News 11.03.2025

Need to Know

A daily highlight from SXSW 2025, Netflix opens new restaurant residency in Vegas and why tennis participation is surging in the US.

SXSW 2025: Manifesting a better future for all

Rohit Bhargava at 7 Non-Obvious Secrets Of Understanding People To Predict the Future, SXSW 2025. Photography by Renee Dominguez, US

US – SXSW is a festival of future-thinking, but how can we truly anticipate what’s next? In a thought-provoking session, Rohit Bhargava, bestselling author and founder of the Non-Obvious Company, attempted to answer a question he says people often ask him: ‘You're a futurist – are we going to be okay? Are we, as a species, going to be okay?’

Bhargava outlined the major forces fracturing society, from digital addiction to the loneliness epidemic, as well as what he calls algorithmic negativity – a phenomenon highlighted by a Wall Street Journal investigation which revealed that engaging with negative content prompts algorithms to continuously serve even more negativity. Other indicators include rising geopolitical tensions, or what United Nations secretary-general António Guterres once referred to as 'a great fracture', and the growing influence of a broligarchy, where tech billionaires wield significant political power. Added to this is the uncertainty surrounding AI and emerging movements like anti-natalism, which discourages having children as a means of protecting the planet. As a result, Bhargava argues that we now collectively suffer from anticipatory anxiety.

‘When we expect the future to be a disaster, guess what happens? We create that disaster. Because the future we can make is the one that we imagine.’

The author advocates reframing the concept of manifestation to inspire optimism and action. To avoid sleepwalking into dystopian scenarios, he suggests that our priority should be understanding people – what they truly want and need – so we can reshape the future. Hence the title of his session: 7 Non-Obvious Secrets of Understanding People to Predict the Future. His insights ranged from the enduring value of human connection in an AI-driven world to the importance of curiosity, intersectionality and challenging assumptions.

To explore these ideas further, listen to The Future Laboratory’s co-founder Martin Raymond in conversation with Rohit Bhargava and Henry Coutinho Mason on the Back to the F**kture podcast. In this episode, they discuss how today’s innovations shape the future, why understanding the present is key to forecasting and why optimism – rather than dystopia – should be the default mindset.

Strategic opportunity

In lieu of dystopian forecasts, future-facing brands and organisations must actively curate optimism, human connection and curiosity to drive meaningful innovation

Netflix opens new restaurant residency in Las Vegas

Netflix Bites, US Netflix Bites, US
Netflix Bites, US Netflix Bites, US

US – Netflix is expanding its entertainment empire into immersive dining with Netflix Bites Vegas, a year-long residency at MGM Grand in Las Vegas. The restaurant serves a menu inspired by hit shows such as Bridgerton, Stranger Things and Squid Game, blending food with fandom.

Building on the success of Netflix Bites Los Angeles, which sold out for six weeks in 2023, the Las Vegas iteration offers themed dishes such as The Dessert is Lava, a molten chocolate treat inspired by Floor is Lava, and cocktails including The Mind Flayer, a dark bourbon concoction referencing Stranger Things.

With 7.5m guests engaging in Netflix’s real-world experiences across 100 cities, this latest venture underscores the brand’s ability to translate digital storytelling into physical, fan-driven spaces. Our Streaming’s Next Frontier report delves into why streaming is no longer just about content – it’s about building universes populated by fans and allowing audiences to engage with film and tv beyond the sofa.

Strategic opportunity

Fandom is big business. Restaurants, bars and other hospitality players can attract new audiences by offering immersive, themed experiences or menus that turn passive viewers into active participants in the universe of their favourite series

Stat: Tennis participation surges in the US

Photography by Olerato Motshebe Photography by Olerato Motshebe

US – Tennis participation in the US has hit a record high for the fifth consecutive year, with 25.7m individuals picking up a racket in 2024 – an 8% increase from the previous year, according to the United States Tennis Association (USTA). To support this growth, the organisation has announced a £7.7m ($10m, €9.2m) investment in tennis infrastructure.

