Daily Signals 11.10.2024

Signals

The Macallan celebrates its 200th anniversary on 3D billboards, Dan Hastings’ Foresight Friday and data shows ultra-thinness is back in fashion on the catwalks.

The Macallan celebrates 200 years with hero films and 3D billboards

The Macallan, UK

Global – Iconic whisky brand The Macallan is marking its 200th anniversary with a groundbreaking campaign featuring two hero films and eye-catching 3D billboards. The campaign, entitled 200 Years Young, will be launched in renowned global locations such as London’s Piccadilly Circus, the Las Vegas Sphere and West Nanjing Road in Shanghai. This celebration also coincides with the release of Macallan’s Time: Space Collection, which introduces two new whiskies, including the world's oldest single malt, aged 84 years.

The two films take viewers on a journey through an alternate reality, where time flows unpredictably, and nature safeguards what is most precious. Through a dynamic blend of characters, animals and plants, the films emphasise Macallan’s deep-rooted connection with nature.

Leslie Davey, The Macallan’s brand director, describes the campaign as ‘an exploration of time – honouring the past while looking forward to the future.’ This initiative reflects a broader trend of whisky brands breaking from traditional branding to appeal to a younger audience, all while preserving the refined legacy of the craft. 

This shift was notably explored in our Five Brands Rejuvenating Whisky report.

Strategic opportunity

Celebrate your brand’s heritage while innovating with modern campaigns, blending the old with the new to attract both loyal customers and younger demographics

Geeta’s tempts tastebuds with Bit Naughty campaign

UK – Pickle and chutney brand Geeta’s has unveiled its boldest marketing campaign to date, Geeta Bit Naughty. The playful campaign highlights creative and unexpected ways to enjoy Geeta’s products, with three tongue-in-cheek adverts featuring pixelated food to preserve the fun and avoid offending traditionalists.

The ads, developed by the agency Insiders, showcase unique flavour pairings, such as mango and chilli chutney in spaghetti bolognese, mango chutney in a chicken burger and fajitas made with roti flatbreads. By pixelating the dishes, the campaign hints at a bit of culinary rebellion, teasing the audience and challenging conventional food norms.

‘Despite making the most delicious chutneys (superfan of the lime and chilli chutney here), Geeta’s faced a problem,’ Insiders’ co-founder Rory Gilbride wrote on Linkedin. ‘While us brits love Indian food, we struggle to see beyond delicious curries, meaning that the way we apply Indian flavour is limited.’ 

The campaign encourages people to explore creative applications of these flavours in unexpected dishes, opening up new possibilities for experimentation in the kitchen.

Geeta Bit Naughty taps into the broader trend of fetish food. As outlined in our Functional Feasting macrotrend report, this rise of unapologetically sensual and raw branding invites people to embrace indulgence and break traditional food boundaries.

Geeta Bit Naughty by Geeta's, UK

Strategic opportunity

Adopt a playful, tongue-in-cheek marketing approach to rejuvenate a tired or traditional category. How can you tap into humour and cultural rebellion to spark interest and modernise your brand’s perception?

Foresight Friday: Dan Hastings, deputy foresight editor

The Metropolitan Museum of Art, US The Metropolitan Museum of Art, US

Every Friday, we offer an end-of-week wrap-up of the topics, issues, ideas and virals we’re all talking about. This week, deputy foresight editor Dan Hastings dives into the next Met Gala, streaming chaos and Kamala Harris's interview on Call Her Daddy. 

: Superfine: Tailoring Black Style is the upcoming exhibition at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, celebrating the Black dandy as an aesthetic and political construct. The show will explore the role of clothing in shaping Black identities across the Atlantic diaspora. The Met Gala will launch the exhibition in May 2025, hosted by Anna Wintour and co-chairs Colman Domingo, Lewis Hamilton, A$AP Rocky and Pharrell Williams. I hope the event pays tribute to the stylish Congolese culture of sapology – Hollywood can’t compete with those uncles’ flair.

: ‘The streaming model of television is totally broken’ tweeted Jason Okundaye from The Guardian this week. I agree – how is it that reality shows such as Love Is Blind can release multiple seasons a year, while unique creations like Kaos get cancelled after just one? Lower production costs are certainly a factor, but perhaps the real issue is that streaming platforms are too focused on competing with TikTok,YouTube and gaming platforms to prioritise making art.

: As we continue to experience a loneliness epidemic (see our AI Companionship Market report for more), it’s heartening to see more queer spaces emerging for people slightly older and less inclined toward clubbing and drinking, like myself. Watching 40-year-old gay men attend a Janet Jackson-themed dance class in Amsterdam or hearing the New York City Gay Men’s Chorus harmonise to Chappell Roan’s Pink Pony Club is pure joy.

Quote of the Week

‘There are a whole lot of women out here who are not aspiring to be humble. This is not the 1950s anymore’

Kamala Harris on the Call Her Daddy podcast

Stat: Fashion’s inclusivity crisis as thinness returns to the runway

Chopova Lowena spring/summer 2025, UK Chopova Lowena spring/summer 2025, UK

Global – The spring/summer 2025 fashion season saw minimal progress in size inclusivity, according to research by Vogue Business. This shift reflects the broader cultural swing back to glamorising thinness, accelerated by the rise of weight-loss drugs such as Ozempic and the shrinking silhouettes of celebrities and influencers.

Data from 208 shows across New York, London, Milan and Paris revealed a plateau in body diversity, with only 0.8% of looks being plus-size (US 14+), 4.3% mid-size (US 6–12) and a striking 94.9% at US 0–4. Comparing data from Vogue Business’ previous research, mid-size representation has slightly increased from 3.7%, driven by muscular men in mixed gender shows, while plus-size visibility has remained static.

Industry insiders, including Emma Davidson from Dazed, describe the season as ‘disheartening’, with many luxury brands reducing their use of diverse body types. London Fashion Week, typically the most progressive, saw Karoline Vitto standing out as the only designer featuring 100% mid- or plus-size looks.

With fashion’s commitment to size inclusivity faltering, the industry appears to be turning its back on broader body representation, reversing years of progress. The need for ardent commitment to an Inclusive Fashion Market has never been stronger.

Strategic opportunity

Actors within the industry need to introduce and update health mandates for models to ensure their wellbeing and work towards a better balance of body sizes

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