Need to Know
23 : 11 : 18

Europe – The car manufacturer is exploring new ground in film-making with the release of an advert written by artificial intelligence (AI).

The unique collaboration between AI and Oscar-winning director Kevin Macdonald aims to test the boundaries of how humans and machines can work together creatively. Commissioned as part of the brand’s ‘Driven by Intuition’ campaign, the result is a minute-long film showcasing the responsive features of the new Lexus ES.

The AI was ‘trained’ with 15 years’ worth of car and luxury advertisements that have previously won Cannes Lions international awards for creativity. ‘The charmingly simplistic way the AI wrote the story was both fascinating in its interpretation of human emotion, and yet still unexpected enough to give the film a clearly non-human edge,’ Macdonald explains. As AI continues to transform the creative landscape, brands need to rethink how they can harness its potential.

Los Angeles – Italic is a new members-only marketplace that lets consumers buy unbranded products made in the same factories as luxury brands.

From bed linens to handbags, Italic partners with luxury manufacturers to hand-select the design, materials and finishes of its exclusive products, which are then sold directly to consumers. Customers have to become members to gain access and, due to limited quantities, can only buy two items a month.

Launching with 100 introductory products, Italic will sell goods made by the same factories as brands such as Burberry, Prada, Givenchy and Ritz Carlton. By removing brands and labels from the process, consumers can access these high-end products without the mark-up. Italic stipulates on its site, ‘All products exclusive to Italic. No brands’, positioning it as a type of ‘anti-brand’.

Discover how the luxury market is evolving to be less ostentatious and pitching itself at a more accessible price point in our Uneasy Affluence macrotrend.

UK – Virginia-based lecturer John Lewis, who has been tweeting from the @johnlewis handle since 2007, stars in Twitter’s latest ad.

Every year, Lewis – who has twice as many Twitter followers as the retailer – receives 50,000 tweets intended for the store. Although Lewis’ quick-witted responses have not been acknowledged by the John Lewis brand itself, Twitter has chosen to spotlight the case of mistaken identity in its own Christmas ad.

The playful video takes place during Lewis’ annual festive ritual, where he cleverly responds to tweets about the retailer’s latest Christmas ad. The ad ends with the tagline ‘This Christmas. Join the conversation. Even if it’s by mistake.’

Twitter is using its knowledge of online troll culture to take aim at the much-hyped John Lewis Christmas advert. Read our macrotrend Backlash Brands to find out why you shouldn’t be afraid of referencing fellow brand campaigns.

While the global HNWI population of 4.1m adults represents only 0.1% of the adult population it commands over a fifth of the world’s wealth (source: Euromonitor). Although developed countries will see the highest rise in their HNWI populations, emerging and developing markets are also predicted to see huge growth. These countries, which include India, Turkey, Mexico and Indonesia will see a total of 658,300 HNWIs by 2030, an increase of 312,300 HNWIs from 2018.

Nearly half of this growth will come from China, which is set to continue robust economic growth, strong income gains and a rising number of entrepreneurs. However, Vietnam is set to generate new millionaires at the fastest pace in the world, at 203% between 2018 and 2030. To understand the consumer behaviours of this emerging demographic, meet our Young Vietnamese Luxurians tribe.