News 16.01.2020

Need to Know

Blindlee combines dating with video calls, Booking.com targets new year’s resolutions and South Korea becomes Asia’s most promising drinks market.

First Direct is championing #MoneyWellness

#Moneywellness, First Direct by The Brooklyn Brothers

UK – First Direct, the UK’s original challenger bank, has launched a new campaign to highlight the anxiety some people feel when it comes to finance.

The #moneywellness campaign and brand platform aims to normalise the conversation about money and its links to wellbeing. Created by The Brooklyn Brothers, it demonstrates how to tackle customers’ financial concerns, such as the culture of comparisons with friends or where their parents were with money at the same age. ‘Let’s stop comparing ourselves to others and start understanding our own relationship with money better. After all, there is no right way to money,’ reads its microsite.

As part of the campaign, First Direct teamed up with YouGov to conduct a survey of 4,000 UK consumers, with results revealing people to believe money is more important to their overall wellbeing than other more traditional areas of wellness, such as diet and exercise.

Around the world, finance brands are recognising that mental and physical health can be improved through money advice and services focused on wellbeing. For more, read our Financial Wellness microtrend.

Blindlee wants you to video call potential dates

Blindlee Blindlee
Blindlee Blindlee

UK – The Blindlee dating app is positioning video calling as a way to break the ice – while cutting through swipe fatigue.

Designed to stand out from competitors such as Bumble and Hinge, the app randomly matches singles with other users who match their search criteria, age or location. Blindlee initially suggests chat topics, such as ‘Pineapple on pizza, yay or nay?’, as a way to prompt conversation. Once users have matched, they are connected by a video call that is initially blurred – created as a safety function for female users – with the option for both users to unblur the screen if they feel comfortable.

Sacha Nasan, the app’s co-founder, says: ‘Blindee makes for a fun three-minute blurred video experience with a random person matching your criteria. It’s kind of like a short, pre-date ice-breaker before you potentially match and decide to meet in real life.’

As we explore in our opinion piece on modern dating, brands are having to innovate to make dating both safer and more appealing, with solutions that go beyond the Tinder swipe model.

Booking.com taps into customers’ 2020 resolutions

New York – Travel site Booking.com’s latest campaign is designed to help people achieve their new year’s resolutions.

The #BookYourResolution series of travel experiences has been created to match the 20 most common resolutions, such as ‘be more active’, ‘meet new people’ or ‘volunteer’.

Booking.com is encouraging customers to book a resolution-orientated trip to kick-start their 2020 goals, tapping into its findings that 72% of Americans are interested in taking a trip to help them with their resolutions. Arjan Dijk, senior vice-president and chief marketing officer at Booking.com, notes: ‘Whether your resolution is to spend more time with family and friends, to be more adventurous, learn to salsa dance and everything in between, Booking.com seamlessly connects travellers to memorable experiences and incredible places to stay.’

As we explore in our Baby Boomer Travel market, companies like Black Tomato have already spotted the potential for goal-orientated, boundary-pushing trips. Its recent Bring it Back concept encourages discovery and inspiration based on travellers’ personal ambitions.

2020 New Year's Resolutions by Booking.com

Stat: South Korea holds allure for alcohol brands

A report published by Fitch Solutions reveals South Korea to be the most attractive market in Asia for alcohol producers, based on the potential risks and rewards for brands.

South Korea’s high ranking also means it is the only Asian market to reach the top 10 in Fitch Solutions’ global ranking, attributed to it being a high-reward nation and low-risk area. While South Korea has overtaken China as an attractive market for alcohol brands – China was ranked second in Asia in the report – the Chinese drinks market is expected to improve due to its burgeoning ‘mass affluent class’. Cambodia, meanwhile, has been considered as one to watch in Asia owing to rising consumption levels.

While alcohol and luxury brands have long focused on market growth in Japan and China, new opportunities are emerging elsewhere in Asia. For more, look out for our State of Luxury: Korea market, to be published next week.

Previous News Articles
Lacoste transforms crocodile logo into goat in tribute to Novak Djokovic

News

Lacoste transforms crocodile logo into goat in tribute to Novak Djokovic

Lacoste is rewriting its heritage codes with a limited-edition capsule collection that re-imagines its crocodile logo as a goat – a symbol of tenni...
Lacoste : Branding : Logo
Louis Vuitton, Chanel and Hermès are the top trending brands on eBay

News

Louis Vuitton, Chanel and Hermès are the top trending brands on eBay

Ahead of its pre-loved fashion shows at New York and London Fashion Week, eBay has released its second trend report, analysing global purchases and...
EBay : Luxury : Second-hand
Stat: Young investors drive interest in crypto retirement funds

News

Stat: Young investors drive interest in crypto retirement funds

More than one in four UK adults (27%) would consider adding cryptocurrency as part of their retirement plans, and 23%  would consider withdrawing p...
Finance : Cryptocurrency : Statistic
Spotify celebrates the fans who fuel music culture

News

Spotify celebrates the fans who fuel music culture

Spotify has relaunched its Fan Life campaign to spotlight the fans who fuel music culture.
Spotify : Music : Concerts
Jo Malone finds growth in China’s live-stream boom

News

Jo Malone finds growth in China’s live-stream boom

Fragrance house Jo Malone has tapped into China’s e-idol economy with a group live-stream featuring male idol group Joy X on the short-form video-s...
Retail : Technology : Live Shopping
Stat: Impulse shopping fuels £64bn ($86.7bn, €74.3bn) retail opportunity

News

Stat: Impulse shopping fuels £64bn ($86.7bn, €74.3bn) retail opportunity

Consumers are spending more and doing so more impulsively, according to a study by Vanquis. The research reveals that Brits now make an averag...
Statistic : Retail : Shopping
Mastercard launches AI-powered stories for commuters

News

Mastercard launches AI-powered stories for commuters

Mastercard has launched its Transit Tales campaign, which tailors classic stories to the length of commuters’ journeys.
Audiobooks : Australian : Commuters
Foresight Friday: Rose Coffey, senior foresight analyst

News

Foresight Friday: Rose Coffey, senior foresight analyst

Every Friday, The Future Laboratory team offers an end-of-week wrap-up of the topics, issues, ideas and virals we’re all talking about. This week, ...
Soft Sports : Digital Detox : Asics
Stat: Tech-savvy Gen Z interns see AI as a career tool, not a threat

News

Stat: Tech-savvy Gen Z interns see AI as a career tool, not a threat

Gen Z is entering the workforce with a pragmatic view of artificial intelligence and enthusiasm for in-person mentorship. 
Work : Technology : AI
Irn-Bru revives Made in Scotland from Girders slogan

News

Irn-Bru revives Made in Scotland from Girders slogan

Irn-Bru is reviving its iconic Made in Scotland from Girders slogan in a campaign led by advertising agency Lucky Generals.
Food And Drink : Brand Humour : Advertising
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