Need to Know
04 : 01 : 19

Atlanta – The new experiential dining concept has been designed so that everything edible will glow, from luminous shochu and sake cocktails to glow-in-the-dark ramen.

Housed in an intimate inside space that only seats six people at a time, Nakamura.ke will run for two weeks in Atlanta, before travelling to Los Angeles, London, Miami, New York, Tokyo and Seoul. Each sitting will adhere to a strict 30-minute policy inspired by Tokyo’s hyper-efficient ramen restaurants.

The concept is the brainchild of Ami Sueki, a former industrial designer for Coca-Cola, who collaborated with food artists and culinary events studio Bompas & Parr to figure out how to safely make luminescent food with all-natural ingredients. The dining experience will also involve elements of theatre and Japanese folklore, played out by actors who interact with guests. By combining spectacle and narrative, Nakamura.ke shows how immersive consumer experiences are continuing to evolve – an idea we explore in Experience 2020.

New York – A new brand of alcoholic still ‘water’ plays on the trend for spiked seltzer by offering health-conscious consumers an uncarbonated, low-alcohol drinking option.

Pura Still is a clear malt drink that contains about as much alcohol as a light beer (4.5%), but tastes like flavoured water. Made using a triple filtration process that removes all aroma and colour, the drink is available in blackberry, mango and mandarin orange flavours. With the tagline ‘anything but flat’, the brand aims to fill a gap in the low-abv market for beverages without the fizz.

‘Bloating is a big thing,’ says brand manager Jennifer McCauley. ‘The fact that Pura Still is non-carbonated is definitely a huge benefit.’ And as clear drinks grow in popularity, Pura Still’s clarity could prove to be another draw for the brand. While many drinks marketers have turned to the unusual use of colour to make their products stand out, others are attracting consumers with clear versions of typically colourful drinks.

Colorado – A new advertising campaign by Copper Mountain pitches the ski resort as an antidote to gaming and social media.

Created by advertising agency TDA Boulder, the campaign, It’s Better Outside, was created to teach parents and children to appreciate unplugging and escaping. In the film, a video game avatar waits for his gamer to return home, counting down the days until he can get back on the battleground. Meanwhile, the boy is outside enjoying the slopes.

The campaign also comprises a series of witty print and billboard ads that include the taglines ‘keeping kids off social media since 9am’ and ‘providing legal highs before getting high was legal’.

Switching off is becoming an ever-more important part of consumers’ travel experiences, as people increasingly seek destinations where they can detach from their digital devices. For more, read our round-up of the travel and hospitality brands leading a movement towards extreme escapism.

According to new data released by ClassPass, which draws on the more than 60m reservations made by its subscribers last year, treadmill bookings increased more than any other type of fitness class in the US. In contrast to running alone, treadmill-based classes often place an emphasis on being social, and many combine cardio, strength training and resistance.

‘Running has always been a popular form of exercise and combining that with the same team atmosphere, awesome playlists and motivating instructors we love in cycling and HIIT classes, has made running inside more appealing than ever,’ said Shari Castelli, director of national brands and empowerment funding at ClassPass.

As consumers look for a variety of ways to engage their body and mind, running is becoming a more holistic wellbeing pursuit. For more, explore our Precision Running microtrend.