News 04.09.2025

News

KitKat launches commuter camouflage hoodie for uninterrupted travel breaks, Spotify becomes more social with in-app messaging update and how P.Louise live shopping broke a record on TikTok Shop.

KitKat launches commuter camouflage hoodie for uninterrupted travel breaks

KitKat unveils Commuter Camouflage

Australia – KitKat has released a limited-edition Commuter Camouflage hoodie that blends into the patterned seats of Australian public transport, designed to give commuters more uninterrupted ‘me time’.

Developed with VML Australia, the reversible hoodie responds to research showing that 59% of Australians wish they could be invisible on their journeys, with the average commuter spending 194 hours a year on trains and buses. The design uses iconic Melbourne and Sydney seat patterns, complete with Totalzip technology for full coverage, and a discreet temperature-friendly ‘choc pock’ to store a KitKat bar without it melting.

Nestlé’s head of marketing confectionery Shannon Wright described the campaign as a playful way to help Australians reclaim their commutes as break time. The initiative has been amplified through social media content, OOH activations and influencer partnerships, generating more than 25m impressions to date (source: Little Black Book). 

The hoodie taps into a very relatable feeling – commuters’ desire for peace – while making KitKat’s Have a Break slogan more humorous. For more insights on how brands are using next-level comedy to cut through the noise, read our Cannes Lions 2025: The Unhinged Humour Opportunity report.

Strategic opportunity

Consider how humour-led campaigns can humanise your brand and foster emotional resonance – particularly with younger audiences who reward irreverence and relatability

Spotify becomes more social with in-app messaging update

Global – Spotify is rolling out a new in-app messaging feature. Designed to keep sharing within its own eco-system, the tool allows users to chat one to one with people they already have connections with, whether through collaborative playlists, Blends, Jams or Family and Duo plans.

Messages will also appear if a friend shares a Spotify link via WhatsApp, Instagram or TikTok, creating a seamless way to start conversations about music and podcasts.

The feature is being launched for users aged over 16 in selected Latin and South American markets before expanding to the US, Canada, Brazil, the EU, the UK, Australia and New Zealand in the coming weeks. Users can access messages by tapping on their profile pictures.

Spotify’s move into messaging reflects a wider shift we identified in Innovation Debrief 2025: The New Age of Discovery, where tech giants are redesigning discovery, search and sharing to happen in-app or on-platform. This closed-loop UX boosts engagement and keeps users active for longer.

Spotify

Strategic opportunity

Experiment with closed-loop digital eco-systems by creating brand content that thrives within platform-native features – from private messaging to group forums – ensuring your brand stays central to consumer discovery.

Stat: P.Louise live shopping breaks record on TikTok Shop

P.Louise’s TikTok Shop Live, UK P.Louise’s TikTok Shop Live, UK

UK – Make-up brand P.Louise has reinforced its dominance on TikTok Shop, breaking records with its Christmas Showcase Live and generating £2m ($2.7m, €2.3m) in just 14 hours.

The viral beauty brand surpassed its own 12-hour record in only 10 hours, averaging £143,000 ($191,700, €164,470) an hour and receiving more than 31,000 orders. 

Its 2025 Christmas Advent Calendars were the highlight, accounting for 17% of items sold, with the Cruising Home for Christmas edition driving 40% of calendar sales and the 12 Sleighs of Christmas calendar capturing 60%.

By shifting from entry-level products to curated bundles and exclusives, the live event generated a fourfold rise in average order value compared with 2024. We tracked the rise of live-streamed e-commerce in The Future of Live Shopping report.

Strategic opportunity

Use live commerce to stage immersive, event-style launches that blend exclusivity and entertainment, driving higher order values and cultural impact across sectors

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