Need to Know   12 : 01 :18
EQT Support 93/17 Berlin by Adidas

Need to Know
12 : 01 :18

Audi helps halt road traffic accidents, Chinese consumers steer growth in the ride-share market, and how brands can bin plastic packaging for good.

1. Adidas unlocks Berlin’s subway system with loyalty scheme 2. CES 2018: Foreo uses technology to improve single-use masks 3. CES 2018: Nissan develops technology that uses brain waves to assist with driving 4. Audi helps prevent drivers from being distracted by their phones 5. Chinese consumers share a passion for Uber 6. Thought-starter: Why can’t brands pack in their plastic obsession?

1. Adidas unlocks Berlin’s subway system with loyalty scheme

EQT Support 93/17 Berlin by Adidas EQT Support 93/17 Berlin by Adidas
EQT Support 93/17 Berlin by Adidas EQT Support 93/17 Berlin by Adidas
EQT Support 93/17 Berlin by Adidas EQT Support 93/17 Berlin by Adidas

Berlin – The sportswear brand is teaming up with Berlin’s transport authority BVG to offer customers a year’s worth of free subway travel when they buy a pair of limited-edition trainers. The shoe design incorporates BVG’s multicoloured seat upholstery pattern and the annual pass is assimilated into the tongue.

The trainers are priced at £160 ($216, €180) compared with an annual ticket that costs £643 ($871, €728), saving the buyer a considerable amount of money. Brands such as adidas and WelectGo are working with public transport bodies to offer consumers free rides in exchange for brand engagement.

By limiting the number of shoes made, adidas is helping to create a sense of frenzy and desirability that taps into the growing Hype Market.

2. CES 2018: Foreo uses technology to improve single-use masks

UFO by Foreo, Las Vegas UFO by Foreo, Las Vegas

Las Vegas – The Swedish beauty technology brand has announced its latest product, the UFO, which is designed to address the masking phenomenon that has been so popular in the past few years.

The device is loaded with single-use microfibre masks – the company is launching both day and night mask options – and then uses four different treatments to activate the ingredients within. While most masks require at least 20 minutes to penetrate the skin, UFO's combination of methods including LED light therapy, cryotherapy, thermotherapy and T-sonic pulsations, means that it only takes 90 second to complete a treatment.

‘No one has thought to put all of these therapies into one device,’ a Foreo spokesperson told LS:N Global. ‘We wanted to take the single-mask process and turn it into a multilayered, yet efficient, experience.’

While K-beauty has taken the Western world by storm, Foreo's UFO fits in with the trajectory of time-pressed consumers expecting more effective products, in less time.

3. CES 2018: Nissan develops technology that uses brain waves to assist with driving

Called B2V (brain to vehicle), the prototype system was revealed by the car manufacturer at this year’s CES. B2V measures and interprets signals from the driver’s brain to help the car anticipate when they are about to turn, starting the manoeuvre before they have adjusted the steering wheel. This increases the driver's reaction time by between 0.2 and 0.5 seconds, potentially increasing their ability to avoid obstacles. Nissan also believes that the technology could be used to help train autonomous vehicles, and even allow them to adjust their driving style to the passengers’ preferences.

‘When most people think about autonomous driving, they have a very impersonal vision of the future, where humans relinquish control to the machines,’ explains Nissan’s executive vice-president Daniele Schillaci. ’Yet B2V technology does the opposite, by using signals from their own brain to make the drive even more exciting and enjoyable.’

B2V by Nissan, Las Vegas B2V by Nissan, Las Vegas

4. Audi helps prevent drivers from being distracted by their phones

Safety Code by Audi

Germany – Car manufacturer Audi has created an open-source code that blocks motorists from going online on their phones while driving. The Audi Safety Code can be added to any website by the site host. It analyses GPS data and prevents anyone in a vehicle travelling at more than 20km per hour from browsing until they verify that they are not the driver.

The accompanying ad campaign, created in collaboration with Swedish digital agency Åkestam Holst, explains that driving while using a phone increases the risk of an accident by 300%, yet eight out of 10 drivers continue to do so.

In taking responsibility for both creating and open-sourcing the code, Audi is taking a civic-minded approach to driving that goes beyond its remit as a car manufacturer.

