Need to know
03 : 09 : 21

Hangzhou, China – South Korean nightclub Race Club has arrived in China, bringing with it a new dancefloor experience that offers complete immersion to those who craved nightlife during the pandemic. With holograms, LED lighting and ‘fluid’ walls, the intention of the nightclub is to get clubbers lost in a concrete jungle.

Designed by JH Architecture, the nightclub uses stainless steel walls that light up when the sun goes down, enticing passers-by into the space. On entry, they will find no tables, sofas or seating, giving visitors no choice but to dance. These themes of immersion and escapism are also central to the interior design of the nightclub, with metallic colours of green, purple and red lending the experience a sense of futurism rather than comfort.

While safety has been a central tenet of many post-pandemic interior designs, as architects find ways to make consumers feel secure and comfortable in public spaces, Race Club offers a new proposition – total immersion. Find out more about the future of nightlife in what people experts are dubbing ‘the roaring 20s’.

UK – The long-running soap opera has launched a new campaign that brings its much-loved fictional characters together with real communities around the country. The marketing effort showcases how entwined the tv show has become in the identity of the UK.

Created by BBC Creative, the campaign forms a series of group portraits that place the recognisable Walford characters among real people, blending the actors with everyday fans in situations such as queueing for a nightclub or attending a family barbecue. As well as offering a sense of drama and hidden narratives, the naturalistic and anti-aspirational nature of the photographs aim to bring real fans closer to the show and highlight the importance of Eastenders in British culture.

While we first identified Faction Marketing – in which brands sell consumers the suspension of disbelief – back in 2012, the merging of fact and fiction continues to drive imaginative marketing campaigns, especially in the entertainment sector.

While health concerns remain heightened around the world – in particular during shifting waves of Covid-19 infections and variants – worries relating to stress and sleep are heightening in Asia. In China, new research by Mintel shows that one in four (25%) survey respondents aged 18–39 are experiencing emotional problems before going to sleep, while one in five report experiencing emotional problems when they wake up.

In turn, local consumers are looking to hack their diets with holistic products to help with sleep, in particular foods and drinks with aromatic ingredients that offer relaxation or sleep-related benefits. In wider Asia-Pacific, food, beverages and health supplements with new product packaging involving aromatic descriptions of ‘stress-reducing’ and ‘sleep-aiding’ benefits have grown from 0.5% in 2018 to 1.1% in 2021, and ‘energy-boosting’ efficacy claims rose from 1.4% to 1.6%, according to Mintel’s Global New Products Database (GNPD).

Catherine Liu, senior health and wellbeing research analyst at Mintel, notes: ‘Although [aromatics are] traditionally associated with the beauty and personal care category, this accelerating trend indicates the feasibility of expanding aromatic ingredients into the food and beverage category.’