Need to Know
19 : 01 : 22

Paris – Allowing consumers to experience extreme weather conditions in a contained setting, Nike is teaming up with design studio Modem to create an immersive retail experience that stirs the senses. Unfolding in a purpose-built weather dome inside of Nike’s House of Innovation, the sportswear brand is recreating the sensation of the seasons to showcase its climate adaptive FIT ADV range.

To highlight the versatility and durability of the high-end performance line, Nike is using technology to simulate the experience of travelling between tropical, dry and polar regions at great speed. Using ambient lighting, multi-directional audio soundscapes, artificial wind and large-scale interactive environments, Nike can recreate the physical feeling of extreme weather in an indoor setting. A large, high-res LED screen guides consumers through the experience, drawing attention to the specific details of the garment that has been designed to respond to each climate.

Taking the concept of ‘try before you buy’ to new extremes, consumers who trial the experience will be filmed and given a video which they can share on their social media platforms. Using technology to innovate its visual merchandising strategies, Nike is aligning itself with retail's Third-space Storefronts that blur the boundaries between indoors and outdoors.

US – The platform is responding to the online behaviours of Generation Z, offering young people a social media app with in-built career opportunities. Depending on what users want to use their profile for – be it as a social space or for promoting creative work – they can choose from five profile skins. They can then customise their page, follow others and post content.

Tagg intentionally chooses not to include like counts on posts, recognising the negative associations of such features and using it as an opportunity to showcase an alternative to the monotonous design cues of traditional networking sites. ‘In the digital world, the more authentic your brand, the more genuine your connections,’ writes the brand in a statement. ‘Current social platforms fall short as they were not built for this evolving intersection of branding and connecting.’

While we’ve previously explored the new messaging apps that are catering for Gen Z demands, Tagg shows how the broader social media space is adapting to appeal to this group’s creative interests.

According to a report by the National Golf Foundation, more girls and women are starting to play golf in the US. Indeed, the research shows that 34% of today’s junior golfers are girls – compared to just 15% in 2000. Meanwhile, 24% of on-course golfers are now women.

The study also notes that women represent a disproportionately higher percentage of beginners (36%) and off-course participants (45%) than they do in the overall golfer population. Such findings may be indicative of a diversification of golfing venues, with many golf ranges now offering food and drink, music and accessible short courses. This is a major shift for an activity that has traditionally been focused on a highly exclusive male demographic, and represents progress for the socially outdated sports and leisure industries.

For publishers and broadcasters, the rise of New Sportswomen Media is providing greater representation for women in a wider range of sports, a shift that is likely to lead to a continuation of women and girls taking up golf.