LSN : Daily Signals : Need to know 30 : 08 : 17

1. Charaní rebranded to appeal to younger drinkers

Charaní by Sociedad Anónima, Mexico

Charaní by Sociedad Anonima, Mexico

Mexico – The Charanda liquor brand Charaní, established in 1907, recently commissioned design agency Sociedad Anónima to create a new brand identity that focuses on Millennial drinkers. Originating in the Michoacán area of central Mexico, the sugar cane spirit, Charanda Blanco, which is similar to rum, is typically consumed by adults over 40, explains Héctor Ramírez, graphic designer at Sociedad Anónima.

The clear glass bottles are minimalist in design, incorporating the serif typeface Ambroise on top of a map outlined in sugar cane green.

‘The attempt here was to get the attention of younger generations of consumers,’ Ramírez tells LS:N Global. By diverging from the gaudy bottle designs typical of the drink, the brand wants to promote Charanda as a modern spirit. In recent times in the spirits market there has been a consensus that brands need to move beyond tradition to help them stand out in a saturated market. For more, see our Terroir Spirits microtrend.

2. Rapha looks beyond cycling to focus on travel

Rapha Rides Los Angeles

US – The cycling brand has launched a new campaign to promote its Rapha Rides project, which highlights urban spaces and culture in six cities across the US.

Rapha Rides Los Angeles opens with shots of cityscapes and natural phenomena, and only references cycling towards the end of the ad. ‘We wanted to hold back the actual cycling aspect until the end, knowing that this would make the piece stronger,’ explains director Spencer MacDonald.

Narrated by Los Angeles-based artist and designer Geoff McFetridge, the ad aims to capture the texture of the city by combining shots of the urban environment taken from a variety of angles. For more, see our Revelation Brands macrotrend and our interview with Rapha founder Simon Mottram.

3. Honeyfi launches financial app for couples

US – Financial technology company Honeyfi has launched an app that enables users and their partners to link their bank accounts. Both individuals specify the amount they want to share with their partner and the app collates this information to suggest budgeting options based on their spending habits.

With the number of US adults in co-habiting relationships rising from 14m in 2007 to 18m in 2016, according to the US Census Bureau, and Millennials 50% more likely than Baby Boomers to split all of their finances evenly before marrying in 2015, according to research by Credit Karma, Honeyfi aims to simplify the joint account model.

‘Our goal was to help couples stress less about money, whether their finances are totally merged, completely separate or somewhere in between,’ explain co-founders Ramy Serageldin, Joe Stanish and Sam Schultz.

Honeyfi, US

4. Hungry Jack’s advert ridicules the hipster lifestyle

Keeping It Real by Clemenger BBDO Sydney for Hungry Jack’s, Australia

Australia – The fast food chain, a franchise of the Burger King Corporation, has launched an advertising campaign that urges consumers to forgo hipster staples in favour of Keeping It Real and eating a substantial burger.

Created by design agency Clemenger BBDO Sydney, the film follows a man as he sits down to eat a miniscule portion at a typically hipster establishment, but is disturbed by a voice at the end of a burger-shaped phone that urges him to escape from what becomes a nightmarish world of kale, beards, wind chimes and yoga.

At LS:N Global we have been tracking the rise of Anti-authenticity Marketing since 2015, noting a backlash against the misappropriation of terms such as artisanal, something that is now also apparent in the Australian market.

5. Men are increasingly interested in visiting spas

The US spa industry was valued at £13bn ($16.8bn, €13.9bn) in 2016, according to Statista, a figure that is in part the result of brands increasingly targeting a male clientele. The most popular treatments have proved to be waxing and Thai and sports massages, but as Lynne McNees, president of the International Spa Association, says, the rhetoric around male spa treatments is more about self-improvement than pampering. For more, see our macrotrend The Optimised Self.

6. Thought-starter: Will Uber taxis be the next retail space?

At first glance, the back of an Uber taxi might not appear to be the most appealing of retail spaces but, as junior journalist Rhiannon McGregor argues, it has the potential to be very lucrative.

The convenience store became established in America in the late 1920s, offering increased access to everyday items such as drinks and snacks. At the time they were considered revolutionary, but in our always-on-the-go culture, future-thinking brands are acknowledging the need to adapt to increasingly impatient consumers by seamlessly integrating into their daily routines in a way that brings the product to them.

Anecdotal evidence suggests that Uber drivers have long been using their taxis as an unofficial retail space, with these Uberpreneurs claming to be able to make an additional £168k ($216k, €183k) on top of their driver’s salary. As Uber usage continues to rise, brands such as Cargo, a consumer goods brand that employs entrepreneurial Uber drivers to sell everyday essentials from the back of their cars, are realising the potential of legitimising this selling space.

Read the full opinion piece here.