LSN : News : Need to know 26 : 09 : 17

1. River Island designs gender-neutral nightwear

River Island Design Forum collaboration with Ashish Gupta, UK

London – River Island has collaborated with streetwear designer Ashish Gupta to create a gender-neutral nightwear range. The 15-piece collection, which was launched at London Fashion Week, comprises loungewear, outerwear and dresses, and is described by Gupta as ‘lazy and a bit dreamy’.

Featuring sweaters carrying tongue-in-cheek slogans such as ‘sick of all this chic’ and ‘good in bed’, as well as sleeping bag-style puffa jackets and sequin slip dresses, the range combines humour, comfort and glamour. Since 2015, LS:N Global has been tracking the move away from rigid definitions of gender in the fashion industry as brands embrace a Neutral Culture. Brands such as Les Boys Les Girls and River Island are increasingly developing gender-neutral nightwear and intimates ranges – categories that have traditionally catered for either men or women.

2. General Electric tackles the gender employment gap

Meet Molly, the Kid Who Never Stops Inventing by GE and BBDO, New York

US – General Electric (GE) has launched a new campaign to promote its initiative to increase the representation of women in its science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) roles. The company aims to have 20,000 women employed in these roles by 2020, and have an equal number of men and women in all of its technical entry-level programmes.

Meet Molly, the Kid Who Never Stops Inventing depicts a young girl who engineers a series of systems to help her accomplish household tasks such as emptying the bins and making the bed. She is then shown as a grown woman working at GE as a professional engineer. For more on why brands need to do more to inspire female entrepreneurship, download our free Female Futures Report.

3. NHS introduces healthy lifestyle programmes

UK – In a bid to focus on preventative rather than reactive healthcare, the National Health Service (NHS) is introducing health campuses at locations around the country. The initiative will provide access to swimming pools, aerobics and Zumba classes, as well as de-stressing beauty treatments such as facials. Part of an NHS scheme being introduced in 10 towns, the holistic centres will provide a space for socialising and exercising alongside traditional medical treatments.

‘The NHS is the most powerful brand that we have, but the focus has always been on illness not health,’ Duncan Selbie, CEO of Public Health England, told The Telegraph. ‘Encouraging people to make changes to their lifestyles is by far the most sustainable way of achieving change and saving money in the long run.’

Healthcare is undergoing a radical shift to become more of a lifestyle offering. For more, see our Healthcare Market report.

HeadStrong by Equinox, US

4. Coca-Cola ad includes EA Sports’ virtual athlete

Uplifted Alex by The Coca-Cola Company and EA Sports, US

US – Coca-Cola’s latest advertising campaign stars EA Sports FIFA 18 athlete Alex Hunter. In a nod to the brand’s 1979 campaign Mean Joe in which the American football player Joe Greene is offered a bottle of Coca-Cola by a fan after the game. The fictional character similarly receives a can of Coke Zero before taking a selfie with the fan.

Hunter first appeared in FIFA 17, in which gamers could experience in the first person how the player navigated the competitive world of football through the feature The Journey. EA Sports’ latest release, FIFA 18, re-introduces the player with a storyline that features Hunter signed by Coca-Cola to become the face of Coca-Cola Zero Sugar. The ad will be shared via social media and displayed on Coca-Cola’s Times Square sign.

For more on how brands are facilitating the convergence of digital sports and their physical counterparts, see our Viewpoint Q&A with Nielsen Games vice-president Nicole Pike.

5. One in four watch tv solely on traditional sets

While media channels such as ABC, NBC, BBC and the Discovery Channel may be focusing on online viewing habits, a new study by Global Web Index shows that a quarter of internet users surveyed remain loyal to traditional tv sets, demonstrating the value of not neglecting this medium. In contrast, only 13% of internet users watch content exclusively on their computers, laptops or tablets.

6. Thought-starter: Why is hype so lucrative for brands?

From frenzied crowds outside Supreme stores to Yeezy sneakers reselling for more than 20 times their original retail price, journalist Josh Walker explores why the market for hype is worth the hype.

Whether it’s the non-conformist nature of the product drop or the resale potential of limited-edition pieces, hype is a market geared towards Millennial and Generation Z consumers. Hype has catalysed the creation of a growing underground resale community, in which Supreme hoodies that sold in-store for £110 ($150, €125) go for more than £730 ($1,000, €830) at resale.

But although the hype market offers many opportunities, it is not without its challenges. As Luke Miles, creator of product drop app Restocks, says: ‘If you live solely by the hype, then you can die by the hype.’ Instead, brands should be using product drops as a learning tool to better optimise or improve their products.

For more on the strength of hype, read our Market piece.