LSN : Daily Signals : Stat: Confidence in university degrees hits record low as value debate deepens

Café Bustelo turns coffee cans into game day tattoo kits

Café Bustelo Game Face Tattoo Kit by Café Bustelo, US

US – Latin-inspired coffee brand Café Bustelo has launched Game Face, a limited-edition campaign celebrating sport, national pride and self-expression. The activation features four collectable coffee cans inspired by Mexico, Brazil, Argentina and Colombia, each containing a matching temporary tattoo kit designed for fans to wear during the 2026 World Cup.

Created under the direction of Andres Rivera at Brand New School, the campaign collaborated with four artists connected to one of the countries to design the cans and tattoos: Raul Urias for Mexico, Mel Cerri for Brazil, Josefina Schargorodsky for Argentina and Tami Hadid for Colombia.

As the World Cup approaches, the Game Face campaign points to how brands are moving beyond passive sponsorship into embodied fandom, giving consumers tools to physically reflect identity and allegiance. Our Game-changers The Future of Sports Fandom macrotrend report explores how fandom has developed into a major cultural force, providing brands with an entry point into culturally significant moments and shaping how participation, identity and engagement are expressed.

Strategic opportunity

Work with local talent to create collectable assets that act as cultural entry points, enabling brands to embed in fandoms and communities through authentic self-expression, participation and shared identity

Miista and Lost Property highlight the rise of Modern Salons

UK – In London, footwear brand Miista has partnered with lecture series Lost Property to host an evening of presentations exploring the theme of The Silence That Speaks.

Founded by writer and journalist Letty Cole, Lost Property encourages audiences to disconnect from their devices and engage with ideas in a communal setting, underlining the growing demand for intellectually stimulating social experiences.

The event featured four speakers examining silence through perspectives spanning feminism, choreography and communication. Highlights included writer Hanna Elyse Girma’s re-interpretation of rapper Gucci Mane’s lyrics as a challenge to passive feminine stereotypes, alongside discussions on movement, suspense and social interaction.

As concerns grow over shrinking attention spans and algorithm-driven consumption, new social formats are emerging to satisfy young consumers’ appetite for deeper cultural engagement. Here, brands have an opportunity to position themselves as facilitators of meaningful connection and collective learning.

Read our Modern Salons report for analysis on how brands are reviving the intellectual salon as a space for live debate, cultural discernment and collective thinking.

Photography by Matheus Bertelli, Brazil

Strategic opportunity

As consumers seek richer forms of connection, design experiences that prioritise dialogue over broadcasting. Create spaces where audiences can contribute, question and learn

Stat: Confidence in university degrees hits record low as value debate deepens

The University of Manchester, UK

UK – An inquiry into England’s student loan system begins on Tuesday (2 June) amid rising doubts over the value of university degrees, as a new British Social Attitudes survey shows that 34% of people believe a degree is not worth the time and money, up from 14% in 2005.

Confidence in graduate outcomes has also fallen, with those saying graduates are a lot better off dropping from 50% to 36%, according to the research.

This signals a broader shift in how young people evaluate education, careers and return on investment. As tuition costs rise and alternative pathways gain traction, the traditional university-to-career pipeline is increasingly being questioned.

Organisations may need to rethink talent acquisition, placing greater value on skills, apprenticeships and alternative credentials.

Read our Gen Z Parents report to understand how today’s parents are re-imagining education and shaping a future of continuous, life-long learning for the next generation.

Strategic opportunity

Build life-long learning ecosystems that continuously reskill employees through adaptable education subjects and alternative pathways such as apprenticeships and bootcamps