Need to Know
02 : 02 : 18

US – Known for often taking an assertive approach in its day-to-day operations, The Standard Hotel has thought up a similarly backlash initiative on its blog by publishing 19 of the weirdest DMs it received over Instagram.

This marks the second time the brand has published guests’ messages on its site, adding its own tongue-in-cheek responses below as a humorous twist. In response to one guest, for example, who writes, ‘Can’t wait to get there. It’s gonna be so cool. It’s like my home town of Toronto on steroids,’ the hotel playfully replies, ‘More like METH!’

Spotify took a similar approach with its 2018 Goals campaign, in which it incorporated user data into witty slogans such as ‘Be as loving as the person who put 48 Ed Sheeran songs on their ‘I Love Gingers’ playlist’, offering a new way for brands to engage consumers.

Global – To announce the launch of its new Copilot smartwatch app, Samsung has created a minute-long tv ad that challenges the modern day propensity to believe that anything is doable. The advert pans past endless billboards emblazoned with taglines such as ‘Never stop’, ‘Break your limits’ and ‘It’s possible,’ before showing people carrying out physical feats that push them to their physical and mental limits.

The resounding message, however, is that no matter how much someone may seek to optimise themselves, they cannot beat sleep. As examined in our Sleep Market, brands are realising the commercial value of sleep, which has become an intrinsic part of the wellness sector.

Data from the US Census Bureau shows that women at the upper end of child bearing age were more likely to be a parent in 2016 than women of the same age a decade previously. While there is often a perception that fewer women are having children nowadays, these figures demonstrate the contrary to be true. Analysis of the data by Pew Research shows that some 86% of women aged 40 to 44 are mothers, compared with 80% in 2006. Women are also often taking their fertility into their own hands, both as single parents or as part of an unwed couple, and are giving birth without ever marrying.