LSN : Daily Signals : The Future Laboratory presents insights into the future of food and drink at Walpole British Luxury Summit 2026

KitKat turns packaging into a tool for digital escape

BreakMode by Ogilvy Colombia for KitKat®️, South America

Panama, Colombia – Nestlé is rethinking the role of food packaging with Break Mode, a new campaign developed by Ogilvy Colombia that turns a KitKat wrapper into a tool that physically blocks smartphone signals. Using Faraday cage technology, the wrapper disables calls, internet, Bluetooth and GPS when a device is placed inside, creating a tangible moment of disconnection in an always-on culture.

The packaging integrates conductive metallic layers, polypropylene coating, polyester and copper, alongside a precision sealing mechanism, and has been technically validated to achieve 100% signal blocking. Designed with a one-year lifespan, it can also be separated for recycling when the user is finished with it.

By transforming a wrapper into a functional wellbeing tool, the brand extends its Have a Break positioning into lived experience. The activation, rolled out across events and campuses, reflects the rise of tech-resistant behaviours, as consumers increasingly seek tangible tools to set boundaries with always-on devices, signalling demand for products that enable intentional disconnection rather than seamless connectivity. Learn more about this growing movement by reading our Welcome to The (Tech) Resistance report.

Strategic opportunity

How can your brand help consumers set better boundaries with technology? Move beyond messaging to design for disconnection – from phone-free events to products and spaces that actively remove digital interruption

The Future Laboratory presents insights into the future of food and drink at Walpole British Luxury Summit 2026

UK – More than 300 luxury professionals convened at London’s The Londoner hotel for the Walpole British Luxury Summit 2026 – a day focused on dissecting the new rules of true luxury in a rapidly evolving landscape.

Helen Brocklebank, Walpole CEO, and Charlotte Keesing, summit director, opened the event by highlighting the huge opportunities in British luxury even in times of turbulence, pointing to India’s growing consumer spending in Britain and the recent £1.1bn ($1.5bn, €1.3bn) in investments in British hotels (source: Estates Gazette).

In conversation with Burberry CEO Joshua Schulman, the case for repositioning luxury as timeless rather than trend-led came into sharp focus. Schulman argued that the brand must focus on ‘celebrating what is most intrinsic to Burberry’ – structured around four priorities: brand, product, distribution and high-performing culture.

In practice, that means doubling down on core categories such as outerwear and scarves, while pursuing cultural relevance through campaigns like It’s Always Burberry Weather and collaborations with London College of Fashion students to revive timeless designs such as the Kensington trench coat.

Walpole British Luxury Summit 2026, UK

Jane Hamilton, senior business journalist at The Times, explored the macroeconomic pressures shaping the luxury sector, explaining many consumers’ current situation as ‘not a drop-off in the desire to buy but the ability to buy’, citing the squeeze on aspirational consumers, shifting global tourism flows and rising production costs. Hamilton went on to demonstrate how the lipstick effect (when sales of affordable luxury items rise at times of economic struggle) is in full swing – a topic explored in our Bougie Basics report.

Later in the day, Christopher Sanderson, co-founder of The Future Laboratory, highlighted Food & Drinks Futures, drawing on insights from our newly released report, Liquid Intentions. Key trends included the sweet surrender, driven by the great healthification of the food industry and the rise of umami-rich flavours; the rise of the everyday epicurean, driven by a desire for indulgence and accessible luxury; and the new social spaces that Gen Z are occupying. See our newly released design direction, Proper Pubs, to understand how these time-honoured venues are being transformed to suit the tastes of this younger cohort.

Strategic opportunity

Reframe heritage as innovation: delve into the archives to co-create products with emerging talent and blend timeless craft with contemporary cultural relevance to engage younger luxury consumers

Stat: Australia’s life satisfaction falls to record low

Photography by Anna Tarazevich, Australia

Australia – A sharp decline in national wellbeing is taking place across Australia, with new ANU poll data from Australian National University (ANU) revealing life satisfaction has fallen to a record low of 6.22 out of 10. The previous low was 6.52, recorded in April 2020 during the Covid-19 pandemic.

The findings point to mounting financial strain, with 34.9% of the 3,662 adults surveyed reporting difficulty living on their current income, the highest level on record.

Economic anxiety is rising despite relatively low unemployment (4.3%), as 26.8% of workers fear job loss and more than 30% worry about automation replacing their roles – a figure that has nearly doubled since 2018. Broader sentiment is also deteriorating: 54% of Australians are dissatisfied with the country’s direction, while 59.1% believe life was better 50 years ago.

In our Gen Z in Australia report, we explored how the cost of living crisis, youth isolation and loneliness are affecting the country’s youth – with unaffordable housing emerging as a key pressure point accelerating long-term financial insecurity and delaying traditional life milestones.

Strategic opportunity

As consumers around the world adopt New Codes of Value, design for a culture in which worth is defined by resourcefulness, enrichment and intentionality – building propositions that reward savvy behaviour and enable regenerative consumption