China – Mini has unveiled its new intelligent personal assistant at the Auto Shanghai international trade fair. A digital English bulldog called Spike, the assistant will be accessible via the cockpit of the five-door Mini Concept Aceman.

The bulldog, with its compact and powerful stature, reflects British heritage and the characterful Mini brand, which has long been associated with Britishness. Although Spike is not new – Mini introduced him in 2001 – his new digital version further strengthens the brand’s connection with drivers’ individual style. More importantly, it offers a more emotive interface with the car as consumers become ever more comfortable with using bots and avatars as interfaces.

The introduction and upgrade of digital features in the auto sector comes at a time when cars are increasingly drawing on virtual platforms, extended reality and even cryptocurrency to create immersive and entertaining in-vehicle experiences, as revealed in our Auto Entertainment report.

Spain – A colossal vinyl billboard displayed on Madrid’s main street and promoting season two of Netflix’s reality show I Am Georgina will soon be transformed into designer handbags and gifted to fans of the show. The streaming platform found inspiration in a similar activation from Target, which joined forces with designer Anna Sui in 2009 to turn its Times Square billboards into 1,600 limited-edition tote bags.

To win one of the unique bags, viewers had to spread the word on season two’s release by sharing a billboard photo on social media by 31 March. Not only is Netflix showing a solid commitment to upcycling its goods in the public eye, but the platform is also enhancing the promotion of the show’s new series on social media for free. Georgina Rodríguez’s fans competed for the prize while interacting with Netflix Spain and answering its call to action rather than passively scrolling.

In Feedback Frontiers, we previously analysed how brands are treating every micro-interaction as a valuable opportunity to lean in, learn and improve their model as communications with consumers become more circular and conversational.

China – A March 2023 study released by Chinese travel platform Ctrip states that one in two temple visitors have been Millennials or Gen Z since February 2023. This wave of younger consumers turning to temples went hand in hand with a surge in guests overall of 310% since the beginning of 2023 year on year. This is in a country with a median age of 38, and where half of the population are either Millennials or younger, according to the UN.

Although some youngsters enjoy the peace of the spiritual place, where they pray and burn incense, others queue before temples to access adjacent stores and buy coveted blessed bead bracelets. The latter are a hit on social media; over 30,000 posts included the keywords ‘Yonghe Palace bracelets’ on Xiaohongshu in 2023, according to Jing Daily. The jewellery pieces are only available on weekdays and in real life, pushing consumers to visit the temples – and skip school – to purchase them.

In Alternative Spirituality, we previously looked at how spirituality and folk religion are gaining cult online followings, allowing Gen Z to regain control in a global climate of disorder and disharmony. LS:N Global will soon publish updated insights on the opportunities presented by modern mysticisms and introduce the innovators taking spirituality to new frontiers.