Daily Signals 07.12.2020

Signals

So Energy shuns outdated eco-messaging, Fiole digitises luxury scent shopping and the global mental wellness market is valued at £90bn.

So Energy’s renewable rebranding shuns green tropes

So Energy branding by Studio Blackburn, UK
So Energy branding by Studio Blackburn, UK
So Energy branding by Studio Blackburn, UK

UK – So Energy is challenging conventions around renewable energy with a bold rebranding led by design agency Studio Blackburn.

The rebranding is being rolled out across So Energy’s new website, updated customer communications, and as out-of-home advertising appearing across London. Using bold type, word play and four vivid colours – red, blue, yellow and green – the brand aims to convey a service that’s better value for money and better for the environment.

While many environmentally focused energy brands opt for a visual style of child-like illustrations and ‘hands around the world’ graphics, So Energy is eschewing these tropes to better engage audiences. Meanwhile, the copywriting uses its name in a series of campaign statements, including ‘So we’ve got wind energy’ and ‘So ab-so-flippin-lutely Energy’.

By providing a playful and accessible visual style, the rebranding taps into some of the themes we explore in Graphic Activism – using bold aesthetics to replace often outdated eco-messaging.

This virtual perfumer brings fragrance retail home

Fiole, UK Fiole, UK
Fiole, UK Fiole, UK

UK – Perfume retailer Fiole offers a digital avenue to experiencing luxury scents in a bid to disrupt traditional fragrance retail.

Taking its expertise online, shoppers are given a personal virtual guide to fragrance. After they answer a survey via the Fiole site, the retailer delivers a sample box of six recommended scents, as well as educational tips teaching customers how to analyse each fragrance. Once a favourite has been chosen, a sealed envelope will reveal its name for the consumers to buy online.

Through this approach, Fiole aims to strip back the complexities of fragrance buying – a response to the often rushed and complex department store shopping experience. ‘We believe this is the most effective, accurate way for someone to find what they are looking for and we feel confident that each customer will be able to find their ‘wow’ fragrance in the comfort of their own home,’ explains Josh Carter, co-founder of Fiole.

In our recent Fragrance Futures Market we explore how convenience-led homebody lifestyles are forging new paths to purchase for fragrance brands.

Good Fibrations offers good-for-gut snacking

Good Fibrations by The Gut Stuff Good Fibrations by The Gut Stuff

UK – The Gut Stuff health platform is moving into the snacking market with the launch of its Good Fibrations bars.

While the platform has been providing gut-related health advice for the past few years, the release of its snack bars marks a natural progression in its aim to spread knowledge about the importance of fibre in people's diets.

Each bar contains 10g of fibre, alongside ingredients such as fruit, nuts, seeds, chicory, root fibre and inulin, a plant-based prebiotic. Available from The Gut Stuff’s online shop, the brand plans to extend the product line over the next year.

'Our brand is all about making gut health an accessible subject for everyone, so this is another way that we aim to build awareness and help people look after their gut health in a really simple way,' says co-founder Lisa Macfarlane.

Consumers are beginning to have a greater understanding of their gut health in relation to their mental and physical wellbeing, ushering in a slew of brands and platforms dedicated to this area.

Stat: Mental wellness becomes a £90bn market

Equinox Sleep Coaching programme Equinox Sleep Coaching programme

The Global Wellness Institute’s (GWI) latest report, Defining the Mental Wellness Economy, reveals the global mental wellness market to be worth £90bn ($120.8bn, €99.4bn).

Consumer spending across four key sub-segments of mental wellness has contributed to this overall boom. Among these, the senses, spaces and sleep market is generating £36.8bn ($49.5bn, €40.7bn), while the brain-boosting nutraceuticals and botanicals segment is valued at £27.3bn ($34.8bn, €30.3bn). Products that cover self-improvement are worth £24.9bn ($33.6bn, €27.6bn), while the meditation and mindfulness market equates to £2.2bn ($2.9bn, €2.4bn).

Looking to distinguish mental health from mental wellness, the research defines the latter as ‘an internal resource that helps us think, feel, connect and function… an active process that helps us to build resilience, grow and flourish.’ Katherine Johnston, GWI senior research fellow, explains: 'People are desperate for alternative strategies to cope, and we hope [this report] clarifies how important it is to promote mental wellness – and how businesses, governments and individuals can all play different roles in addressing a growing crisis.'

Explore our Health and Wellness insights to discover the latest trends and innovations in the sector.

Previous Daily Signals Articles
Ulta Beauty opens UB Marketplace to 100 emerging brands

Daily Signals

Ulta Beauty opens UB Marketplace to 100 emerging brands

Ulta Beauty has launched UB Marketplace, a new online platform introducing more than 100 emerging beauty and wellness brands to its website and app...
Beauty : Retail : Ecommerce
Travel platform Curated Spaces is powered by trusted tastemakers

Daily Signals

Travel platform Curated Spaces is powered by trusted tastemakers

Travel start-up Curated Spaces has launched a booking platform that puts personal style, trusted recommendations and curated experiences at the hea...
Travel : Hospitality : Digital
Stat: Gen Z women are shaping a new liberal majority in the US

Daily Signals

Stat: Gen Z women are shaping a new liberal majority in the US

New polling highlights a sharp political gender gap within Gen Z, positioning young women as the most liberal demographic in the US, according to a...
Youth : Politics : Gen Z
Heineken transforms Seoul’s rooftops into social sanctuaries

Daily Signals

Heineken transforms Seoul’s rooftops into social sanctuaries

Heineken is transforming Seoul’s empty rooftops into vibrant social spaces as part of a new campaign combatting urban loneliness and removing barri...
Culture : Drink : Loneliness
Feeling introduces transdermal energy patch to combat daily fatigue

Daily Signals

Feeling introduces transdermal energy patch to combat daily fatigue

Manchester-based wellness brand Feeling has launched a transdermal energy patch designed to address persistent fatigue in individuals who maintain ...
Health : Wellness : Supplements
Stat: Gift cards become inflation-era solution for festive shoppers

Daily Signals

Stat: Gift cards become inflation-era solution for festive shoppers

As inflation continues to put pressure on spending, gift cards are set to dominate this year’s festive period in the US. According to Blackhaw...
Retail : Consumer Spending : Inflation
Yōjō harnesses vagus nerve technology for everyday wellbeing

Daily Signals

Yōjō harnesses vagus nerve technology for everyday wellbeing

Yōjō is a new wellness eco-system using non-invasive vagus nerve stimulation (nVNS), biofeedback and human coaching to help people calm their bodie...
Health : Wellness : Technology
OpenAI launches agentic AI shopping system

Daily Signals

OpenAI launches agentic AI shopping system

ChatGPT users in America can now shop directly within conversations through OpenAI’s new Instant Checkout feature, available to Pro, Plus and Free ...
Technology : Retail : Agentic AI
Stat: The running boom is powering New York’s economy

Daily Signals

Stat: The running boom is powering New York’s economy

Running is proving to be big business for New York, according to the latest Economic Impact Study from New York Road Runners (NYRR).
Sport : Health : Running
Vacheron Constantin’s La Quête du Temps stars in Louvre exhibition

Daily Signals

Vacheron Constantin’s La Quête du Temps stars in Louvre exhibition

Luxury Swiss watchmaker Vacheron Constantin has unveiled La Quête du Temps at the Louvre, a monumental automaton clock to celebrate the brand’s 270...
Luxury : Watches : Retail
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