LSN : News : Sober living meets social connection at NYC’s new members’ club The Maze

Electrolux launches campaign based on Swedish culture and values

Tough being Beautiful Campaign by Electrolux, Sweden, film released in Europe and Australia

Australia, Europe – Multinational home appliance manufacturer Electrolux has launched a campaign celebrating core Swedish design values. The Tough being Beautiful ad leans into themes championed by its award-winning SaphirMatt Hob.

Developed by Publicis London, the campaign includes a 45-second film that highlights Swedish cultural pillars such as durability, simplicity and a connection to nature.

‘Tough being Beautiful is more than a campaign — it’s a statement of what Electrolux stands for: pride in our Swedish heritage,’ said Nikos Bartzoulianos, Electrolux group chief marketing officer.

We explored how brands are increasingly expected to act as cultural custodians in our Luxury Recrafted macrotrend. This latest campaign reflects a broader shift toward emotional storytelling as a tool for reinforcing authenticity and heritage.

Launching this month, the campaign spans tv, digital, retail and e-commerce, and will roll out across Australia and key European markets.

Strategic opportunity

Heritage-led storytelling can drive distinctiveness in a crowded luxury market, especially when rooted in cultural authenticity. Explore the shifting consumer expectations around identity and meaning in our New Codes of Value report

Sober living meets social connection at NYC’s new members’ club The Maze

US – New York City is set to welcome its first alcohol-free members’ club The Maze in autumn 2025.

Located in Manhattan’s Flatiron District, the venue comprises a New American restaurant, a high-end coffee bar, flexible event areas and lounges. The Maze aims to provide a space where individuals embracing an alcohol-free lifestyle can connect and socialise without compromise.

Founded by Justin Gurland, who has been sober since the age of 25, the club aims to normalise intentional living and connection beyond alcohol. ‘At The Maze, we’re not just removing alcohol – we’re reimagining what it means to belong,’ says Gurland in a press release. ‘It’s a place where you can thrive without the pressures of traditional socialising, embracing a lifestyle centred around mindfulness and purpose.’

The launch of The Maze signals a broader evolution in hospitality – one in which purpose-led lifestyles are taking precedence over traditional markers of luxury. As explored in our Sober Social Fix and Sober Bars reports, new spaces are emerging where mindset comes first – whether that’s sobriety, health optimisation or intentional living – with social connection built in as a meaningful, but secondary, layer. Remedy Place exemplifies this shift, offering wellness-first experiences that enable like-minded people to connect around shared values, not shared vices.

The Maze, New York, US

Strategic opportunity

As hospitality shifts from indulgence to intentionality, brands can tap into mindset-led communities such as the sober-curious by creating spaces rooted in shared values and meaningful connection. See our Communities page for more on values-driven consumer groups.

Stat: Brits Spend £439m a month to skip ads on top streaming platforms

Photography by Andres Ayrton

UK – Consumers are spending more than £439m ($589m, €521.2m) each month, over £4.8bn ($6.4bn, €5.7bn) annually, on ad-free streaming, according to new data from finance comparison site Finder. Nearly three in five UK adults (58%), or 31m people, now pay to avoid adverts across major platforms such as Netflix, Amazon Prime, Disney+ and Spotify.

Netflix tops the list, with 39% of Brits, approximately 21m people, paying an extra £7 ($9.39, €8.3) monthly for an ad-free experience, totalling £150m ($201.3m, €178m) a month. Based on average watch times, this equates to £1m ($1.34m, €1.19m) spent for every minute of adverts skipped.

Spotify Premium subscribers spend £127.7m ($171.3m, €151.6m) monthly to listen without interruption, while Disney+ users shell out £44.8m ($60.1m, €53.1m) to go ad-free.

Despite this, ad-supported tiers are gaining traction. Netflix’s ad-tier subscriptions rose 24% in late 2024 and Disney+ saw a 25% jump.

Read our Content Commerce and Home States Futures: Residential Retail reports to discover how the home is evolving from a sanctuary of comfort and security into a dynamic hub of commerce, seamlessly integrated with retail innovation.

Strategic opportunity

Develop partnerships with streaming platforms to create scan-to-shop experiences during key moments in shows using visual recognition tech, creating a seamless ad experience that viewers won’t want to skip