Need to Know
23 : 04 : 19

By Livvy Houghton, Holly Friend and Alex Hawkins

Feals seeks to educate consumers about CBD, Carlsberg admits it’s not the best beer in the world and the potential of the sharing economy in China.

In today's news:

These health clinics serve indigenous people

DTC brand Feals aims to demystify the CBD industry

Carlsberg UK gets honest about its beer

The Face relaunches for the digital era

Stat: Chinese consumers are warming up to re-sale

Thought-starter: What do cleaning influencers mean for brands?

These health clinics serve indigenous people

Punmu and Parnngurr Aboriginal Health Clinics, Australia, photography by Brett Boardman

Western Australia – Two health clinics have opened in the Australian desert to accommodate local indigenous communities.

Sydney-based architecture firm Kaunitz Yeung redesigned the health clinics, which are located in some of the most remote communities in Australia. The Punkurunu Aboriginal Medical Service (PAMS), the sole provider of healthcare services for the region’s four Martu communities, will operate out of the spaces.

The clinics will respect the local people, land and culture, creating a facility with community ownership. Artists, who were selected by the Martu people, designed art screens placed around the buildings in a nod to elders and their culture. ‘A patient and repetitive dialogue in a variety of contexts ensured that all voices were able to be heard,’ says architect David Kaunitz. ‘This is important within a nomadic culture where people are not always comfortable speaking in front of the mob.’

Indigenous communities are traditionally left out of the conversation when it comes to infrastructure planning, but brands are finally recognising these communities. Read our IAM Weekend round-up for more on the importance of rural populations.

DTC brand Feals aims to demystify the CBD industry

Feals, US

US – The new wellness start-up uses education and customer service to set itself apart in the oversaturated CBD market.

Feals, which adopts a direct-to-consumer model, seeks to inform consumers about the popular but misunderstood cannabis-derived compound. As part of its mission to deliver easy-to-understand information about its products, the brand has launched the first-ever CBD hotline, with staff available to answer customer’s questions about everything from ingredients to dosage.

Recognising the need for proper dosing, Feals’ CBD tinctures are available in three different strengths (600mg, 1200mg and 2400mg), and are packaged with user-friendly droppers noting measurement. New customers can also purchase a sample pack that includes all three strength options for £15 ($20, €17), or subscribe to the brand’s membership model.

‘CBD in general has a lot of stigmas and misconceptions, and we are just looking to simplify that process,’ explains co-founder Drew Todd. As global hype surrounding CBD peaks, transparency is emerging as vital for wellness brands in this space.

Carlsberg UK gets honest about its beer

UK – The brewery brand has launched an honest consumer-facing campaign in a bid to redeem its flagship beer.

Carlsberg UK has inverted its original slogan, ‘Probably the best beer in the world’, by adding the word ‘not’. Created in collaboration with agency partner Fold7, the new campaign acknowledges that the quality of Carlsberg’s beer has been sub par. By owning up to its failings, the brand hopes to challenge a new generation of drinkers to reappraise its Danish Pilsner.

‘Today, the value of brand honesty to consumers is more powerful than ever. But it is still rare to see brands hold their hands up when they don't live up to their promise. Carlsberg has not only been brave enough to do this, but have done something about it,’ says James Joice, managing partner at Fold7.

The brand is now focusing on upgrading every touchpoint of the Carlsberg brand, including brew changes, glassware and packaging. In doing so, Carlsberg UK is finding Fortitude in Failure – a key trend in our Resilience Culture macrotrend.

Carlsberg

The Face relaunches for the digital era

The Face, UK

Octavian by Julian Klincewicz for The Face, UK

UK – The iconic youth culture magazine is back, driven by a global band of creative contributors.

The Face was relaunched as a digital platform and Instagram account last week, before the launch of a print publication in autumn 2019. Delving into the world of music, fashion, sport, politics and the arts, the magazine has been reimagined as a multi-channel offering that will tap into the knowledge of a community of young creatives, including Grace Ladoja, Grace Wales Bonner and Trippin.

Articles range from a detailed explorations of the far right’s ‘weaponisation of family’ to a podcast on multi-culturalism in West London. According to the magazine’s press release, The Face has been revived to address a generation ‘who have been ill-served and short-changed by the emptiness of today’s ‘feed’ culture, where endless content streams replace genuine insight’.

Our macrotrend Anxiety Rebellion explores the online overload that today’s young people are facing, leading them to engage with slower digital content.

Stat: Chinese consumers are warming up to re-sale

New research from market intelligence agency Mintel highlights the potential of the sharing economy in China. With only 30% of Chinese consumers saying they only want to use brand new products, new market opportunities for buying second-hand goods or renting are emerging.

Transport leads the market and 91% say that they have rented or bought second-hand bicycles in the past year. This is followed by cars (61%), books (25%), digital devices such as phones and cameras (25%), and furniture (18%). However, just 9% of consumers in China have rented or bought second-hand clothing and accessories.

Despite slow adoption in certain product categories, the research reveals that as many as 86% of Chinese consumers appreciate the convenience of sharing products and services, suggesting the future potential of the Fashion Recommerce Market in China.

Thought-starter: What do cleaning influencers mean for brands?

A new wave of design-led start-ups with eco-credentials, in tandem with the rise of glossy influencers has afforded cleaning a more mindful identity, says foresight writer Holly Friend.

House cleaning has long had an image problem. The connotations of griminess combined with toxic products that have typically been hidden beneath the sink has made it into a chore rather than a pleasure. Now consumers are engaging with cleaning as a mindful act and are becoming more conscious than ever of the design credentials and eco-friendliness of the products they use.

According to behavioural futurist Will Hagham, the rebirth of cleaning can be attributed to the fraught state of society at large. ‘We can’t fix the big things; we can’t clean up the whole world or undo all of the plastic pollution,’ he tells Stylist. ‘But we can bring more order to our lives by cleaning our living rooms.’

Much of this hype can be attributed to Sophie Hinchliffe – aka Mrs Hinch – a British cleaning influencer with over 2.3m Instagram followers that she has dubbed 'Hinchers'. With her debut book coming out this month, Mrs Hinch has managed to glamourise tasks that are typically considered mundane.

Read the full Home Cleaning Market here.