News 11.12.2020

Need to Know

The Future Laboratory launches its Future Forecast collection, repurposing beer cans as seasonal décor and the pandemic is propelling skincare sales.

The Future Laboratory unveils its Future Forecast 2021

Future Forecast 2021

Global – The Future Laboratory’s Future Forecast 2021 collection maps the 50 global shifts that are set to shape 10 key sectors in the year ahead.

After the upheaval of 2020, the Future Forecast helps your business to cut through the noise and get a quick and clear understanding of 2021’s key consumer shifts. A round-up of the most innovative trends, brands and thought-leaders from the past year, the Future Forecast 2021 comprises a PDF report and access to an hour-long webinar taking place on 8 January 2021.

In the report, we identify 50 essential inter-Covid trends, charting how attitudes to identity will redefine the beauty and luxury sectors, why wellbeing is shaping property and urban design, and how technology is augmenting how we eat. The webinar will explore these trends in more detail with members of our Foresight team.

This year, The Future Laboratory is offering the Future Forecast 2021 collection containing the report and the January webinar for £70, or to purchase separately for £45 each. Members of LS:N Global get access to the full package for free. Please contact your account manager to organise attendance to the webinar.

Heineken’s festive packaging hacks for DIY minds

Holiday Hacks by Heineken, US Holiday Hacks by Heineken, US
Holiday Hacks by Heineken, US Holiday Hacks by Heineken, US

US – The beer company’s latest multi-brand seasonal campaign, Holiday Hacks, offers drinkers a way to turn their bottles, cans and other packaging into festive ornaments.

Working with media company Tastemade and digital platform Pinterest, the series of 'hack' videos instruct users how to create decorations such as 3D star ornaments using aluminium cans or turn beer bottles into vases for flowers. This marketing activation is the first time Heineken has incorporated its brands Heineken, Dos Equis and Tecate in one campaign.

Repurposing packaging in this way is part of the umbrella company’s larger sustainable mission and aims to appeal to the DIY mindsets that have emerged during 2020. ‘With the pandemic causing more people to spend time in their homes, the holidays at home have taken on a new meaning this year and consumers are looking for new ways to decorate and safely to celebrate,' says a Pinterest spokesperson.

In a similar vein, we previously showcased Samsung’s Out of the Box design competition, which this year sought to tackle cardboard waste by re-imagining its packaging as children’s toys.

Running Stories adapt to your physical surroundings

Running Stories by BBH Singapore Running Stories by BBH Singapore

Singapore – Running Stories, created by agency BBH Singapore, is a data-led fitness and audio app that turns runners' surroundings into audio entertainment.

Combining training advice with entertainment, the app features a selection of fictional stories to listen to while running, with each narrative placing the runner at the centre.

Through augmented audio reality, the storyline adapts according to their surroundings, using real-time data to integrate landmarks and geographical features into the story – prompting runners to feel more motivated. Launching with an espionage adventure tale, a psychological thriller and a sitcom based inside the runner's body, Running Stories plans to further develop the app to allow for tailored fitness challenges.

Joakim Borgström, global chief creative officer at BBH Singapore, says: ‘The app reads your direction, your pace and your environment. For us, this is just the beginning because, in the future, we’ll be able to use more real-time data – bus timetables, opening hours, things like that – the possibilities are endless.’

In our viewpoint with Preston Lewis, co-founder of BlackBox VR, we explore how gamification can boost people’s relationship with fitness.

Stat: US beauty consumers prioritise skincare

Uzza, Barcelona Uzza, Barcelona

American sales of prestige beauty products have fallen during the pandemic but skincare sales are up, according to NPD Group’s 2020 Industry Pulse report.

The research finds that during the third quarter of 2020 sales of luxury beauty items fell by 17% compared to the same period in 2019, with US consumers scaling back on using make-up by 70%. By contrast, skincare sales have risen 17% year on year.

‘Although it remains a powerful force in the industry, the needle has yet to move in a positive direction for make-up,’ explains Larissa Jensen, vice-president and beauty industry adviser at NPD. She suggests that the pandemic is ‘shifting consumer priorities towards self-care’, expanding the skincare market and stifling make-up sales.

Covid-19 is increasing consumer concerns about wellness and driving new directions in beauty and skincare, reflecting society’s focus on Recuperative Living.

Previous News Articles
Peachy Den and Adidas spotlight the enduring power of female sporting legends

News

Peachy Den and Adidas spotlight the enduring power of female sporting legends

British fashion label Peachy Den has teamed up with global sportswear giant Adidas to re-imagine the bold spirit of 1980s and 1990s football kits, ...
Fashion : Sports : Adidas
Riley makes organic period care a hotel room standard

News

Riley makes organic period care a hotel room standard

Irish B Corp company Riley has launched a discreet organic period care hotel kit to bring menstrual essentials to hotel rooms as standard amenities.
Health : Travel & Hospitality : Period Care
Stat: Gen Z reject AI dating tools

News

Stat: Gen Z reject AI dating tools

As dating apps bet big on AI to attract younger users, a new Bloomberg Intelligence survey shows Gen Z aren’t buying it.
AI : Dating Apps : Ai Dating Tools
Tencent’s AI model generates virtual worlds from a single text prompt

News

Tencent’s AI model generates virtual worlds from a single text prompt

Tencent has launched an open-source AI model, Hunyuan3D World Model 1.0, that allows users to generate complex 3D environments from a single text p...
VR : AI : Technology
Rare Beauty launches debut fragrance and customisable layering balms

News

Rare Beauty launches debut fragrance and customisable layering balms

Rare Beauty has entered the fragrance market with a debut scent that reflects its feel-good ethos.
Beauty : Fragrance : Rare Beauty
Stat: Luxury and online retail fuel men’s skincare boom

News

Stat: Luxury and online retail fuel men’s skincare boom

The men’s skincare market is projected to be worth £21.05bn ($27.99bn, €24.20bn) by 2031, according to a report by Research and Mark...
Beauty : Mens Grooming : Skincare
Sporty & Rich re-imagines wellness hospitality with first residency

News

Sporty & Rich re-imagines wellness hospitality with first residency

Popular lifestyle brand Sporty & Rich is launching its first hotel residency, in partnership with The Pridwin Hotel & Cottages on New York’...
Fashion : Travel & Hospitality : Luxury
Dubai Mallathon re-imagines shopping centres as climate-controlled fitness spaces

News

Dubai Mallathon re-imagines shopping centres as climate-controlled fitness spaces

A new Dubai Mallathon initiative will see seven malls being used as indoor walking and running tracks throughout August 2025 under the patronage of...
Dubai : Dubai Malls : Mallathon
Stat: Shoplifting soars to record high in England and Wales amid retail crime surge

News

Stat: Shoplifting soars to record high in England and Wales amid retail crime surge

Shoplifting offences in England and Wales have hit their highest level in more than two decades, with recorded incidents rising by 20% to 530,643, ...
Retail : Stat : Statistic
Cash App taps Timothée Chalamet for youth-friendly money talk

News

Cash App taps Timothée Chalamet for youth-friendly money talk

Cash App has launched an integrated brand campaign featuring Academy Award-nominated actor Timothée Chalamet which aims to foster intergenerational...
Finance : Gen Z : Youth
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