LSN : News : Need to know 17 : 10 : 17

1. Los Angeles Metro uses kawaii culture to teach good manners

Metro Manners public service announcement by Mike Diva for the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority

Los Angeles – A new three-part advertising campaign by video director Mike Diva uses Japanese kawaii (cute) culture to encourage commuters to be more respectful while travelling on the Los Angeles Metro. Featuring the characters Rude Dude and Super Kind, played by YouTube vlogger Anna Akana, the tv ads address the topics of seat-hogging, eating while in transit and aisle-blocking.

‘We knew from the start we wanted something quirky, fun and memorable, something that would remind people about Metro etiquette without looking like a traditional government agency public service announcement,’ John Gordon, director of social media marketing at Los Angeles Metro, told AdWeek.

Brands in the West are also adopting kawaii culture to engage the public through playfulness. Read our Opinion piece for more.

2. Lixir Skin offers streamlined, multi-purpose skincare

Lixir Skin, London

London – Dermopharmacist Colette Haydon has launched Lixir Skin, a range of six beauty products designed to cater for all skincare needs. The range comprises three day-time essentials, including an Electrogel Cleanser, a Vitamin C Paste and a Universal Emulsion, and three night-time products formulated using pure active molecules, including BHA/AHA 10%, PHA/AHA 10% and Retinol 1%. The products in the night-time collection are designed to be used in rotation to ensure that users’ skin does not build up a tolerance to the products.

In a similar vein to Alex Carro’s range, Lixir Skin aims to help consumers simplify their beauty regime. ‘Having done this for years, people would ask me ‘do you have a separate cupboard of ingredients for the eyes, the neck and the lips?’. The answer is no. Yes, the skin around the eyes is a little thinner than the rest, but a wrinkle is a wrinkle,’ Haydon told Refinery29.

Brands are increasingly removing excessive choice from their product ranges to stand out in a competitive market. Read our Anti-choice Architecture microtrend for more.

3. Porsche Passport offers drivers access over ownership

Atlanta – Luxury car manufacturer Porsche is trialling a new app-based service that enables subscribers to rent 22 Porsche models from £1,500 ($2,000, €1,700) a month. Registration, insurance and maintenance costs are included in the fee, and subscribers can switch between the different models at any time.

Porsche is tapping into a shift in behaviour among Millennial consumers, who increasingly value luxury experiences over products and are looking for ways to buy into the luxury lifestyle without needing to commit to a purchase.

‘We now have Millennials who are incredibly successful and have the financial power to own a Porsche, but who are perhaps not willing to own a Porsche today,’ Klaus Zellmer, CEO of Porsche Cars North America, told Bloomberg.

See our microtrend for more on the shift towards a post-ownership society.

Porsche Passport, Atlanta

4. West Elm praises Millennials for mastering Adulting

Get House Proud by Humanaut for West Elm, US

US – Furniture retailer West Elm has released a series of short tv and digital ads that playfully explore the notion that for Millennials adulthood does not come as naturally as it did for previous generations. The series, Get House Proud, highlights the visually led nature of this Pinterest generation.

‘Get House Proud is about celebrating those seemingly small moments in your life that feel like huge victories on your journey to expressing your personal style at home as an adult,’ David Littlejohn, Chief Creative Director of Humanaut, tells LS:N Global.

For more on how brands are evolving the way they talk to this younger generation of consumers, see our Adulting Ads microtrend.

5. The number of US adults living alone is on the rise

A new study by Pew Research Center has found that people of all ages are increasingly living alone.

The rise in the number of people living without a partner is particularly evident among the under-35s, demonstrating a need by brands to incorporate this into their communications with this age group. For more, see our Post-family Marketing microtrend.

6. Thought-starter: Are vegan cruises an oxymoron?

As the cruise ship holiday sector continues to grow at a record rate, visual trends researcher Rachael Stott argues that the introduction of new eco-excursions is doing more harm than good.

Tapping into the shift among consumers towards a more plant-based lifestyle, several cruise operators including Cruise & Maritime Voyages and Holland America Line are planning to launch vegan-friendly cruises that will offer cruelty-free food, wellness-orientated programmes of activities such as vegan cheese production, and talks from keynote speakers.

To some travellers, a holiday spent eating vegan food while cruising along the Norwegian fjords might seem like the ideal eco-conscious getaway, but taking into account the environmental damage caused by cruise ships, is the idea of a vegan cruise a misleading ethical and environmental oxymoron?

As cruise ships grow in size to carry thousands of passengers, so too does the level of air and water pollution they generate. If we continue to use environmentally damaging systems of transport to explore areas of natural beauty, will there be anything left for future generations to enjoy?

Read the full opinion piece here.