Need to Know
15 : 05 : 20

Canada – No Frills has launched a song and music video, A Cart Apart, to encourage social distancing in its supermarkets.

Created to encourage shoppers to follow guidelines on physical distancing measures, as well as grocery etiquette, the trap-style song hopes to re-ignite some joy around food shopping and educate No Frills’ customers. Integrating essential messaging such as ‘be patient in line’ and ‘wash your hands’, the campaign is fun, creative and accessible.

The supermarket chain has chosen to donate £0.60 (C$1 or €0.65) to President’s Choice Children's Charity to a maximum of £29,000 (C$50,000 or €32,580) for every stream of the song on YouTube, No Frills social media, Spotify and iHeartRadio.

As we explore in Beyond Product Placement, music videos can be an engaging and unconventional way for brands to re-energise their messaging and connect with consumers in new ways.

Berlin – Club Quarantäne is a live-streamed virtual club experience delivered by Invisible Hand for Resident Advisor.

Featuring a cloakroom where guests can buy merchandise, a toilet enabling serendipitous socialising and a dance floor which also functions as a chatroom, Club Quarantäne creates connections and compassion between its visitors. Available for 36 hours at a time, the club features a diverse and international range of electronic music.

Hosted by various industry players, including booking agencies, audio companies and YouTube, Club Quarantäne has been brought to life as part of the #SaveOurScene campaign. Its goal is to offer continued support to nightclubs and music venues that are suffering due to Covid-19. Featuring a donation ‘bar’ and the option to send money via ticket sales, the club provides a virtual site for community-building and self-expression.

With the future of Nightlife now uncertain amid lockdown measures, such new initiatives are appearing to re-imagine the industry and to give music fans an outlet for their cultural passions.

In a recent global poll of more than 20,000 respondents across 28 countries, Ipsos reports that people, on average, said they need to work until age 59 before they could retire. That’s not far off 57, the age until which people said they want to work.

In terms of the average age at which a person deems themselves employable, across all countries the average was 49, outlining a notable difference between how long people would like or expect to work – and how long they see themselves as desirable to businesses and employers.

With many citizens finding age to be a diversity barrier in work, businesses need to ensure they are not only seeing the value in older employees in the workplace, but that they are catering for the physical and mental wellbeing needs of all generations at work.