News 18.02.2021

Need to Know

Habito’s risqué novel aims to remedy homebuyers’ llow sex drive, KiwiCo spotlights young innovators’ thirst for saving the world and the pandemic accelerates the growth of prestige beauty.

Habito’s erotic novel re-ignites homebuyer intimacy

The Road to Completion by Uncommon Creative Studio for Habito, London

UK – Mortgage broker Habito has launched an erotic novel in response to the lack of intimacy often experienced by stressed couples during the home-buying process.

The novel, by creative studio Uncommon, tells the story of a couple’s search for a new home and the difficulties of finding a suitable mortgage deal. Through innuendo storytelling and graphic imagery, Habito offers a unique and humorous take on the experience of first-time buying. ‘Finding the sweet spot between sex and mortgages allowed us to make something quite unusual with the incredible crew at Habito… an erotic novel about buying a house,’ says Nina Beyers, creative at Uncommon.

This unconventional marketing approach is informed by Habito’s own research into the sex lives of homebuyers across the UK, finding that one in 10 couples stopped being intimate with each other throughout the mortgage application process.

Brands and consumers are becoming increasingly aware of the mental and physical toll that money can have on overall wellbeing. For more, explore our Financial Wellness microtrend.

This climate crisis font melts alongside Arctic ice

Climate Crisis Font by Helsingin Sanomat, Finland Climate Crisis Font by Helsingin Sanomat, Finland
Climate Crisis Font by Helsingin Sanomat, Finland Climate Crisis Font by Helsingin Sanomat, Finland

Finland – Newspaper Helsingin Sanomat has designed an adjustable typeface that mirrors the melting ice caps in the Arctic to illustrate the urgency of climate change in a tangible way.

The font grows and declines in size on a sliding timescale, which uses scientific data from the National Snow & Ice Data Center (NSIDC) and predictions from Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC). Users can select any year from 1979 to 2050 and see the font is at its biggest and sharpest, and control the rate at which the font ‘melts’ to a curved and thin typeface. By adjusting the sliding scale users can directly affect the rate of global warming on the font, which symbolises the negative effect of climate change on the planet over 71 years.

By creating this font, Helsingin Sanomat hopes it will trigger other news organisations to elevate the way they explain global warming to their readers. ‘Media organisations have a responsibility to their readers to make complex matters more comprehensible,’ says Tuomas Jääskeläinen, art director at Helsingin Sanomat. The typeface is free to download, a purposeful decision made by the newspaper to encourage eco-conscious behaviour.

In our New Consciousness design direction we explore more thoughtful designs that communicate sustainability issues in order to inspire greener purchasing decisions.

A toy campaign spotlighting Gen Alpha as planet-savers

KiwiCo Kids, US KiwiCo Kids, US

US – STEM project kit company KiwiCo has highlighted the eco-conscious mindsets of children in its new brand campaign: Small Today. Big Tomorrow.

Created by Los Angeles-based branding studio Third Date, a campaign spot dubbed We’ve Got This, Grownups shows the world from the perspective of a child, highlighting the power of youthful optimism and exploration in working towards a better world. Through its STEM kits, KiwiCo enables children to feel inspired through creativity and hands-on skills – and empowered to change the world. Brittany Grinham, Third Date co-founder, said: ‘The piece is about the possibilities when those same kids build the tools and creative confidence to problem-solve.’

Featuring a real-life family and footage of children playing with KiwiCo products, the spot aims to communicate the importance of including young people’s perspectives in typically ‘adult’ issues like the climate crisis.

In our upcoming Trend Briefing online event, we’ll be further exploring the mindsets and behaviours of Generation Alpha and why Elastic Brands must consider their input and future potential.

Stat: Luxury beauty market surges amid Covid-19

TooD Beauty TooD Beauty

Owing to the pandemic, many UK consumers are spending more on luxury beauty and skincare than ever before.

According to research by The NPD Group, Britons are driving growth in the online prestige beauty market. Although the UK premium beauty market as a whole declined by 24% due to closures of bricks-and-mortar locations during Covid-19, sales of luxury beauty online grew by 47% by the end of 2020. This is to be expected as the pandemic has halted any in-store shopping, shifting consumers to online channels instead. Within premium beauty’s digital growth, sales of luxury skincare including hand soaps rose by 38% in 2020 year on year.

The amplified interest in premium skincare could be due to the growing need for hygienic solutions driving sales of luxury hand soaps and skincare. As consumers cannot splurge on outings or holidays, they may view premium beauty products as a small indulgence they can afford.

With beauty routines adapting to increased periods spent at home, many consumers are spending more on elevating their skincare experience, opting for products that are natural and hygienic. For more discover Enhanced Natural Beauty.

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