Daily Signals 19.09.2019

Signals

McDonald’s billboards double as beehives, Ecover creates soap from beer by-products and voice assistants are improving customer experience.

McDonald’s turns billboards into beehives

McDonalds bee hotel by NORD DDB, Sweden

Sweden – To celebrate World Bee Day, a number of McDonald’s restaurants in Sweden have replaced their regular billboards with signs that double as beehives.

A number of McDonald’s franchises in Sweden already host beehives on their restaurant rooftops, but the converted billboards extend the initiative to include wild bees. The boards are permanent wood installations with drilled holes that are designed to attract bees. All McDonald’s franchises are invited to order their own bee hotel boards and customise the messaging.

Working with creative agency Nord DDB, McDonald’s has also started a collaboration with advertising giant JC Decaux to create habitats for wild bees on the back of billboards that would otherwise not be used. As bees are most comfortable if their nests are in a south-facing position, six large bee hotels have been mounted on the back of north-facing billboards in Järfälla outside Stockholm, with hopes of scaling up the initiative in 2020.

As we explore in our Civic Ads microtrend, businesses today are considering the potential that advertising space has to benefit society as a whole.

Hyundai creates an electric scooter that charges itself

Hyundai electric scooter Hyundai electric scooter
Hyundai electric scooter Hyundai electric scooter

UK – The car company has unveiled a prototype scooter designed to tackle the last mile of a commute.

The concept scooter could be mounted onto future Hyundai or Kia cars, where it will automatically charge using the electricity produced while driving. The scooter reaches a top speed of 20km per hour, and it can travel up to 20km on a single charge. Weighing 7.7kg, and folding to the size of a backpack, the product is designed to be both portable and easy to use in an urban environment. In the future, Hyundai hopes to integrate a regenerative braking system, that uses kinetic energy from the brakes to power the vehicle up to 7% longer.

‘We want to make our customers’ lives as easy and enjoyable as possible. Our personal electric scooter makes first- and last-mile commuting a joy, while helping to reduce congestion and emissions in city centres,’ says DongJin Hyun, head of Hyundai Motor Group Robotics Team.

As more consumers look for ways to avoid congestion in their daily commute, micro-mobility brands are beginning to flourish. Look out for our forthcoming microtrend here.

Ecover transforms waste beer liquid into soap

UK – Ecover has worked with a Belgian beer manufacturer to upcycle waste ingredients into washing up liquid.

The B-Corp washing up liquid company’s latest formula includes at least 25% wasted water and ethanol from the non-alcoholic beer-making process. Non-alcoholic beer production mimics that of alcoholic beer, with the additional step of removing the ethanol at the end. The filtered ethanol is mixed with spent water from the production process and sent to Ecover’s zero-waste factory for re-use. The product was launched as part of Zero Waste Week to show the utility of circular ingredients.

‘We’ve challenged ourselves to think about how we could use ingredients that already exist and are currently wasted – viewing waste as an opportunity, not just a problem,’ says Tom Domen, long-term innovation manager at Ecover. ‘In the same way that we have encouraged people to rethink plastic, we want people to rethink their throwaway culture.’

Consumers are becoming increasingly attuned to the catastrophic effect that home cleaning chemicals have on the environment, driving a growing interest in eco-friendly cleaning brands.

Stat: Voice assistants are transforming customer service

Consumers are increasingly using voice assistants to research and buy products, and to reach out to customer service, according to a recent report from Capgemini. The report explores how both organisations and consumers are embracing voice assistants, with the figures showing that among those now using voice assistants, 40% have started doing so in the past year.

From reducing costs to streamlining interactions, customer service is an area in many businesses that is benefiting from the rise of voice assistants. In the retail sector, 52% of consumers have interacted with customer service via their voice assistant in 2019, up from 37% in 2017. For more on the future of customer experience, explore our dedicated vertical.

Previous Daily Signals Articles
The Ordinary exposes beauty industry buzzwords in dystopian new video

Daily Signals

The Ordinary exposes beauty industry buzzwords in dystopian new video

In a provocative new campaign, skincare brand The Ordinary is calling out the beauty industry’s reliance on pseudo-scientific language.
Beauty : Skincare : Misinformation
Luxury travellers prioritise value, experience and climate-conscious choices for 2026

Daily Signals

Luxury travellers prioritise value, experience and climate-conscious choices for 2026

Luxury travel is set to evolve in 2026, with affluent travellers seeking deeper meaning, personalisation and sustainable choices, according to Virt...
Luxury : Gen Alpha : Luxury Travel
Stat: Public confidence in UK food safety reaches record high

Daily Signals

Stat: Public confidence in UK food safety reaches record high

Public trust in the UK’s food system has hit its highest level since 2020, according to the Food Standards Agency’s Food and You 2 survey.
Food : Health : Stat
Swedish campaign encourages doctors to prescribe visits

Daily Signals

Swedish campaign encourages doctors to prescribe visits

Visit Sweden has launched The Swedish Prescription, making it ‘the first country in the world prescribed by doctors’.
Health : Travel : Tourism
Airbnb and Strava champion countryside run-cations

Daily Signals

Airbnb and Strava champion countryside run-cations

Airbnb and Strava are tapping into ‘the rural run-cation’, staycations built around scenic runs, fresh air and connection with friends. As explored...
Sports : Travel And Hospitality : Health And Wellness
Stat: Gen Z lead European travel boom with highest spending and trip frequency

Daily Signals

Stat: Gen Z lead European travel boom with highest spending and trip frequency

Gen Z are driving a significant surge in European travel, outspending and out-travelling all other generations, according to MMGY’s 2025 Portrait o...
Travel
Rosewood leans into modern luxury with refreshed brand identity

Daily Signals

Rosewood leans into modern luxury with refreshed brand identity

Luxury hotel group Rosewood is repositioning itself as a lifestyle and cultural leader, with a focus on storytelling and experiential travel.
Luxury : Hospitality : Rosewood
Foresight Friday: Olivia Houghton, insights and engagement director

Daily Signals

Foresight Friday: Olivia Houghton, insights and engagement director

Every Friday, we offer an end-of-week wrap-up of the topics, issues, ideas and virals we’re all talking about. This week, insights and engagement d...
Culture : Beauty : Fashion
Stat: Study shows decline in social media use among younger adults

Daily Signals

Stat: Study shows decline in social media use among younger adults

Adults are spending less time on social media, following a peak three years ago. By the end of 2024, those aged 16 or older were spending an averag...
Media : Technology : Statistic
Ulta Beauty opens UB Marketplace to 100 emerging brands

Daily Signals

Ulta Beauty opens UB Marketplace to 100 emerging brands

Ulta Beauty has launched UB Marketplace, a new online platform introducing more than 100 emerging beauty and wellness brands to its website and app...
Beauty : Retail : Ecommerce
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