LSN : Daily Signals : Thought-starter: Are we being manipulated by food brands?

Volvo becomes a green energy provider

Volts by Volvo by FamousGrey & Volvo Cars Belgium

Belgium – The car-maker’s Belgian division has joined forces with clean electricity provider Eneco to offer local consumers a low-cost green energy contract for homes.

Volts for Volvo addresses the fact that most electric and hybrid cars are charged with energy generated from grey fuels. According to Volvo, 90% of Belgians who drive hybrid or electric vehicles indicate they do so for environmental benefits, but 56% do not charge their car with green electricity or do not think about it.

Working with Eneco, the car manufacturer is the first to tackle this contradiction at its source: consumers’ homes. The campaign is part of Volvo’s wider international climate goals. By 2025, the car manufacturer wants to be completely climate-neutral in all its industrial processes. This approach demonstrates some of the ideas we first explored in our Whole-system Thinking macrotrend.

Holland & Barrett puts spotlight on the menopause

Me.No.Pause by Holland & Barrett

London – The health retailer has won an advertising competition by Transport for London (TfL) and City Hall calling on brands to better reflect the diversity of the city’s women.

The Me.No.Pause campaign gives a voice to women going through the menopause, highlighting how it affects their identity, femininity and sense of self. Holland & Barrett is also exploring what it means for women to experience the menopause prematurely, while having cancer and managing a disability.

With the ads, which will be featured across London’s transport system, Holland & Barrett is positioning itself as the go-to retailer for natural remedies that can help to counter women’s physical and emotional menopause symptoms. In addition, its staff are being trained to provide specific support and advice.

As explored in our microtrend Life-stage Brands, businesses are using marketing and product innovation to alleviate the biological inconvenience of being a woman.

Coca-Cola’s new range targets moderation mindsets

Atlanta – The company has introduced a range of bottled non-alcoholic drinks with bar-inspired flavour profiles.

The concept, Bar Nøne, is a new launch from Coca-Cola’s Venturing and Emerging Brands (VEB) unit. Conceived as a flavourful substitute for alcohol, the bottled drinks are available in four varieties: Spiced Ginger Mule, Bellini Spritz, Dry Aged Cider and Sparkling Sangria. Each drink contains between 70 and 130 calories, and is elevated with ingredients such as kombucha and apple cider vinegar.

Bar Nøne was created not just with teetotallers in mind, but also consumers looking to reduce their alcohol consumption. ‘People are choosing not to drink for many different reasons,’ says Sabrina Tandon, Bar Nøne general manager. ‘We’re not targeting a certain demographic… we’re targeting a mindset.’ This consumer shift has given rise to Low-proof Drinkers, offering a more moderate approach to alcohol abstinence than the one identified with our Party-totallers tribe.

Bar Nøne by Coca Cola

Barclaycard’s latest ad celebrates quirkier SMEs

The Crystal Barn by Barclaycard

UK – Barclaycard’s latest advertising campaign features the founders of The Crystal Barn, a real small business based in Northamptonshire.

While banks typically spotlight small businesses such as coffee shops and fashion boutiques when advertising B2B services, Barclaycard has taken a new approach with its We Take Business Seriously campaign. Created by Droga5, it features Clare and Andrew Carter, the real co-owners of The Crystal Barn.

The video itself is a far cry from traditional banking ads, which tend to relay messages of authenticity and trust, instead opting for a surrealist, tongue-in-cheek tone, with a Netstalgic aesthetic. ‘Most bank advertising strategies seem best described by a ‘boring fog of awareness’,’ says Jeff Low, the ad’s director. ‘To have an idea like this and move a brand like Barclaycard into somewhat outrageous territory is no small feat.’

Banking institutions are realising they can no longer rely on characterless advertising. Initiatives like Hacking Finance are adding a touch of fun and colour to the industry.

Stat: Museums and galleries help consumers to de-stress

Calm and Collected, a new social study commissioned by Art Fund, highlights the UK’s museums and galleries as an untapped resource for wellbeing.

The UK-wide study finds that people who visit museums and galleries report a range of benefits, from learning to finding space to reflect. Of particular note, 63% of those surveyed said they have visited a museum or gallery specifically to de-stress.

Anxiety is another concern highlighted by the report, with 49% of people aged 24–34 saying they feel anxious at least some of the time. Cultural institutions therefore have an opportunity to play a positive role in citizens’ future health and wellbeing. As previously seen, quiet and calm spaces are helping consumers to escape the noise of daily life, something explored in our Serene Hospitality microtrend.

Thought-starter: Are we being manipulated by food brands?

Author and professor of nutrition Marion Nestle sheds light on the manipulative marketing techniques that food brands are borrowing from the tobacco industry.

Nestle’s book, Unsavory Truth, explores the conflicts of interest in food science, specifically the effects of food company sponsorship on nutrition research. ‘These effects are well established in industries such as tobacco, chemicals and pharmaceutical drugs. I wrote this book to bring food into the picture,’ she says.

‘Decades ago, food companies funded basic research on vitamins or other nutrients in food, whereas now they fund studies aimed at showing that a particular food or product is a superfood that will do miracles for your health,’ she explains. ‘Whenever I see a study title claiming that a single food reduces disease risk, I look to see who paid for it. Bingo.’

Read the full interview here.