roles.

In total, 94% of brands in the study had at least one occurrence of women in a primary role, though 57% still perpetuated stereotypes such as the devoted wife. Meanwhile, 92% featured a person of colour in a primary role. Representation of both the LGBT+ community and individuals with a disability were the lowest, with less than 1% of ads representing a person from either demographic.

While it is important for brands to be more inclusive in their advertising, they must ensure depictions are nuanced and realistic, and not merely tokenistic.