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26 : 08 : 21

London – The fast-food giant is offering fans a novel experience through a branded pop-up hotel. Located in Shoreditch, London, the House of Harland hotel takes inspiration from KFC's signature flavour combination of 11 herbs and spices. Open for a limited period of 11 days and available for £111 ($152, €129) per night, guests can enjoy a pick-up service in a black Cadillac called the Colonelmobile, and once checked in have access to a Press For Chicken room service button, and a private cinema.

Through this experience, KFC elevates its existing presence by creating an immersive space that borrows from the wider hospitality sector. Its on-demand approach to room service also reflects the changing demands and tastes of travellers, with more people seeking non-traditional in-room catering. Going beyond novelty, however, all proceeds from the hotel will go towards the KFC Foundation, which supports young people across the UK.

As the landscape of food and drink continues to evolve and find new ways of engaging audiences, delve into our dedicated vertical to keep track of the latest innovations.

US – Seeking to challenge conventional beauty ideals, jewellery brand J Hannah is launching a drab olive-brown nail varnish. The shade, known as Compost, has been named the world’s ‘ugliest colour’ by market researchers.

By presenting this colour as a covetable nail polish, J Hannah takes an anti-aspirational stance to beauty and personal appearance. This non-traditional nail varnish and its associated messaging in turn encourages customers to rethink the ideals around colour trends they’ve previously bought into. ‘Compost is a statement in the nuanced line between the revolting and the luxurious, between the hideous and the refined,’ says the brand. ‘A reminder to not flatten beauty's complexity into a single note.’

In the fragrance sector, we’ve explored the ways that unexpected scents can capture the interest of audiences. Discover a series of 'anti-perfume' concepts within New Fragrance Frontiers, including attention-grabbing scents inspired by decay and disorder.

With social media platforms oversaturated with celebrities, a survey from Bazaarvoice finds that an increasing number of consumers are seeking inspiration from everyday people. No longer enamoured by fame alone, social media users are seeking genuine, day-to-day content from un-ostentatious users without a specific agenda.

The research reveals that for over half (56%) of global consumers, everyday social media users have become their preferred influencers to follow. Some 38% of respondents say this group is the most trusted source for authentic content. Almost the same percentage (39%) believe that experts on a particular subject share the most authentic content.

Given these findings, retailers should capitalise on opportunities to work with everyday influencers to expand their product reach. Find out more about the apps and platforms bolstering peer-led sales in our recent round-up.