LSN : News : Need to know 05 : 09 : 17

1. Adidas campaign promotes inclusivity in tennis

Don’t Be Quiet Please by Adidas and Pharrell Williams, New York

New York – Adidas has partnered with pop star Pharrell Williams on its new Don’t Be Quiet Please campaign, which encourages young people to play tennis. Adidas and Williams will work with Brooklyn tennis club Court16 and non-profit-making organisation Horizons to create scholarship programmes aimed at children and teenagers from underprivileged backgrounds, and have pledged to help fund the restoration of a tennis court in the city through the New York City Department of Parks and Recreation.

The video for the campaign, which also features Williams’ first performance collection with Adidas, subverts the umpire’s traditional announcement of ‘quiet please’ to advocate a new age of tennis. ‘New York has never been good at keeping quiet,’ Williams tells the audience. Pieces from the collection will be worn by players including Garbiñe Muguruza and Angelique Kerber.

Brands such as Adidas are demonstrating their sense of civic duty with new initiatives designed to support the local community. For more, see our Civic Brands macrotrend.

2. LVMH to launch new theme park in iconic Paris location

Jardin d’Acclimatation, Paris

Paris – Luxury conglomerate LVMH is transforming Paris’ historic amusement park, the Jardin d’Acclimatation, into a modern-day theme park. First opened in 1860 by Napoleon III and his wife Eugénie de Montijo, the garden will be re-opened in 2018 and include a series of steampunk-themed rides, while retaining features that reference its rich history.

LVMH has managed the Jardin d’Acclimatation since 1984 and holds a majority stake in it in partnership with theme park and ski resort developer Compagnie des Alpes. The project marks a significant step in LVMH’s journey to diversify beyond luxury fashion. Similarly, high-end food retailer Eataly has announced its plans to open a culinary theme park to educate urban consumers about where their food comes from.

For more developments in luxury, purchase our Luxury Futures Report 2017.

3. KFC offers mojito-flavoured mocktail in China

Mojito Girl by McCann and KFC, China

China – Fast food chain KFC has launched a campaign that advocates teetotal fun through the brand’s new rum-flavoured, non-alcoholic drink Mojito Girl. In the ad, protagonist Mojito Girl explains that although her parents and teacher attribute her eccentricities to alcohol, she does not need it to ‘get high’.

Created by Japanese director Tsuyoshi Taniyama and starring actress Xing Lu, the playful spot highlights the benefits of sobriety, something LS:N Global examined in 2016 with our Party-totallers Tribe.

Young consumers are increasingly choosing to abstain from drinking, and this mindset is increasingly being adopted by consumers in Asia.

4. P&G announces plan to launch transparent labelling

US – Procter & Gamble has announced that it will list all ingredients present in its scented products in concentrations greater than 0.01% online by the end of 2019 in a bid to create greater transparency in its supply chain. The initiative will initially be rolled out across the brand’s fabric, home and beauty categories, and also highlight other everyday products that feature the ingredients, such as fruit and food.

As LS:N Global explored in the Inside Ingredients section of our Sensitised Living Market, growing consumer concern around skin irritants is driving brands to list individual ingredients to enable consumers to learn about the chemical make-up of products and make more informed buying decisions.

In the age of radical transparency, information is key. As examined in our Honest Products microtrend, brands are developing informative platforms to communicate the properties of ingredients.

Old Spice by Procter & Gamble

5. Men’s skincare market growing in China

China – Driven by the rise of K-pop and the popularity of its well-groomed stars, Chinese men are increasingly looking for products that help them achieve a flawless complexion.

This is fuelling growth in the domestic men’s skincare and cosmetics market, where retail sales are expected to reach £224.7m ($291.1m, €244.3m) in 2019, according to Euromonitor International. For more on the future of the beauty market download our Beauty Futures Report 2017.

6. Thought-starter: Does femininity need a rebrand?

In our latest Design Direction, visual trends researcher Rachael Stott explores how creative practitioners are abandoning tired gendered design cues to radically redefine modern female identity.

According to a study by The Engine Group, 86% of women believe that brands’ depictions of women do not reflect their lives, highlighting a need for businesses to reconsider how they represent and engage with women.

As discussed at our recent Female Futures Forum, the ‘pinkification’ of feminism is not only detrimental to the progression of women’s rights – it also alienates men. Consumers increasingly favour neutral imagery that promotes diversity and modern notions of female identity.

A new wave of designers are embracing a bold aesthetic that expresses women and women’s issues in a confident and authentic manner. Sexualised poses, airbrushed images and unrealistic representations of the female form are falling out of favour as photographers increasingly look to capture the body as a graphic form, and emphasise authentic female characteristics through colour-blocking and evocative props and styling.

For more, read our Femininity Rebranded Design Direction.