LSN : News : Need to Know 24 : 01 : 18

1. Beauty line launches for pregnant women

HatchBeauty, US

US – Maternity line Hatch has launched a collection of beauty products to cater to the needs of a woman's skin while she is pregnant.

While some of the products are familiar, such as moisturising nipple cream and a belly oil, founder Ariane Goldman wanted to go beyond the usual items that pregnant women use. Hatch offers a new-to-market product, the Belly Sheet Mask, which is a single-use mask that contains marine collagen and propolis in order to prevent stretch marks. The brand is also working on a Baby Brow mascara-like product to use on the fly-away hairs around a women's hairline that tend to thin during pregnancy.

A leader in the chic maternity wear category, Hatch is part of a growing raft of brands and service providers that are catering to the needs of pregnant women. For more, read about a New York-based gym focused on pre-natal exercise.

2. Tostitos invites fans to generate own Super Bowl ads

Super Bowl Ads for All by Tostitos, US

US – While the Super Bowl is known for its halftime show and million-dollar advertising breaks, snack company Tostitos' is focusing its marketing push before the game. The brand has launched an advertising generator, Super Bowl Ads for All, which lets users create personalised invites to their at-home viewing parties.

The platform allows users to input information such as their name, the location of their party and time and the website generates a personalised ad that uses all tropes normally associated with Super Bowl advertising such as a man being tackled or a talking baby.

The platform embraces the popularity of personalised products and experiences, but also comes at a time when Facebook is refocusing its news feed to be more on items published by friends and family. Tostitos is using Mimicry Marketing tactics, to mimic consumer behaviour of posting video to their social media.

3. Nestlé Japan is first to market with ruby chocolate

Japan – Following the announcement last September that Swiss chocolate maker Barry Callebaut had created a new type of chocolate, Nestlé Japan is the first to bring a product containing it to market.

The company’s KitKat brand has launched a limited edition KitKat bar, Sublimely Ruby, which is made of the naturally pink, berry-tasting ruby chocolate.

While currently the product is only on offer in Japan, a spokesperson told The Independent that there are possibilities to expand. ‘It will be exclusive to Japan for now but we will be keeping a close eye on how the launch goes and looking at options for other formats and other markets in future,’ they said.

Ruby Kitkat, Japan

4. WeWork invests in lifelong learning

WeWork, US

US – Co-working space WeWork continues to expand its remit beyond property landlord and into education with the announcement of a strategic partnership with online education provider 2U Inc.

Students enrolled in any of 2Us online classes will now have Global Access Memberships, meaning they will be able to use any of WeWork's locations across the world to study in. The partnership also includes a 2U scholarship fund of £3.6m ($5m; €4.1m) which will enable WeWork community members and employees to have access to 2Us online graduate programs. The two companies plan to create a Future of Learning and Work space in New York in 2019 where 2U will host master classes and lecture series.

‘When I met Chip [Paucek, CEO of 2U], I knew that together we could provide people around the world with a global campus to learn, connect and build community,’ Adam Neumann, WeWork CEO and co-founder said in a statement. ‘We are all students for life, and this partnership creates incredible opportunities to foster lifelong learning.’

The partnership reflects shifts in how consumers view education, which is moving from being a set period of one's early life, to a lifelong endeavour.

5. The Muslim population is growing at a rapid pace

The global Muslim population is growing at a faster rate than the rest of the world’s population, according to Euromonitor. While the worldwide population has grown by 11% in the past 10 years, the Muslim population has increased by 18%. The countries with the five biggest Muslim populations – Indonesia, Pakistan, India, Nigeria, Iran – also have shifting demographics with more consumers with disposable income and internet access. This is a large opportunity for brands, which must not only consider products and services to cater for this population but should also prepare themselves for how this demographic will shape new innovations. For more on the impact of changing demographics, read Consumer 2020.

6. Thought-starter: Should kids dress like their parents?

The global childrenswear sector now accounts for 12% of the apparel market and this is expected to reach £231.3bn by 2024. Journalist Josh Walker examines what factors are driving this rapid growth?

According to Goldman Sachs, nearly 90% of all new mothers in the US are now Millennials. Fuelled by this fact, the childrenswear market and its leading brands are entering a period of change.

Brands have begun to experiment with different ways to reach a new generation of parents and cultivate brand loyalty from a young age. One strategy has been to apply adult fashion trends that appeal to style-conscious millennials and rework them for their children. In July 2017, Hypebeast launched Hypekids, a new vertical showcasing children’s streetwear, featuring everything from toddler-sized Yeezy trainers to pint-sized Instagram influencers.

The rise in luxury childrenswear isn’t just being reported in the Western market. In China, where the one-child policy has now been abolished, the under-16 population is expected to grow to more than 400m by 2021, providing ample opportunities for childrenswear brands to tap into this growing consumer base.

For more on how brands are tapping into the millennial parent mindset, read our Childrenswear Market.