LSN : News : Need to Know 22 : 01 : 18

1. Stella Kids' new campaign is themed around dance

The Spirit of Ballet by Ronan McKenzie for Stella Kids, London

UK – Directed by the East London photographer Ronan McKenzie, the latest campaign offering from Stella Kids features girls from black and ethnic backgrounds to offer a more diverse perspective of ballet. Inspired Instagram accounts such as ‘Brown Girls do Ballet’ and ‘Dance Theatre of Harlem’, the 15 second spot, entitled The Spirit of Ballet, shows girls chosen from various dance schools around London that had a 'great diversity of young dancers'.

Childrenswear is a growing area of opportunity for luxury brands, as affluent parents seek to kit out their offspring in well-made attire. For more on the brands that have been pioneering this sector see our Childrenswear Market.

2. Weight Watchers shows that diets aren’t just for women

DJ Khaled by Weight Watchers, UK

UK – While the world of weight loss has typically been the preserve of women, two of the industry's most recognisable brands are using male influencers to reassess this assumption. Atkins and Weight Watchers have employed actor Rob Lowe and artist-producer DJ Khaled as their respective representatives.

Lowe was chosen as the face of Atkins‘ ‘Life Well’ campaign after publicly announcing that he himself follows the low-carb, low-sugar, high-protein diet. Noticeably the emphasis is not on weight loss but on leading a healthier lifestyle. Khaled meanwhile is set to become Weight Watchers' first social media ambassador. The artist, who similarly quoted wanting to get healthy for his son as the impetus behind joining, will chart his weight loss across his social media accounts.

In our Anti-diet Mentality microtrend, we examine how brands are moving away from the word 'diet' and all the negative connotations that come with it and instead promoting the idea of improvement.

3. Corti can diagnose heart attacks from a phone call

Denmark – The emergency services in Denmark are demonstrating how artificial intelligence (AI) can save lives with a new intelligent assistant that is able to diagnose heart attacks from a phone call.

The digital assistant Corti uses speech recognition software to transcribe the conversation, incorporating machine learning to analyse words, tone of voice and breathing patterns that could signify a sudden cardiac arrest.

Research shows that trained dispatchers in Copenhagen are able to recognise when someone is suffering form a heart attack around 73% of the time, while the AI can diagnose the condition 95% of the time.

As the number of people suffering from non-communicable diseases around the world rises, there is a growing interest in devices that can help better diagnose these conditions, earlier.

In December last year, Apple launched its Apple Heart Study app, which identifies irregular heartbeats through its smartwatch, alerting the wearer to seek help.

Corti, Denmark

4. GROWN offers more palatable adaptogens

GROWN, UK

UK – GROWN has created a new format for adaptogens – supplements that help to boost cortisol and balance stressors – that goes beyond powdered supplements. The range of three adaptogenic herb and mushroom tonics consists of a morning iteration to combat fatigue, a mushroom tonic to boost the immune system and a calming evening adaptogen.

The liquid supplements can either be added to drinks like tea, coffees and smoothies or pipetted straight onto the tongue, making it easy to incorporate into daily life. 'At GROWN we are not asking you to change your daily rituals, but simply add to the ones you already have,' states the brand website.

First examined in The Optimised Self, the interest in adaptogens is growing as consumers search for products that help to mitigate the stresses of modern life.

5. AI is being promoted to the role of HR in the workplace

A new report of more than 8,000 recruiters on LinkedIn indicates a growing interest in artificial intelligence (AI) as a way of hiring candidates. Respondents indicated that AI is set to enter the mainstream during 2018 for a number of reasons, including it’s a timesaver (67%), removes human bias (43%), and delivers the best candidate matches (31%).

6. Thought-starter: Why size does matter for online retailers

With product returns costing US retailers a staggering £254bn ($351bn, €287bn) in lost sales every year, according to a National Retail Federation report, a new wave of digital tools are helping to refine sizing options for shoppers buying fashion online.

One way that brands are addressing this issue is by putting sizing technology in the hands of consumers through their smartphones.

Unveiled as part of this month’s CES, MySize is an Israeli smartphone technology that enables consumers to measure themselves using their iPhone and, once a size has been determined, match that consumer with products in their size online.

The system works by pulling data from anthropometric databases as well as from studies on body measurements of diverse population groups, and combines that with the personal body measurements taken using the iPhone’s motion calibrating tools. This is then used to estimate the circumference of different body parts and is finally compared to retailers’ size charts to recommend products.

For more see our Digital Fit microtrend