News 12.08.2020

Need to Know

An emotion-driven banking campaign, virtual fashion for influencers, and searches for Black-owned businesses experience significant growth.

Chime offers financial wellness to the everyman

Chime, US

US – Challenger bank Chime's latest advertising spot positions its services as both accessible and wellness-driven.

With Americans of all backgrounds feeling the financial impact of Covid-19, agency barrettSF highlights the diverse individuals who can benefit from its services, including a yoga master, a barista, and a barber. Focusing on Chime's USP of providing a no-fee service, the brand taps into people’s collective concerns around financial unease and uncertainty, rather than focusing on a specific audience or set of values as is traditional for banks.

‘We know that people need trusted financial services that are on their side more than ever,’ said Melissa Alvarado, chief marketing officer at Chime. ‘We’ve proven that banking can be free, helpful, and easy to use, and hope this will inspire more people to learn about Chime’s mission.’

Consumers are increasingly considering Financial Wellness as a key tenet of their overall health and wellbeing, with companies such as Chime stepping in to support and guide them in being more mindful with money.

Dress-X angles digital fashion towards influencers

Dress-X, US Dress-X, US
Dress-X, US Dress-X, US

US – Dress-X is a new retail platform positioning digital fashion towards the influencer crowd.

Showcasing virtual garments from a range of contemporary brands and 3D designers, the retailer describes itself as offering ‘clothing made for content’. Among its collections are virtual dresses, suits and streetwear priced from £23 ($30, €25), as well as bespoke designs. Once a customer has purchased their digital garment, the Dress-X team overlays it to their chosen photograph.

A part of its ambitions, the platform is placing a particular focus on targeting influencers in order to eliminate the waste associated with sending them real items of clothing. 'We share the beauty and excitement that physical fashion creates, but we believe that there are ways to produce less, to produce more sustainably, and not to produce at all,' says Daria Shapovalova, co-founder of Dress-X. 'At the current stage of development we aim to show that some clothes can exist only in their digital versions.'

While Immaterial Fashion has so far been a niche market, platforms like Dress-X and a Hot:Second are promoting the idea of virtual garments as a sustainable yet fashion-forward choice.

An at-home music-powerment platform

US – Genius Home Studio is a music competition linking aspiring artists with established musicians to create original songs – from the comfort of home.

Kickstarting with the launch of a virtual soundboard, the collaboration between Genius and HP encourages nascent musicians to produce each element of their track at home, from songwriting, production, and music video direction, to choreography and performance. Along the way, the receive support and advice from established industry talent.

Genius will then release the winning song at the end of the programme, as part of an ongoing contest on the brand’s Instagram channel.

Michael Heal, head of branded content at Genius, said the programme aims ‘to give a new generation of aspiring artists a place to learn the basics of music production and be inspired to continue pursuing their dream of becoming superstar artists.’

The lockdown period has inspired many young people to take creativity into their own hands, with brands stepping in to offer education and support creation. For more, explore Music-powerment.

Genius Home Studio by HP and Genius, US

Stat: Searches surge for Black-owned businesses

Shopify Hardware Campaign Shopify Hardware Campaign

A study by Yelp has shown that US searches for Black-owned businesses grew exponentially between May 25 to July 10 2020, versus the same period in 2019.

In total, 2,500,000 searches took place for 'Black-owned businesses' – a 7,043% year-over-year increase – while searches for Black-owned boutiques specifically climbed 331%. With dining and leisure in mind, searches for Black-owned coffee shops increased by 161%, while bakeries and ice cream shop searches grew 56%.

According to Yelp, 'Black-owned bookstores have seen a particularly high increase in consumer interest, with searches up 1,437% year-over-year, as people look to find resources from Black authors, possibly to better educate themselves on anti-Black racism, police brutality and other social justice issues that have plagued the Black community.'

Bands themselves can also play a role in supporting Black-owned or founded businesses. In our recent article, we explore how brands are using their influence and reach to support the progression of Black people and people of colour in business.

Previous News Articles
Arabian Travel Market 2025: Connected transport and cruise tourism

News

Arabian Travel Market 2025: Connected transport and cruise tourism

Day three of Arabian Travel Market (ATM) 2025 cast a spotlight on the evolving role of connected transport and the booming cruise sector in shaping...
Travel : Middle East Travel : Global Events
Stat: Kenya and Egypt lead Africa’s accelerating AI investment race

News

Stat: Kenya and Egypt lead Africa’s accelerating AI investment race

New research from cybersecurity company Fortinet reveals that 85% of African businesses across five key markets plan to invest in AI within the nex...
Statistic : Stat : Egypt
Future Days 2025: How TimeOut turned a magazine into a destination food market

News

Future Days 2025: How TimeOut turned a magazine into a destination food market

Just days after a climate-induced power outage plunged Portugal into darkness, Lisbon emerged as a beacon of resilience and innovation with the ope...
Global Events : Sustainability : Placemaking
Arabian Travel Market 2025: The power of human and spiritual connection

News

Arabian Travel Market 2025: The power of human and spiritual connection

Day two of the Arabian Travel Market (ATM) 2025 continued to spotlight the future of global tourism with a strong focus on human, cultural and spir...
Travel : Travel & Hospitality : Global Events
ChatGPT expands into e-commerce

News

ChatGPT expands into e-commerce

OpenAI has announced the launch of new shopping features within ChatGPT.
Technology : Retail : AI
Stat: American Gen Z are more optimistic about finances than their elders

News

Stat: American Gen Z are more optimistic about finances than their elders

Young people are surprisingly optimistic about their personal finances, reveals new data from the NBC News Stay Tuned Poll, powered by SurveyMonkey.
Politics : Finance : Economy
Arabian Travel Market 2025: AI and accessible tourism

News

Arabian Travel Market 2025: AI and accessible tourism

LS:N Global reviews the most innovative discussions, impactful presentations and new product showcases seen at The Arabian Travel Market 2025 ...
Travel : Travel & Hospitality : Global Events
Stat: Consumers are willing to pay more for brands they trust

News

Stat: Consumers are willing to pay more for brands they trust

More than two-thirds of consumers in the US, the UK and Australia are willing to pay an average of 25% more for their favourite brands, according t...
Retail : Advertising And Branding : Value
Heineken launches innovation studio to supercharge social drinking

News

Heineken launches innovation studio to supercharge social drinking

Brewing company Heineken has launched Heineken Studio, a new experimental platform designed to redefine the social drinking experience.
Hospitality : Food And Drink : Beer
BritBox reveals 14-hour one-shot film tribute to British tv

News

BritBox reveals 14-hour one-shot film tribute to British tv

In a bold stand against CGI and AI imagery, BritBox’s latest campaign See It Differently brings back the magic of real-time filmmaking.
Britbox : Storytelling : Interactive Storytelling
You have 2 free News articles remaining. Sign up to LS:N Global to get unlimited access to all articles.
BECOME A MEMBER
SIGN IN