News 16.01.2020

Need to Know

Blindlee combines dating with video calls, Booking.com targets new year’s resolutions and South Korea becomes Asia’s most promising drinks market.

First Direct is championing #MoneyWellness

#Moneywellness, First Direct by The Brooklyn Brothers

UK – First Direct, the UK’s original challenger bank, has launched a new campaign to highlight the anxiety some people feel when it comes to finance.

The #moneywellness campaign and brand platform aims to normalise the conversation about money and its links to wellbeing. Created by The Brooklyn Brothers, it demonstrates how to tackle customers’ financial concerns, such as the culture of comparisons with friends or where their parents were with money at the same age. ‘Let’s stop comparing ourselves to others and start understanding our own relationship with money better. After all, there is no right way to money,’ reads its microsite.

As part of the campaign, First Direct teamed up with YouGov to conduct a survey of 4,000 UK consumers, with results revealing people to believe money is more important to their overall wellbeing than other more traditional areas of wellness, such as diet and exercise.

Around the world, finance brands are recognising that mental and physical health can be improved through money advice and services focused on wellbeing. For more, read our Financial Wellness microtrend.

Blindlee wants you to video call potential dates

Blindlee Blindlee
Blindlee Blindlee

UK – The Blindlee dating app is positioning video calling as a way to break the ice – while cutting through swipe fatigue.

Designed to stand out from competitors such as Bumble and Hinge, the app randomly matches singles with other users who match their search criteria, age or location. Blindlee initially suggests chat topics, such as ‘Pineapple on pizza, yay or nay?’, as a way to prompt conversation. Once users have matched, they are connected by a video call that is initially blurred – created as a safety function for female users – with the option for both users to unblur the screen if they feel comfortable.

Sacha Nasan, the app’s co-founder, says: ‘Blindee makes for a fun three-minute blurred video experience with a random person matching your criteria. It’s kind of like a short, pre-date ice-breaker before you potentially match and decide to meet in real life.’

As we explore in our opinion piece on modern dating, brands are having to innovate to make dating both safer and more appealing, with solutions that go beyond the Tinder swipe model.

Booking.com taps into customers’ 2020 resolutions

New York – Travel site Booking.com’s latest campaign is designed to help people achieve their new year’s resolutions.

The #BookYourResolution series of travel experiences has been created to match the 20 most common resolutions, such as ‘be more active’, ‘meet new people’ or ‘volunteer’.

Booking.com is encouraging customers to book a resolution-orientated trip to kick-start their 2020 goals, tapping into its findings that 72% of Americans are interested in taking a trip to help them with their resolutions. Arjan Dijk, senior vice-president and chief marketing officer at Booking.com, notes: ‘Whether your resolution is to spend more time with family and friends, to be more adventurous, learn to salsa dance and everything in between, Booking.com seamlessly connects travellers to memorable experiences and incredible places to stay.’

As we explore in our Baby Boomer Travel market, companies like Black Tomato have already spotted the potential for goal-orientated, boundary-pushing trips. Its recent Bring it Back concept encourages discovery and inspiration based on travellers’ personal ambitions.

2020 New Year's Resolutions by Booking.com

Stat: South Korea holds allure for alcohol brands

A report published by Fitch Solutions reveals South Korea to be the most attractive market in Asia for alcohol producers, based on the potential risks and rewards for brands.

South Korea’s high ranking also means it is the only Asian market to reach the top 10 in Fitch Solutions’ global ranking, attributed to it being a high-reward nation and low-risk area. While South Korea has overtaken China as an attractive market for alcohol brands – China was ranked second in Asia in the report – the Chinese drinks market is expected to improve due to its burgeoning ‘mass affluent class’. Cambodia, meanwhile, has been considered as one to watch in Asia owing to rising consumption levels.

While alcohol and luxury brands have long focused on market growth in Japan and China, new opportunities are emerging elsewhere in Asia. For more, look out for our State of Luxury: Korea market, to be published next week.

Previous News Articles
Vacheron Constantin unveils new watch concept at Watches and Wonders 2024

News

Vacheron Constantin unveils new watch concept at Watches and Wonders 2024

At Watches and Wonders 2024, Vacheron Constantin revealed a unique collaboration with fashion designer Yiqing Yin.
Luxury : Health & Wellness : Beauty
Four Seasons Hotels experiments with in-suite hologram technology

News

Four Seasons Hotels experiments with in-suite hologram technology

Hologram hotel clerks might sound like a futuristic dream, but this is now a reality at The Beverly Wilshire hotel.
Travel & Hospitality : Luxury : Health & Wellness
StepN and Adidas unveil collaborative move-to-earn generative NFT sneakers

News

StepN and Adidas unveil collaborative move-to-earn generative NFT sneakers

Merging fashion, fitness and digital innovation, StepN, the move-to-earn platform revolutionising wellness engagement, has joined forces with Adida...
Fashion : Sports & Leisure : Technology
Stat: Survey finds that Millennials lead astrology interest

News

Stat: Survey finds that Millennials lead astrology interest

A survey conducted by the Harris Poll sheds light on astrology’s popularity among different generations in the US.
Astrology : Society : Millennials
Content Warning wants gamers to risk their life for content

News

Content Warning wants gamers to risk their life for content

Content Warning, a cooperative horror game, is turning gamers into SpöökTubers adventuring into an eerie underground of the Old World to go viral.
Gaming : Pop-culture & Media : Society
Ikea launches its first gaming furniture collection

News

Ikea launches its first gaming furniture collection

Ikea unveiled its inaugural gaming furniture collection, Brännboll, at Milan Design Week 2024, aimed at the increasingly popular casual gaming market.
Gaming : Home & Family : Design
Creating sexually explicit deepfakes to become a criminal offence

News

Creating sexually explicit deepfakes to become a criminal offence

In England and Wales, the government is set to pass a new law to criminalise the creation of sexually explicit deepfake images.
Technology : Pop-culture & Media : Society
Stat: American teenagers are spending more on beauty than ever

News

Stat: American teenagers are spending more on beauty than ever

Piper Sandler Companies has released the findings of its 47th biannual Taking Stock With Teens survey, conducted in partnership with non-profit stu...
Youth : Beauty : Retail
Laura Geller issues comical invitation to Own Your Age

News

Laura Geller issues comical invitation to Own Your Age

New York beauty brand Laura Geller Beauty has launched the captivating campaign Own Your Age, embracing the idea that age doesn't limit beauty, but...
Beauty : Health : Wellness
Lexus reveals Time exhibition at Milan Design Week 2024

News

Lexus reveals Time exhibition at Milan Design Week 2024

Lexus has debuted its installation Time at Milan Design Week – offering visitors an immersive glimpse into the future of mobility.
Mobility : Automotive : Design
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

What do we use cookies for?

We use cookies to enable the use of our platform’s paid features and to analyse our traffic. No personal data, including your IP address, is stored and we do not sell data to third parties.

Learn more