News 11.06.2021

Need To Know

Klarna taps A$AP Rocky to promote post-lockdown shopping, suncare designed for teenage skin and why UK students see the value in cryptocurrencies.

Klarna campaigns to drop the lockdown look

Get Smooth Again by A$AP Rocky and Klarna, Sweden

New York and Stockholm – Payments service Klarna wants people emerging from lockdown to leave behind their wardrobe of sweatpants and hoodies, partnering with sartorially slick musician A$AP Rocky to inspire fashion exploration.

Its multimedia campaign includes a short film starring A$AP Rocky – recently announced as a shareholder of the company – returning to the streets of New York after its longest lockdown. Emerging from home in an old dressing gown, passers-by tease him about his tired threads, before A$AP Rocky clicks the Klarna app to find a sharp new outfit.

With a sign off to ‘Drop your lockdown look’ and ‘Get smooth again’, the campaign promotes Klarna’s role in facilitating frictionless shopping and payments. David Sandström, chief marketing officer at Klarna, says: ‘A$AP Rocky’s innovative mindset and his impeccable sense of style and creativity paired with Klarna's shopping services is the perfect match that will lead us all out of fashion hibernation and encourage everyone to get out and express themselves again.’

As we explore in our Outside Insiders trend, businesses are beginning to embrace such external influence to connect with audiences in new ways. Discover this insight in Elastic Brands.

A vegan cookbook with a plantable cover

Merchant Goods Cookbook, Uncommon Studios, UK Merchant Goods Cookbook, Uncommon Studios, UK
Merchant Goods Cookbook, Uncommon Studios, UK Merchant Goods Cookbook, Uncommon Studios, UK

UK – With consumers exploring self-sufficient lifestyles and ways to grow their own food, ingredient brand Merchant Gourmet has launched a vegan cookbook with a seeded cover that an be planted at home.

Developed with creative studio Uncommon and coinciding with the brand’s new strapline ‘Appetite for Change,’ The Simple Plant-based Cookbook features accessible plant-based meals, with ingredient lists that include Merchant Gourmet’s ready-to-eat pulses, grains and chestnuts. With plant-based living now a larger lifestyle shift, the cookbook also highlights more than 60 ways that readers can live more consciously – one being to plant its seeded paper cover to grow herbs such as basil, parsley and oregano.

‘We needed something extra to get the conversation going, so we came up with the cover to bring focus on Appetite for Change,’ says Jonas Roth, creative director at Uncommon Creative Studio. ‘We thought it was a smart way to get Merchant Gourmet’s green dream manifested in something physical and tasty.’

Through the book’s wider lifestyle focus, Merchant Gourmet is using its expertise to educate consumers, something Beyond Meat has also done in providing school education for children about plant-based foods.

New Day Skin encourages teen SPF routines

New Day Skin, Australia New Day Skin, Australia

Australia – While parents often struggle to encourage teenagers to use sun protection, New Day Skin is stepping in to spread awareness – and use – through youth-centric products and communications.

It’s catering for a gap in the market with a daily SPF range aimed at tweens and teens that avoids the usual branding tropes associated with children’s suncare. Launched with two daily face creams – Happy Days and Good Vibes – the products offer a more appealing sun protection experience thanks to bold branding and a fresh scent.

Its ambition is to encourage children to ‘voluntarily apply sunscreen as part of their morning routine, just like cleaning their teeth or brushing their hair,’ according to a statement on the brand’s website. Angela Tallon, co-founder of New Day Skin, says: ‘Our number one mission is to protect our children while also empowering them to take responsibility for their own health and wellbeing.’

With sun damage continuing to be a major health concern, Sylvie Giret, founder of Skinergies, spoke to LS:N Global about why SPF products need to move from protection to prevention.

Stat: UK students are investing in cryptocurrencies

Emoticash by Superimpose Studio Emoticash by Superimpose Studio

The adoption of cryptocurrencies is growing among UK students, offering an incentive for retailers to explore and integrate alternative payment methods.

According to a recent study by student discount platform Unidays, about a quarter (24%) of students in the UK own some form of the digital asset, while a third intend to buy cryptocurrency within the next three months. Meanwhile, 40% of those surveyed believe that cryptocurrency will replace traditional currency in the next 10 years and 43% think that retailers should offer it as a payment option.

‘Cryptocurrency markets may be extremely volatile now, but our results show that many Gen Zers see its long-term potential as an alternative and more democratic value system,’ says Josh Rathour, CEO at Unidays. ’The fact that many of them want retailers to accept crypto as payment is food for thought for brands looking to connect with Gen Z.’

While we’ve identified Generation Z as having a conservative attitude to money, their progressive mindset regarding digital assets reveals this group's sense of Crypto-loyalty is on the rise. For more on this, read our Alternet Economies macrotrend.

Previous News Articles
Kia Europe turns road trips into sound journeys for visually impaired people

News

Kia Europe turns road trips into sound journeys for visually impaired people

Automobile manufacturer, Kia Europe and creative agency Innocean Berlin have launched Soundscapes, a creative experiment that transforms the tradit...
Soundscapes : Mobility : Pimp My Ride
Diriyah gets its own Pantone colour as part of cultural revival

News

Diriyah gets its own Pantone colour as part of cultural revival

The historic Saudi city of Diriyah now has a shade to call its own: Diriyah Tan.
Saudi Arabia : Diriyah : Diriyah Biennale
Stat: Consumers sacrifice dining and takeout amid inflation

News

Stat: Consumers sacrifice dining and takeout amid inflation

Amid growing economic uncertainty and inflation concerns, consumers in the US and UK are scaling back on discretionary spending, with 63% cutting b...
Stat : Stats : Spending
O Boticário launches sensual guide for female pleasure

News

O Boticário launches sensual guide for female pleasure

Brazilian cosmetics brand O Boticário has launched Her Touch, a digital book that aims to dismantle taboos around female pleasure by reframing the ...
Beauty : Wellness : Brazil
Trendmood translates online clout into physical retail

News

Trendmood translates online clout into physical retail

Instagram beauty scoop account @trendmood1 is making its first foray into physical retail with a Los Angeles pop-up set to open this summer.
Retail : Beauty : Pop Culture & Media
Stat: UK gym market hits record as Gen Z fuel sign-ups

News

Stat: UK gym market hits record as Gen Z fuel sign-ups

The UK gym market reached a record valuation of £5.7bn ($7.6bn, €6.6bn) in 2024, up 8.8% year on year, according to UKactive’s latest report.
Sports : Health : Wellness
Zendaya wears spacesuits by On to champion movement for all

News

Zendaya wears spacesuits by On to champion movement for all

Zendaya and Swiss sportswear brand On have launched Zone Dreamers, a fictional film trailer turned campaign spotlighting the emotional power of mov...
Fashion : Advertising : On
Stat: AI news fails to win over US audiences

News

Stat: AI news fails to win over US audiences

Despite growing industry interest in AI-generated journalism, a new poll from Poynter and the University of Minnesota reveals widespread public sce...
Technology : Media : AI
Glastonbury’s Shangri-La swaps social for soil in analogue relaunch

News

Glastonbury’s Shangri-La swaps social for soil in analogue relaunch

For 2025, Glastonbury’s Shangri-La is stepping away from digital channels and towards analogue connection, as the late-night area undergoes a thema...
Sustainability : Culture : Design
Corona constructs world’s first sun reserve in Brazil

News

Corona constructs world’s first sun reserve in Brazil

To mark its centenary, beach-born beer brand Corona has unveiled the world’s first sun reserve at Piedade Beach in Pernambuco, Brazil.
Sustainability : Drink : 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