Need to know   23 : 10 : 17
Blood Normal by Bodyform and Dessù, UK. Photography by Elodie Daguin

Need to know
23 : 10 : 17

In today’s daily digest: Airbnb becomes a landlord, Marks & Spencer launches low-calorie wine, cryptocurrency as a loyalty programme and other stories.

1. Bodyform addresses continuing stigma surrounding periods 2. Marije Vogelzang brings to life a future food system 3. Airbnb property better facilitates short-term letting 4. Marks & Spencer introduces premium low-calorie wine 5. Definitions of culture are evolving dramatically 6. Thought-starter: Is cryptocurrency the new brand loyalty?

1. Bodyform addresses continuing stigma surrounding periods

Blood Normal by Bodyform and Dessù, UK. Photography by Elodie Daguin

UK – Female personal hygiene brand Bodyform has launched a new campaign featuring red ‘menstrual blood’ for the first time, rather than the sterile blue liquid that is typically shown in ads for tampons and sanitary products.

With the tagline ‘Periods are normal. Showing them should be too’, the Blood Normal campaign features the reality of periods, from a woman in the shower shown with blood running down her leg to a man buying sanitary pads in a local store.

The advert is a response to the brand’s recent online survey, which found that, of more than 10,000 male and female participants in the UK study, 74% wanted to see more realistic representation of periods in marketing.

See our microtrend The Vagina Reconsidered to read more about the brands that are helping to destigmatise feminine hygiene.

2. Marije Vogelzang brings to life a future food system

Future Farming Recipe Generator by Chloé Rutzerveld for The Future of Food, Looking Back to Now Future Farming Recipe Generator by Chloé Rutzerveld for The Future of Food, Looking Back to Now
Volumes by Marije Vogelzang for The Future of Food, Looking Back to Now Volumes by Marije Vogelzang for The Future of Food, Looking Back to Now
Human Hyena by Paul Gong for The Future of Food, Looking Back to Now Human Hyena by Paul Gong for The Future of Food, Looking Back to Now
The Future Sausage by Carolien Niebling for The Future of Food, Looking Back to Now The Future Sausage by Carolien Niebling for The Future of Food, Looking Back to Now

Eindhoven – For Dutch Design Week, food designer Marije Vogelzang has curated the participatory exhibition The Future of Food, Looking Back to Now, which offers a glimpse of the food landscape in the near future.

Visitors are guided around the space with a speculative audio tour, which can be experienced from the point of view of a future consumer or a future food manufacturer. Participants are asked to rate the individual projects and vote for the ones they would like to see implemented.

‘Most people don’t feel as if they are connected to what will happen in the future. They imagine it will be determined by higher powers: government, politicians or corporations,’ explains Vogelzang. ‘But our culinary culture is actively created every day and shaped by people like you and me.’

Among the projects on display is the Future Farming Recipe Generator by Chloé Rutzerveld, who imagines that by 2030 every kitchen will be equipped with a high-tech vertical farming unit, allowing us to download growth recipes and create vegetables with bespoke flavour and nutritional profiles.

3. Airbnb property better facilitates short-term letting

Florida – Airbnb has joined forces with property developer Newgard Development Group to provide its own branded apartments from next year. The apartment building in Kissimmee, Florida, will consist of 300 homes, where occupiers will live in on a permanent basis but which can be rented out through Airbnb when they are away.

With keyless doors and secure storage, the apartment building has been tailored to optimise Airbnb lettings, and hosts can download an app to manage their guests’ stay and apply for services such as changing bed linen. A master host will also be on-site at all times to assist guests, and cleaning services will be mandatory to ensure a high standard of accommodation.

Airbnb is expanding in the housing eco-system and helping to better facilitate peer-to-peer sharing through placemaking. For more, see our Placemaking Market report.

Airbnb, US Airbnb, US

4. Marks & Spencer introduces premium low-calorie wine

Sumika wine by Marks & Spencer, UK Sumika wine by Marks & Spencer, UK
Sumika wine by Marks & Spencer, UK Sumika wine by Marks & Spencer, UK

UK – Retailer Marks & Spencer has launched a new range of low-calorie wine, notable for having a higher alcohol content than other low-calorie versions. The trio of Sumika Sauvignon Blanc, Shiraz and rosé contain about 50 calories per 100ml as opposed to the typical 100 calories.

Low-calorie wines are usually made using a cheap base wine that is passed through a spinning machine to remove its alcohol content. Sugar is then added to improve the taste. While the Sumika wines are made using the same spinning technology, they are made from a blend of high-quality wines with added non-fermented grape juice.

