Need to Know
06 : 02 : 18

US – As the dust settles on this year's Super Bowl, detergent brand Tide has demonstrated its advertising credentials with a spot widely agreed to have won the coveted title of best half-time ad.

Created by Saatchi & Saatchi, the self-consciously clever spot challenges the tired tropes of advertising, with protagonist David Harbour hijacking other advertisements – from a car ad to a beer ad to a razor ad – that viewers are likely to see during the Super Bowl broadcast.

At the end of each scene Harbour playfully denounces the viewers’ initial assumptions with the assertion ‘Nope, it's a Tide ad’, drawing attention to the over-saturation of bland and formulaic advertising in a way that feels fresh and new.

Global – Sportswear brand Nike has formed partnerships with companies like Classpass and Headspace to offer Nike+ app members a range of new perks. Billed as NikePlus Unlocks, the loyalty passes were first launched in November 2017, but the lack of variety in rewards and the irregularity with which they were released has meant that it has so far failed to gain much traction.

Now, however, Nike has expanded the programme to include rewards including four months free of Apple Music when buying its Nike Epic React Flyknit shoe in an exclusive colour. Members will also receive discounts and gifts for the entirety of their birth month when they make purchases, adding an additional level of personalisation to the service.

In our Loyalty Market, we examine how brands are developing their loyalty offering to inspire greater consumer allegiance, which, in Nike's case includes moving outside of its own eco-system of products and services.

US – Scientists at MIT have pioneered a new way of transforming plants into light sources. While designer Daan Roosegaarde first raised the idea of turning trees into luminous streetlights in 2014, this marks an important step forward in realising the concept. Scientists introduced a solution containing the enzyme luciferase, which reacted with the plant’s leaves to achieve a glow.

This method, which so far has been tested on arugula, kale, spinach and watercress, produced a low-level light that lasted for about three and a half hours. ‘The vision is to make a plant that will function as a desk lamp – a lamp that you don’t have to plug in,’ explained Michael Strano, senior author of the study at MIT.

As wellness becomes ubiquitous, there is increasing interest in the positive effects of biophillic design, something that we explore further in our Wellness Architecture Market.

The idea of anti-ageing, traditionally promoted by the skincare sector, has sparked a backlash in recent times and contributed to a fall in skincare sales. New figures suggest, however, that the sector’s new approach, which focuses less on fixing your wrinkles and more on taking care of yourself, is paying off, with the skincare category growing more than cosmetics in 2017. Read our Q&A with Dr Michael Southall, research director at Johnson & Johnson, for more insight into why helping consumers understand their skin is the future of skincare.