5. Chinese consumers share a passion for Uber

China is driving growth in the Ride-share Market as new research shows that consumers are increasingly choosing to use Uber or its Chinese equivalents Didi Chuxing and Dida Pinche rather than private transport. In 2017 Uber highlighted the problems with congestion in Asia, as the number of vehicles on the road causes gridlock, a problem that the brand claimed could be solved through ride-sharing.

6. Thought-starter: Why can’t brands pack in their plastic obsession?

Following the Prime Minister's commitment to reducing plastic waste over the next 25 years, senior journalist Peter Maxwell asks why more brands aren't altering their packing strategies to stand out from the crowd.

One thing that May’s announcement demonstrates is that plastic pollution is something that private enterprise finds it almost impossible to wean itself off without government regulation. Indeed, it is forecast that there will be a 40% rise in global plastic production over the next decade.

While brand initiatives often pay lip service to tackling this issue – see Wetherspoons’ recent ban on drinking straws or Pret’s experiment with reusable glass bottles – they rarely represent a holistic, wholesale reappraisal of their approach to pre-packaged products.

But with increasing awareness among their customers that the plastic that covers their groceries is now massively infiltrating the food chain, superfluous trays, troughs, lids and sachets are starting to turn the public’s collective stomach. How long before this nausea starts to be the difference between the food industry's winners and losers?

For more, read the full op-ed here.

Filtered water station by Pret A Manger, London Filtered water station by Pret A Manger, London
Discover More Daily Signals
Rosewood leans into modern luxury with refreshed brand identity

Daily Signals

Rosewood leans into modern luxury with refreshed brand identity

Luxury hotel group Rosewood is repositioning itself as a lifestyle and cultural leader, with a focus on storytelling and experiential travel.
Luxury : Hospitality : Rosewood
Foresight Friday: Olivia Houghton, insights and engagement director

Daily Signals

Foresight Friday: Olivia Houghton, insights and engagement director

Every Friday, we offer an end-of-week wrap-up of the topics, issues, ideas and virals we’re all talking about. This week, insights and engagement d...
Culture : Beauty : Fashion
Stat: Study shows decline in social media use among younger adults

Daily Signals

Stat: Study shows decline in social media use among younger adults

Adults are spending less time on social media, following a peak three years ago. By the end of 2024, those aged 16 or older were spending an averag...
Media : Technology : Statistic
Ulta Beauty opens UB Marketplace to 100 emerging brands

Daily Signals

Ulta Beauty opens UB Marketplace to 100 emerging brands

Ulta Beauty has launched UB Marketplace, a new online platform introducing more than 100 emerging beauty and wellness brands to its website and app...
Beauty : Retail : Ecommerce
Travel platform Curated Spaces is powered by trusted tastemakers

Daily Signals

Travel platform Curated Spaces is powered by trusted tastemakers

Travel start-up Curated Spaces has launched a booking platform that puts personal style, trusted recommendations and curated experiences at the hea...
Travel : Hospitality : Digital
Stat: Gen Z women are shaping a new liberal majority in the US

Daily Signals

Stat: Gen Z women are shaping a new liberal majority in the US

New polling highlights a sharp political gender gap within Gen Z, positioning young women as the most liberal demographic in the US, according to a...
Youth : Politics : Gen Z
Heineken transforms Seoul’s rooftops into social sanctuaries

Daily Signals

Heineken transforms Seoul’s rooftops into social sanctuaries

Heineken is transforming Seoul’s empty rooftops into vibrant social spaces as part of a new campaign combatting urban loneliness and removing barri...
Culture : Drink : Loneliness
Feeling introduces transdermal energy patch to combat daily fatigue

Daily Signals

Feeling introduces transdermal energy patch to combat daily fatigue

Manchester-based wellness brand Feeling has launched a transdermal energy patch designed to address persistent fatigue in individuals who maintain ...
Health : Wellness : Supplements
Stat: Gift cards become inflation-era solution for festive shoppers

Daily Signals

Stat: Gift cards become inflation-era solution for festive shoppers

As inflation continues to put pressure on spending, gift cards are set to dominate this year’s festive period in the US. According to Blackhaw...
Retail : Consumer Spending : Inflation
Yōjō harnesses vagus nerve technology for everyday wellbeing

Daily Signals

Yōjō harnesses vagus nerve technology for everyday wellbeing

Yōjō is a new wellness eco-system using non-invasive vagus nerve stimulation (nVNS), biofeedback and human coaching to help people calm their bodie...
Health : Wellness : Technology
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