LSN : News : A Chinese train designed to rival first-class flying

Sensory dining where food is cooked over lava

Forces of Nature by Bompas & Parr, Saudi Arabia

Saudi Arabia – In a nod to the 200-plus dormant volcanos that lie below Saudi Arabia, gastronomy duo Bompas & Parr are bringing multi-sensory dining to AlUla, home to the UNESCO World Heritage Site of Hegra.

Inspired by the work of Professor Robert Wysocki from Syracuse University in New York, one of the world's foremost experts in molten rock, the Forces of Nature experience marks the first time that diners have been able to watch local produce be cooked for them across a stream of molten lava at a temperature of 1,350°C.

Creating a ‘performance spectacle,’ Forces of Nature is hosted outdoors at night, led by lava technicians. Dishes are inspired by the origins of cooking on open flames, with whole salt-baked celeriac and charred fillets of beef finished across this molten lava, served alongside smoked cocktails.

Through Forces of Nature, Bompas & Parr are demonstrating Discovery Dining in action – where eating is transformed into a deliberately slower, performance-led experience, brought to life through elevated surroundings. It also targets affluent Experience- collectors at a time when Saudi Arabia is positioning itself as a luxury travel destination.

Strategic opportunity

Eschew expedited eating by weaving sensory stimuli into dining experiences, helping people to slow down and appreciate the flavours, techniques and surroundings

A Chinese train designed to rival first-class flying

Beijing Winter Olympics Train by Tangerine, China

Beijing – For China’s Winter Olympics train, design studio tangerine has drawn inspiration from premium airline experiences. The decision was made deliberately to reflect the fact that rail travel is increasingly competing with regional airlines, as people opt for more sustainable forms of transport.

The VIP carriages on the high-speed train, which will be brought into regular rotation by China Rail once the event has come to end, use a staggered layout inspired by business class flights. This seating not only maximises space, but brings privacy to travellers, who are able to turn their chairs into lie-flat beds to ensure a good night’s sleep.

According to China Rail and tangerine, the price is not only cheaper and more environmentally friendly than flying business class, but offers a quieter, more comfortable and stress-free trip. ‘Compared with a regional 2–3-hour flight, the high-speed train can offer a cheaper, greener and more convenient journey in about the same time,’ reads its press release.

As rail travel is revived as a premium form of transport, the train shows how the sector can draw influence from aviation in order to appeal to high-spending customers.

Strategic opportunity

Rather than leaning into the nostalgia and romanticism of trains, use sleek, privacy-focused design to show how the rail market is adapting for the future of travel

Ganni moves from offsetting to insetting

Denmark – The fashion brand is championing a radical new approach to supply chain transparency. Rather than offsetting carbon emissions, it will work directly with its suppliers to invest in ways to mitigate these problems before they arise.

With offsetting now considered a form of greenwashing – brands only need to pay to remove greenhouse gas emissions to compensate for what they have played a part in generating elsewhere – insetting involves a company offsetting the emissions in its own value chain.

To do this, Ganni will evaluate emissions hotspots with its suppliers, then invest in removing those emissions at the source. For example, the brand is building a solar plant with the Portuguese supplier that makes its cotton t-shirts. To gauge the plant’s success, Ganni will measure on-site carbon and biodiversity before and after implementation. ‘We know that we need to support our suppliers in the transition to renewable energy and electricity,’ says its head of sustainability and CSR Lauren Bartley.

With this initiative, Ganni is recognising the importance of having control over every cog in the supply chain. For more ways to future-proof your eco-strategy, download our Sustainability Report.

Ganni, Denmark

Strategic opportunity

Offsetting is no longer enough. Consider hiring an ethical consultancy to evaluate your supply chain and identify the ways your brand can begin an insetting journey

Stat: Influencers make monetary gains in the metaverse

Fortnite Skins, Global

According to a small-scale comparative study of 1,034 US social media users and influencers, the latter are open to the potential of working with brands – and making money – in metaverse realms.

The study of web users aged 18–60-plus was conducted by influencer marketing technology company IZEA, and reveals that influencers are keen to explore how their work translates in the metaverse. Among those surveyed, 60% of influencers regard themselves as creators in virtual worlds, with 72% considering or already making money in the metaverse.

With respondents citing brands ranging from Chipotle and Coca-Cola to Nike, Red Bull and Marvel as those they’ve already seen within metaverse platforms, some 90% of influencers and 72% of social media users surveyed by IZEA say they support brand sponsorships in virtual worlds and games.

Describing the opportunity for influencer marketing strategies, Ted Murphy, founder and CEO of IZEA, says: ‘Our research shows that influencers are early adopters of these new platforms and share our excitement about the opportunities available in the rapidly developing metaverse. [We have] been executing collaborations in the metaverse with customers and expect this trend to accelerate as adoption spreads.’

Watch our Meta-tainment Futures webinar to discover the digital spaces, places, tools and metaverse techniques that brands can use to engage audiences in 2022 and beyond.

Strategic opportunity

Accelerating interest in metaverse spaces such as Roblox and Fortnite provide marketing teams with fresh ways to translate Instagram and TikTok influencer content – and personalities – into new activations