Daily Signals 01.04.2021

Signals

Lay’s deepfakes elevate digital football fandom, a data-driven tool for sonic branding success and US consumers are voting with their wallets.

Lay’s Messi deepfake personalises football fandom

Messi Messages by Lay's

US & Global – Snack brand Lay’s is encouraging football fans to send personalised, interactive messages through a deepfake rendering of the footballer Lionel Messi.

As part of its global UEFA Champions League campaign, Lay’s is connecting with fans in a new way through its web app Messi Messages. On the site, users can send personalised video messages – within a set of pre-programmed prompts – to say the name of friends and family and invite them to watch a football match or play an online game. Using artificial intelligence (AI) and facial mapping, Messi’s lips appear to speak the user’s chosen words and language.

Available in 20 countries and 10 languages, the activation aims to create a more memorable experience for people connecting over sport. In this way, Lay’s is drawing on the potential of deepfake technology to create novel customer experiences that appeal to football fans.

Online activations, live-streaming and tokenisation are changing the ways that Digital Fandom operates – ushering in new methods of engaging with popular creators and personalities.

Whole Foods and Headspace tune in to mindful eating

Food for Mood by Whole Foods Market and Headspace, US Food for Mood by Whole Foods Market and Headspace, US
Food for Mood by Whole Foods Market and Headspace, US Food for Mood by Whole Foods Market and Headspace, US

US – Grocery retailer Whole Foods Market is partnering with meditation app Headspace to explore the impact of foods on physical and mental wellbeing.

The two companies are collaborating on a four-part recipe series, called Food for Mood, which will be shown on Whole Foods Market’s IGTV channel. The series is designed to educate and inspire people on the topic of mindfulness when grocery shopping, cooking and eating.

Headspace has created three complementary guided meditations to support the campaign, namely Joyful Shopping, Cooking with Gratitude, and Mindful Eating. ‘Mindful eating is so much more than just paying attention to our food – it encompasses finding joy and inspiration in our shopping, being present and intentional with our meal preparation, savouring what’s on our plate and developing a greater awareness of how it makes us feel or contributes to our wellbeing,’ explains Eve Lewis, content director at Headspace.

Food choices are becoming entwined with health motivations in a way that can alter our physical and psychological states, something we explore in our macrotrend Total Tastes.

A data-driven tool for optimal sonic branding

Sonic Branding Tool by MassiveMusic and SoundOut Sonic Branding Tool by MassiveMusic and SoundOut

UK – Creative agency MassiveMusic has teamed up with music testing service SoundOut to launch a sonic branding tool.

Known as MassiveBASS, it combines art and science to predict sonic distinctiveness and connection to a brand's personality. Using data from more than half a million consumers, the tool offers objective suggestions to marketers about sounds that best reflect and complement their brand.

To create MassiveBASS, the two companies mapped the emotional DNA of music, identifying sound assets that evoke different values in consumers, such as bold, disruptive or fun.

'Brands have traditionally looked at sound… as the benchmark rather than the brand’s own personality and archetypes,’ says David Courtier-Dutton, CEO of SoundOut. ‘This often results in a non-strategic and ineffective asset. MassiveBASS is a uniquely powerful tool that removes subjectivity.’

While many companies rely on generic sound branding, we recently spoke to Steve Milton, co-founder of sensory experience company Listen, who believes sound is the next frontier for branding.

Stat: US consumers are becoming more values-driven

Online Only Store by Amazon and Whole Foods Market, New York Online Only Store by Amazon and Whole Foods Market, New York

American consumers are changing their shopping habits to reflect more conscious mindsets, according to a survey by Shopkick.

A majority (68%) of US consumers say the pandemic has made them more conscious consumers. Some 39% actively research companies’ values and practices to ensure they align with their own personal beliefs, and 11% choose to support more BIPOC-owned businesses. Meanwhile, 65% of shoppers now support local or small businesses where possible.

This mindset shift is also resulting in many consumers becoming less loyal to brands they may have previously relied on. David Fisch, general manager of Shopkick, says: ‘It has become clear that this new retail reality requires keeping a much more frequent pulse on consumers’ needs and expectations, especially as brand loyalty continues to waver.’

As Moral Commerce reveals, consumers are increasingly making shopping decisions informed by their sociopolitical values.

Previous Daily Signals Articles
The Ordinary exposes beauty industry buzzwords in dystopian new video

Daily Signals

The Ordinary exposes beauty industry buzzwords in dystopian new video

In a provocative new campaign, skincare brand The Ordinary is calling out the beauty industry’s reliance on pseudo-scientific language.
Beauty : Skincare : Misinformation
Luxury travellers prioritise value, experience and climate-conscious choices for 2026

Daily Signals

Luxury travellers prioritise value, experience and climate-conscious choices for 2026

Luxury travel is set to evolve in 2026, with affluent travellers seeking deeper meaning, personalisation and sustainable choices, according to Virt...
Luxury : Gen Alpha : Luxury Travel
Stat: Public confidence in UK food safety reaches record high

Daily Signals

Stat: Public confidence in UK food safety reaches record high

Public trust in the UK’s food system has hit its highest level since 2020, according to the Food Standards Agency’s Food and You 2 survey.
Food : Health : Stat
Swedish campaign encourages doctors to prescribe visits

Daily Signals

Swedish campaign encourages doctors to prescribe visits

Visit Sweden has launched The Swedish Prescription, making it ‘the first country in the world prescribed by doctors’.
Health : Travel : Tourism
Airbnb and Strava champion countryside run-cations

Daily Signals

Airbnb and Strava champion countryside run-cations

Airbnb and Strava are tapping into ‘the rural run-cation’, staycations built around scenic runs, fresh air and connection with friends. As explored...
Sports : Travel And Hospitality : Health And Wellness
Stat: Gen Z lead European travel boom with highest spending and trip frequency

Daily Signals

Stat: Gen Z lead European travel boom with highest spending and trip frequency

Gen Z are driving a significant surge in European travel, outspending and out-travelling all other generations, according to MMGY’s 2025 Portrait o...
Travel
Rosewood leans into modern luxury with refreshed brand identity

Daily Signals

Rosewood leans into modern luxury with refreshed brand identity

Luxury hotel group Rosewood is repositioning itself as a lifestyle and cultural leader, with a focus on storytelling and experiential travel.
Luxury : Hospitality : Rosewood
Foresight Friday: Olivia Houghton, insights and engagement director

Daily Signals

Foresight Friday: Olivia Houghton, insights and engagement director

Every Friday, we offer an end-of-week wrap-up of the topics, issues, ideas and virals we’re all talking about. This week, insights and engagement d...
Culture : Beauty : Fashion
Stat: Study shows decline in social media use among younger adults

Daily Signals

Stat: Study shows decline in social media use among younger adults

Adults are spending less time on social media, following a peak three years ago. By the end of 2024, those aged 16 or older were spending an averag...
Media : Technology : Statistic
Ulta Beauty opens UB Marketplace to 100 emerging brands

Daily Signals

Ulta Beauty opens UB Marketplace to 100 emerging brands

Ulta Beauty has launched UB Marketplace, a new online platform introducing more than 100 emerging beauty and wellness brands to its website and app...
Beauty : Retail : Ecommerce
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