News 17.07.2024

Need to Know

LG’s air conditioning units for menopause, Deliveroo gets into home cooking and why Co-op is revealing its socio-economic pay gap report.

LG unveils AI-activated Menopause Mode air conditioning units

Menopause Mode campaign by LG

Brazil – LG is beta testing Menopause Mode, a new initiative aimed at alleviating the intense hot flushes experienced by menopausal women. Developed by Brazilian creative agency AlmapBBDO, the feature combines artificial intelligence, ThinQ connectivity technology, smartwatches and LG air conditioning units. With nearly 29m menopausal women in Brazil, one-third of whom suffer from moderate to severe hot flushes, this technology addresses a significant yet often taboo issue. 

The innovative app monitors body temperature, heart rate and blood oxygen levels in real time via data provided by a smartwatch. When it detects a hot flush, it signals the LG Dual Inverter +AI air conditioner to rapidly cool the room. After 10 minutes, the unit reverts to the user’s preset temperature. 

‘Menopause Mode is taking the smart home to the next level, reacting to the body’s vital signs,’ said Lilian Cavallini, head of creative technology at AlmapBBDO. In Tech-powered Perimenopause, we analysed how the femtech industry is expanding to cater for later women’s life stages, creating AI-driven solutions that will empower individuals with greater choice and transparency as they approach the perimenopause.

Strategic opportunity

Develop AI-powered home environment systems that cater for various health conditions or lifestyle needs, such as menopause, allergy management, asthma or general wellness, by integrating with smart home devices 

Monday founder launches inclusive haircare line Being

Being Collection by Monday Haircare and Osāna Naturals, US Being Collection by Monday Haircare and Osāna Naturals, US
Being Collection by Monday Haircare and Osāna Naturals, US Being Collection by Monday Haircare and Osāna Naturals, US

US – The team behind Monday Haircare and Osāna Naturals has launched Being, a new affordable haircare line designed for all hair types.

Exclusively available at Walmart, Being features five product families tailored to hair types from 1a to 4c. The formulations use naturally derived, ethically sourced active ingredients and are certified cruelty-free.

Part of the Walmart Start accelerator programme, Being enlisted writer and Texture Diaries founder Akili King, celebrity hairstylist Alyx Liu, Cripple Media founder Emily Flores and beauty creator Shahd Batal, along with a team of trichologists, for its advisory board.

In our Accredited Beauty macrotrend report, we analysed how transparency and proof of efficacy are top beauty consumer priorities. By involving an advisory board in the brand’s development, Being draws both attention and authenticity to its launch.

Building its range of diverse haircare products has also been central to Walmart’s recent retail strategy, something we explored in our Walmart Brand Innovation Debrief.

Strategic opportunity

Establishing an advisory board of community experts and industry professionals can ensure your products meet the real needs and preferences of your target audience, while adding accreditation and authenticity to your brand

Deliveroo teams up with Mob Kitchen to upgrade home cooking

Photography by RF_studio Photography by RF_studio

UK – Food delivery giant Deliveroo has launched a partnership with recipe subscription service Mob Kitchen that aims to streamline the process of home cooking. The collaboration enables consumers to receive ingredients for Mob recipes swiftly, transforming meal preparation into a seamless experience.

Mob Kitchen is renowned for its extensive library of recipes, curated by a diverse group of chefs and home cooks. Subscribers gain access to a vast range of culinary options, allowing them to explore new dishes from the comfort of their kitchens.

Now, with the new Deliveroo x Mob Kitchen initiative, obtaining ingredients for these recipes has never been easier. Consumers can order the necessary items for their selected dishes from the app’s supermarket partners, including Co-op, Waitrose, Sainsbury’s, Asda, Whole Foods Market and more, and have them delivered within 20 minutes.

In a LinkedIn post, Mob Kitchen highlighted the benefits of this collaboration. ‘Alongside creating stunning recipes and highly engaging content, we have created a solution for the time-old conundrum, what should I cook tonight?’. This collaboration aligns with Food Delivery Futures, which reveals the enhanced connection between technology, supermarkets and our kitchens.

Strategic opportunity

Supermarkets and food delivery companies should integrate hyper-personalised recommendations to simplify daily meal choices, tailoring suggestions to customers’ health goals, dietary restrictions and past orders

Stat: Co-op’s socio-economic pay gap report shows social mobility remains slow

Pop Up Grocer, New York, US Pop Up Grocer, New York, US

UK – The Co-op has made history as the first UK retailer to publish a socio-economic pay gap report, highlighting its commitment to social mobility and support for employees from lower socio-economic backgrounds. The report, based on voluntary data from 57,000 employees, reveals a mean pay gap of 5.2% between colleagues from lower and higher socio-economic backgrounds (SEBs). Those from lower SEBs are also less likely to progress into senior positions than those from professional or higher SEBs.

