News 04.09.2020

Need to Know

Community content from Adidas, ASOS tackles TikTok with an interactive challenge and Chinese consumers show loyalty to domestic beauty brands.

Adidas’ Confirmed is storytelling for sneakerheads

CONFIRMED BY Adidas, Global

Global – Sports brand Adidas has relaunched its Confirmed sneaker app with a greater focus on community, creativity and storytelling.

The updated app now provides users with access to new drops, alongside the background stories to its designs and collaborative partnerships. Providing specialised sneaker content and sneak peeks into upcoming shoes, Confirmed lets Adidas fans feel part of the brand’s creator community.

‘Whether it’s working with outside partners or coming together internally to produce innovative products, at the heart of Adidas is a deeply collaborative spirit,’ explains Ebru Ercon, design director for Adidas’ statement department. ‘This collaborative ethos extends to Confirmed and we’re incredibly excited that the platform will allow us to showcase our most forward-thinking products that we’ve brought to life with our partners.’

By building this form of microcommunity within the Adidas eco-system, the company is positioning itself as more of a peer and curator than a retail brand. Indeed, consumers are increasingly seeking conversational interactions with the brands they love; in Feedback Frontiers we explore the two-way potential of these relationships.

PrettyLittleThing moves into gin production

Gin by PrettyLittleThing, UK Gin by PrettyLittleThing, UK
Gin by PrettyLittleThing, UK Gin by PrettyLittleThing, UK

UK – Fast fashion brand PrettyLittleThing is seeking to raise the spirits of staycationers with the launch of a pink gin.

Targeting those who have had their summer festivals and holidays cancelled by Covid-19, the limited run of 99 bottles of PrettyLittleGin is designed to remind drinkers of the good times. Crafted by Liverpool-based Handmade Gin Company, the strawberry- and vanilla-flavoured spirit is infused with juniper, cardamom, coriander and vanilla, and fruits including orange, lemon, strawberry and pineapple.

The bottles are only accessible through competitions run by the brand on its social media channels. ‘PrettyLittleThing aims to bring a taste of holiday back home,’ says Amy Simon, the brand’s head of PR. ‘Yes, we may not be able to go to festivals and embark on that amazing gals’ summer holiday we had planned. But we can still raise a glass of PrettyLittleGin in our garden with our mates.’

As consumers’ hunger for new and novel products grows, fashion brands are increasingly tapping into the food and drink industry. For more, explore how food brands are getting a taste for fashion.

ASOS targets TikTokers with AR challenge

#AySauce by ASOS, UK #AySauce by ASOS, UK

UK and US – Marketing technology agency Byte is working with online retailer ASOS on a TikTok takeover that combines a bespoke challenge with augmented reality (AR).

Centred around the retailer’s latest hashtag #AySauce – a play on its name – Byte's campaign comprises a bespoke music track created by music production agency KARM, to which 25 leading content creators from the UK and US are showcasing three chosen outfits in 15-second creative challenges.

An interactive AR layer is activated by particular hand gestures, with bold graphics spelling 'Ay' and 'Sauce' appearing on the screen in response.

Inam Mahmood, managing director of global business solutions at TikTok UK, says: ‘TikTok’s format and joyful tone encourage brands to be authentic and creative in a fully immersive, non-judgemental world. The team at ASOS has really leaned into this and shown with its campaign that it understands what makes the platform unique – community, music and creativity.’

As TikTok continues to gain traction among Generation Z, marketers are using the platform to establish trust and ongoing connections with customers.

Stat: Patriotic consumers vie for Chinese beauty brands

Banana Magazine Banana Magazine

New research from Mintel reveals how the pandemic is shaping attitudes to beauty brands in China.

As the nation's economy recovers from Covid-19, Mintel reports that the majority of Chinese consumers are showing greater interest in domestic beauty brands – 77% would prefer to buy from local beauty brands as a way to show their support following the outbreak.

Mintel's Covid-19 China tracker, which ran from 25 March to 1 April 2020, also reveals an optimistic attitude among luxury consumers, with 45% of those surveyed disagreeing with the statement that ‘domestic skin brands do not have many prestige products'. ‘Niche domestic brands are indeed expected to develop high-end product lines and gain market share,’ explains Amy Jin, beauty analyst at Mintel.

Learn more about how luxury retail is evolving during the inter-Covid period with our recent China Luxury Retail Market.

Previous News Articles
Beame unveils colour-changing UV stickers for effortless SPF re-application

News

Beame unveils colour-changing UV stickers for effortless SPF re-application

Sunscreen start-up Beame has unveiled Under the Spotlight, a set of colour-changing UV detection stickers that tell wearers exactly when to re-appl...
Beauty : Health : Wellness
Mars backs gene-edited cocoa for climate-resilient chocolate

News

Mars backs gene-edited cocoa for climate-resilient chocolate

Confectionery brand Mars is teaming up with biotech firm Pairwise to accelerate the creation of climate-resilient cocoa using CRISPR-based gene edi...
Mars : Chocolate : Cacao
Stat: British beauty and personal care sector outpaces the UK economy

News

Stat: British beauty and personal care sector outpaces the UK economy

According to the latest The Value of Beauty report by the British Beauty Council, the beauty and personal care sector contributed £30.4bn ($41.2bn,...
Beauty : Retail : Personal Care
TikTok top-selling beauty brand P.Louise to open immersive flagship store

News

TikTok top-selling beauty brand P.Louise to open immersive flagship store

Make-up brand P.Louise is set to open its first fully immersive store in Manchester Trafford Palazzo in autumn 2025.
Retail : Beauty : Pop Culture & Media
Kiehl’s teams up with Fortnite to make suncare part of play

News

Kiehl’s teams up with Fortnite to make suncare part of play

Cosmetics brand Kiehl’s is breaking new ground with a four-week activation inside online video game Fortnite, aiming to embed sun safety into gamin...
Kiehl’s : Suncare : Suncare Market
Stat: High churn rates threaten subscription services

News

Stat: High churn rates threaten subscription services

According to a new survey in the US and Europe from Recurly and Hanover Research, 66% of all cancellations occur within the first 12 months of a su...
Retail : Technology : Subscriptions
The Future Laboratory unveils Innovation Debrief 2025–2026 at Breakfast Briefing

News

The Future Laboratory unveils Innovation Debrief 2025–2026 at Breakfast Briefing

The Future Laboratory, alongside the team behind its trends intelligence platform LS:N Global, hosted its quarterly members-only Breakfast Briefing...
The Future Laboratory : Innovation Debrief 2025–2026 : Breakfast Briefing
AI physiotherapy clinic halves waiting time for back pain treatment

News

AI physiotherapy clinic halves waiting time for back pain treatment

A 12-week NHS pilot of Flok Health’s AI-powered physiotherapy clinic has cut waiting lists for back pain by 55% and overall musculoskeletal waits ...
AI : Ai Therapy : Healthcare
Stat: Young US adults turn to AI for daily brainstorms

News

Stat: Young US adults turn to AI for daily brainstorms

About six in 10 US adults under 30 have used AI to come up with ideas, compared with just two in 10 of those aged 60 or older, according to a study...
AI : Stat : Statistic
BBH Singapore creates the country’s first legal chewing gum for more than 30 years

News

BBH Singapore creates the country’s first legal chewing gum for more than 30 years

Creative agency BBH Singapore has developed Unthinkables, a hyper-chewy flavoured candy designed to mimic gum but made without a gum base to bypass...
Singapore : Advertising : Pop Culture & Media
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