LSN : News : Need to know 29 : 08 : 17

1. McCain champions modern family in new advertisement

UK – The frozen potato products brand McCain has launched a new advertising campaign that celebrates the diversity of modern families. ‘When it comes to family, what’s normal?’ asks the voiceover. The spot continues McCain’s continuing focus on family dinner times, but in this iteration the brand moves away from the nuclear family to highlight the diversity of modern families. Single-parent households, adoptive parents and long-distance technology-enabled families are all present.

While not particularly novel in the wider context of advertising, the approach is unusual for a food brand. The campaign was informed by research that found that 84% of consumers were unable to recall seeing a family similar to their own featured in any form of popular culture within the past six months. For more on modern-day diversity within families, see our Neo-kinship macrotrend.

2. Forever 21 joins forces with the rapper Future

HNDRXX by Forever 21, Future and Cease & Desist, US

Global – The high street store Forever 21 is collaborating with the rapper Future to sell merchandise for his upcoming tour, HNDRXX. Designed by Fred Foster, founder of streetwear brand Cease & Desist, and creative director at the Atlanta rapper’s Freebandz clothing company, the capsule collection includes hoodies, T-shirts and skirts for women and men.

Recently, collaborations have increased between music artists and high-end designers, as exemplified by the recent partnership between MIA and Astrid Andersen. This alliance between Future and Forever 21, a mass-market retailer, marks a shift in emphasis for merchandise affiliations towards a more low-cost aesthetic. For more, see our Band Brands microtrend.

3. Trust is greater in computers than humans

US – New research indicates that 56% of people trust computers more than their fellow humans. This trust in technology is rooted in the belief that people are more likely to be subject to emotional bias and to make mistakes, demonstrating the value to brands of technologies such as artificially intelligent chatbots.

‘Artificial intelligence does not have emotion, nor does a well-written algorithm make mistakes. Only the people programming AI make mistakes,’ said one respondent.

The same research also found that 54% of those surveyed believe Google will be the most innovative technology company in 20 years, outperforming Apple and Amazon. For more on our evolving relationship with technology, see our Awakening Tech macrotrend.

Marcel AI assistant by Publicis

3. Serenity Kids specialises in high-protein baby food

Serenity Kids, US

US – A new range from Serenity Kids differs from traditional baby food in putting meat first, with flavours such as uncured bacon with organic kale and butternut squash, chicken with peas and carrots, and beef with kale and sweet potato.

Founded by Serenity Heegel and her fiancé Joe Carr, the company sources all of its meat from a local family farm, ensuring all of the animals are raised without the use of hormones, antibiotics or GMO feed.

The couple launched the company in response to the prevalence of sugar-laden baby food products on the market. The brand focuses on creating dishes that provide infants with high levels of fatty acids and protein, essential for growth. Serenity Kids is just one of several brands, including Nourish Baby, that are diversifying their ingredients beyond the traditional fruit mixes.

5. Millennials most likely to try Disney’s streaming service

New research suggests that Disney’s new streaming service, which is expected to be launched in 2019, will prove most popular among Millennials. The finding from media and technology company Morning Consult shows that of those surveyed, Millennials were 56% more likely to show an interest in the new service than the population as a whole. For more innovations from Disney, see our Behaviour report.

6. Thought-starter: Can messaging apps change fiction?

With teenagers gripped by smartphone obsession, picture researcher Holly Friend investigates how fictional text message apps are gaining traction among narrative-hungry teens.

Teenagers’ attention spans are monopolised by social media. According to Pew Research Center, the widespread accessibility of smartphones means that 24% of US teenagers go online ‘almost constantly’. Addressing the lack of time or patience to read traditional novels, a handful of apps are tapping into Gen Viz’s love of bite-sized content by featuring hundreds of fictional text message conversations, available at the tap of a finger.

While it is unrealistic for brands to compete with social media behemoths such as WhatsApp, Snapchat and Instagram, acknowledging that audiences frequently use these platforms is important for attracting the youth market.

Some brands, such as Amazon, are gearing chat fiction towards much younger consumers, which might invite concern. If 6–8-year-old children are reading a string of text messages sent between their favourite characters instead of a book, how will their brain learn analytical skills? On the other hand, according to studies, digitised reading can enhance comprehension, especially among dyslexic children.

To read more about how the smartphone will augment storytelling, read our Chat Fiction microtrend.