Collected between April 2023 and April 2024, the data classifies employees based on the main household earner’s occupation when they were 14, as per the Social Mobility Commission’s framework. At present, 72% of Co-op staff have shared their socio-economic data, and the goal is to reach 80% participation in the next year.

Co-op CEO Shirine Khoury-Haq emphasised the report’s significance: ‘By holding ourselves accountable and outlining the steps we will take to address inequality within our business, we hope to inspire long-lasting change at a societal level.’

The company plans to enhance visibility and career development for lower SEB employees and is campaigning for socio-economic background to be recognised as a protected characteristic under the Equality Act. 

For more insights on what’s new and next for workplaces, head to our Work States Futures macrotrend report. 

Strategic opportunity

Develop tailored career development programmes for employees from lower socio-economic backgrounds. Provide mentorship, training and clear progression paths to enhance their visibility and career opportunities

Previous News Articles
Cashify flips Indian wedding tradition to promote smartphone resale

News

Cashify flips Indian wedding tradition to promote smartphone resale

Smartphone reselling platform Cashify is challenging outdated attitudes to second-hand tech by reimagining a long-standing wedding ritual as a cele...
Technology : Sustainability : Circularity
Stat: New overtourism report maps the global crisis

News

Stat: New overtourism report maps the global crisis

Wellness Retreat Magazine’s 2025 Overtourism Report ranks 40 major cities facing acute tourism saturation – and the data underscores a growing imba...
Statistic : Stat : Overtourism
Foresight Friday: Dede Mivehchi, foresight intern

News

Foresight Friday: Dede Mivehchi, foresight intern

Every Friday, we offer an end-of-week wrap-up of the topics, issues, ideas and virals we’re all talking about. This week, foresight intern&nbs...
Digital Detox : The Great Concert Comeback : Live Music Economy
MAD//Fest 2025: Culture, collaborations and creating a new identity for women’s football

News

MAD//Fest 2025: Culture, collaborations and creating a new identity for women’s football

On day two of MAD//Fest 2025, Ruth Hooper, chief marketing officer at the Women’s Super League (WSL), set out a vision for reshaping the visual ide...
Global Events : Advertising & Marketing : Football
Stat: US Gen Alpha favour consoles over mobiles for game play

News

Stat: US Gen Alpha favour consoles over mobiles for game play

Despite assumptions that mobile gaming dominates among young people, a new US report reveals that Generation Alpha are leading the charge in consol...
Statistic : Gaming : Media
Together Group and The Future Laboratory unveil New Codes of Luxury: Immersive Technologies for Transformation report

News

Together Group and The Future Laboratory unveil New Codes of Luxury: Immersive Technologies for Transformation report

In their latest report, New Codes of Luxury: Immersive Technologies for Transformation, The Future Laboratory and Together Group explore how immers...
Luxury : Technology : Design
MAD//Fest 2025: Delayed adulthood, algorithmic segregation and Gen Z hippies

News

MAD//Fest 2025: Delayed adulthood, algorithmic segregation and Gen Z hippies

MAD//Fest returned to Shoreditch on 1 July 2025, with this year’s theme Be Less Boring challenging brands to rethink how to engage with new audiences.
Global Events : Advertising & Marketing : Gen Z
Habitat and Pinterest unveil immersive campaign putting emotion into home design

News

Habitat and Pinterest unveil immersive campaign putting emotion into home design

Habitat has teamed up with Pinterest for an immersive storytelling campaign that repositions homeware as a tool for emotional re-invention and shop...
Retail : Design : Technology
Stat: Young adults are redefining romantic relationships on their terms

News

Stat: Young adults are redefining romantic relationships on their terms

As romantic norms fragment, 20% of people are now unknowingly practising ‘relationship anarchy’, according to the latest State of Dating repor...
Statistic : Stat : Dating
AI billboard visualises real-time sun damage in UV awareness campaign

News

AI billboard visualises real-time sun damage in UV awareness campaign

A new study by the British Skin Foundation reveals that 38% of Britons have already been sunburnt in 2025 – with Gen Z (35%) and Millennials (30%) ...
Advertising : Health And Wellness : Beauty
You have 0 free News articles remaining. Sign up to LS:N Global to get unlimited access to all articles.
BECOME A MEMBER
SIGN IN