Increasingly aware of the negative effects of sugar on health, consumers are looking for healthy alternative sweeteners. To find out more about changing tastes in food and drink, email us to book an in-house presentation.

5. Definitions of culture are evolving dramatically

Traditional markers of high culture, such as going to the opera or the ballet, are nowadays seen as culturally inferior to more sociable activities such as visiting street fairs and music festivals, according to Culture Track 2017. See our Museums Market report for more on how innovative museums are looking to update their offering to better engage the public, as we move towards the future Experience 2020.

6. Thought-starter: Is cryptocurrency the new brand loyalty?

As cryptocurrencies become more mainstream, journalist Josh Walker explores how brands are using them as a means to tap into the £243bn ($320bn, €272bn) rewards and incentives market.

Between 2013 and 2017, the market capitalisation of the cryptocurrency token sector increased by 1,050%, according to CoinMarketCap. With crypocurrencies becoming more accepted, and countries such as Japan and the UAE making moves to make them legal tender, brands are looking to their potential as a loyalty scheme.

In Russia, fast food chain Burger King launched the Whoppercoin, a new cryptocurrency billed as a ‘blockchain loyalty programme’. Consumers are given one Whoppercoin for every rouble they spend with the brand, which can then be used to buy other Burger King products and, like all cryptocurrencies, can be traded freely online.

Gatcoin is a company that enables brands to launch and then distribute their own digital currencies. In doing so, brands can better represent a diverse range of incentives and, as a result, have complete control over how they are used.

For more, read the full Crypto-loyalty microtrend here.

Gatcoin Gatcoin
Discover More News
Volkswagen offers beloved ketchup to US consumers for the first time

News

Volkswagen offers beloved ketchup to US consumers for the first time

German automaker Volkswagen has distributed its beloved Gewürz Ketchup brand to the US public for the first time.
Food&Drink : Condiment : Mobility
Overdrive launches fentanyl test kits to tackle drug safety among Gen Z

News

Overdrive launches fentanyl test kits to tackle drug safety among Gen Z

Brian Bordainick, co-founder of Starface and Julie, is launching Overdrive to destigmatise drug testing and promote harm reduction.
Health : Wellness : Design
Foresight Friday: Gabriela Białkowska, creative foresight analyst

News

Foresight Friday: Gabriela Białkowska, creative foresight analyst

Every Friday, we offer an end-of-week wrap-up of the topics, issues, ideas and virals we’re all talking about. This week, creative foresight analys...
Foresight : AI : Technology
Stat: An average of 50 pubs close each month in England and Wales

News

Stat: An average of 50 pubs close each month in England and Wales

An average of 50 pubs a month were forced to shut down permanently across England and Wales in the first half of 2024, according to an analysis by ...
Drink : Hospitality : England Pubs
Summoning Olympians one last time

News

Summoning Olympians one last time

Following Paris’ crucial role as host of the 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games, several found inspiration in the ancient history of the games and m...
Fashion : Paris Fashion Week : Olympic Fashion 2024
Are fashion shows the ultimate marketing exercise?

News

Are fashion shows the ultimate marketing exercise?

For the first time since its opening in 1992, Disneyland Paris hosted a fashion show. Coperni invited guests to the Parisian suburbs for a runway e...
Fashion : Paris Fashion Week : Disneyland Paris
Joy, inflatable dresses and drag queens

News

Joy, inflatable dresses and drag queens

At Ester Manas, the elephant in the room was not the cost of living crisis or the ultra-competitive landscape for luxury designers, but an inflated...
Fashion : Paris Fashion Week 2024 : Paris 2024 Fashion
Paris’ quest for the next it-accessory

News

Paris’ quest for the next it-accessory

The French capital, home to luxury brands including Chanel, Louis Vuitton and Hermès, was the perfect location to debut new accessories designed fo...
Fashion : Paris Fashion Week 2024 : Paris 2024 Fashion
Samsung turns Galaxy AI into health and fitness coach

News

Samsung turns Galaxy AI into health and fitness coach

Samsung has released a new global ad campaign that spotlights how AI can enhance health and fitness journeys through Samsung Health and Galaxy AI.&...
Technology : Health : Wellness
The Future Laboratory’s Trend Briefing 2025 introduced The Synthocene Era

News

The Future Laboratory’s Trend Briefing 2025 introduced The Synthocene Era

On 26 September, The Future Laboratory hosted its annual Trend Briefing at the iconic BAFTA 195 Picadilly in west London to launch its latest macro...
Foresight : AI : Creativity
You have 2 free News articles remaining. Sign up to LS:N Global to get unlimited access to all articles.
BECOME A MEMBER
SIGN IN