‘This report confirms what we know at the USTA: tennis popularity continues to grow and is a sport that is increasingly looking more like America than ever before,’ said Lew Sherr, USTA CEO, in a press release. ‘Along with our section partners, our mission is to get more people on the court to inspire healthier people and communities everywhere and we are thrilled to see these numbers validate the work we do.’

Younger players are driving the increase, with nearly two-thirds of new participants under 35. The sport’s appeal is also expanding across demographics, with Black/African American participation rising 26% and Hispanic participation up 15.4%.

The USTA’s additional funding will support court refurbishment and extended facility hours. ‘We will continue to do our part through an ambitious strategy to grow the game to 35m players by 2035, a goal that is both actionable and achievable as we seek to bring the benefits of the world’s healthiest sport to more people across America,’ said Sherr.

For insights about how brands are reacting to this surge of tennis practitioners, head to our Racquet Culture Redefined report. 

Strategic opportunity

Given its reputation as the world’s healthiest sport, consider introducing tennis-focused wellness programmes or memberships that combine tennis with holistic fitness – such as recovery therapies, nutrition plans and mental resilience training – at gyms, wellbeing retreats and travel resorts

Previous News Articles
Ocado’s Shopping List Stories campaign finds emotional value in the weekly shop

News

Ocado’s Shopping List Stories campaign finds emotional value in the weekly shop

Ocado is reframing grocery shopping as an emotional experience with Shopping List Stories, a new campaign by Uncommon Creative Studio.
Food And Drink : Supermarket : Branding And Advertising
Foresight Friday: Alice Crossley, senior foresight analyst

News

Foresight Friday: Alice Crossley, senior foresight analyst

Every Friday, The Future Laboratory team offers an end-of-week wrap-up of the topics, issues, ideas and virals we’re all talking about. This week, ...
Foresight Friday : Ff : Lionesses
Stat: Netflix confirms anime watching is no longer niche

News

Stat: Netflix confirms anime watching is no longer niche

More than half of Netflix’s 300m global subscribers now watch anime, according to proprietary figures shared by the streamer.
Pop Culture & Media : Youth : Technology
The Faroe Islands bring back the joy of getting lost

News

The Faroe Islands bring back the joy of getting lost

As algorithm-driven travel fuels overtourism, a new initiative is challenging travellers to let go of planning and control.
Travel : Tourism : The Faroe Islands
Thai perfume brand Journal turns fragrance samples into NFC collectables

News

Thai perfume brand Journal turns fragrance samples into NFC collectables

Fragrance brand Journal is rewriting the rules of scent sampling with a wearable fragrance tester that doubles as a social connector.
Beauty : Fragrance : Technology
Stat: Survey finds hardening stances on office attendance are impacting UK staff wellbeing

News

Stat: Survey finds hardening stances on office attendance are impacting UK staff wellbeing

Hardening return-to-office mandates are fuelling anxiety among UK workers, with 38% reporting that media coverage of stricter attendance policies i...
Office : Workplace : Stat
Innovation Debrief 2025–2026 report goes live

News

Innovation Debrief 2025–2026 report goes live

Discover the top 50 innovations acknowledging, driving and anticipating change in our new Innovation Debrief 2025–2026 report. 
Innovation Debrief 2024-2025 : Future Trends 2026 : Cultural Foresight
Joe Wicks’ Activate turns movement into play for kids

News

Joe Wicks’ Activate turns movement into play for kids

Fitness trainer Joe Wicks is swapping live-action workouts for animation with Activate – a lively new series of five-minute fitness bursts designed...
Fitness : Health And Wellbeing : Gen Alpha
IKEA creates open-air library along the Seine in Paris

News

IKEA creates open-air library along the Seine in Paris

IKEA has unveiled the Billyothèque, a pop-up outdoor library transforming a stretch of Paris’s Seine riverbank into a space for slow, serendipitous...
Ikea : Reading Room : Reading Experience
Stat: US teens turn to AI companions for life advice

News

Stat: US teens turn to AI companions for life advice

A new study by Common Sense Media reveals that 72% of US teens aged 13–17 have tried AI companions, with over half now using them regularly.
Technology : AI : Stat
You have 2 free News articles remaining. Sign up to LS:N Global to get unlimited access to all articles.
BECOME A MEMBER
SIGN IN