LSN : News : Minecraft ventures into reality with Merlin Entertainments partnership

Björk brings the voices of endangered animals to the Centre Pompidou

Nature Manifesto by Björk and Aleph, Paris

France – Singer-songwriter Björk has created an immersive sound installation for the Centre Pompidou in Paris that uses AI software to produce the sounds of endangered and extinct animals.

Collaborating with editor Aleph Molinari and French sound institute IRCAM, Nature Manifesto (2024) layers the Icelandic musician’s vocals with digital recreations of natural sounds to symbolise humanity’s precarious relationship with biodiversity.

Urging audiences to reconnect with nature and the importance of preservation, the three-minute piece will play on the museum’s exterior escalators from 20 November to 9 December 2024, coinciding with the UN Climate Change Conference.

Nature Manifesto is part of the museum’s Biodiversity: What Culture for What Future? forum and echoes Björk’s long-standing climate advocacy.

The project echoes insights from our Rebranding Nature design direction which highlighted how brands and businesses are rebranding nature to lure Gen Z outdoors and engage them in conservation and climate activism.

Strategic opportunity

Partner with artists, institutions and innovators to create immersive experiences that position conservation as aspirational and empowering, moving away from fear-based narratives to foster hope and action

Aldi taps into sustainability with food waste beer range

Toast Brewing by Aldi, UK

UK – Aldi is advancing its sustainability efforts with The Hop Foundry beer range, crafted from surplus food items and sold exclusively in its stores. Partnering with innovative breweries, the supermarket is addressing food waste creatively, turning discarded bread and wonky fruits into refreshing beers.

Toast Brewing has collaborated on The Hop Foundry and Toast Brewing Another Round Session IPA, using surplus bread – a top contributor to UK food waste – to create a zesty and sustainable brew. Meanwhile, The Hop Foundry and Freedom Brewery Misfits Summer Fruits Beer, made with nearly a tonne of Aldi’s surplus berries, offers a vegan-friendly, tangy IPA.

Julie Ashfield, Aldi UK’s managing director of buying, highlights the retailer’s commitment to affordable sustainability, stating: ‘By partnering with incredible innovators, we’re transforming surplus food into delicious, high-quality products our customers can feel good about buying.’

This initiative aligns with our Waste Reinvented insight in our Innovation Debrief 2023–2024 report.

Strategic opportunity

Collaborate with innovators to create sustainable, affordable products that reduce waste while aligning with shoppers’ demand for environmental responsibility

Minecraft ventures into reality with Merlin Entertainments partnership

Minecraft

US, UK – Minecraft fans will soon experience the beloved game off-screen. Entertainment destination company Merlin Entertainments is partnering with Minecraft creator Mojang Studios to bring Minecraft to life through immersive real-world attractions.

The £85m ($107m, €102m) initiative, Adventures Made Real, will be launched first in the UK and the US by 2026–2027. Highlights will include interactive Minecraft-themed rides, digitally integrated guest accommodation and in-game content.

This marks Merlin’s first global collaboration with a gaming brand, signalling a new era of phygital experiences that blend digital adventures with tangible, theme-park magic.

‘Minecraft is the best-selling video game of all time, and this world-first will see fans experience its thrill and creativity in real life, at theme parks and city centre attractions in leading tourist destinations,’ said Scott O’Neil, CEO of Merlin Entertainments.

Our Mobile World Congress 2024: The Future of Connectivity event coverage explored the future of digital integration of theme parks, transforming traditional adventure destinations with immersive gaming experiences.

Strategic opportunity

Develop attractions that blend virtual and physical gaming elements, offering interactive experiences that merge in-game challenges with real-world exploration, appealing to Gen Z and Gen Alpha consumers

Stat: Beauty brands double down on experiential marketing

Your best Elf visionOS app, US

Global – The beauty and skincare sector is increasingly prioritising experiential marketing, with 84% of companies reporting budget increases over the past three years – 38% significantly and 46% slightly – according to a new survey of over 750 senior marketers across 12 industries.

While the industry allocates a relatively conservative 9.55% of its revenue to marketing, experiential initiatives are becoming central to its strategy. Popular formats include in-retail rituals (62%), live-streams (56%), partnerships and collaborations (41%) and influencer content creation (36%), showing diverse approaches to audience engagement.

The primary objectives driving experiential marketing in the sector are content creation (51%), innovation and test marketing (49%) and customer relationship management (41%), with earned media value (64%) and social engagement (41%) highlighted as key metrics for success.

Two-thirds of companies now dedicate 10–30% of their budgets to experiences, solidifying the sector’s commitment to immersive brand interactions and consumer-centric campaigns. These statistics align with our findings in Five Beauty Retailers Deploying EQ-Commerce Strategies .

Strategic opportunity

Invest in immersive in-store experiences such as guided rituals and multi-sensory environments to evoke emotional connections, aligning with the rise of EQ-Commerce and fostering strong brand relevance