LSN : News : Foresight Friday: Dan Hastings, deputy foresight editor

Grooming brand Floof introduces human-grade petcare

Floof, US

US – Launching in May 2023, Floof is a premium dog grooming brand bringing clean, science-backed, innovative formulations to the petcare market. The brand’s Gentle Essentials line will include four high-quality, safe and effective products – a nourishing dog shampoo and conditioner, a soothing cream and renewing dog wipes.

The products were designed to be ‘human-grade’, providing furry friends with the same level of care and attention that pet parents would give to their own human skin. To achieve this, Floof’s line was crafted by in-house vet dermatologists and skincare chemists using high-grade, clean and science-backed ingredients formulated to best suit dogs’ sensitive skin.

In our Prestige Pets microtrend, we have highlighted how the growth of the pet market is creating opportunities in the luxury apparel sector. With products like Floof, the grooming segment appears to be catching up.

Strategic opportunity

By matching the quality and innovation of premium human products, Floof is opening pet grooming to a new wellness-centric market for furry friends

British Pullman launches murder mystery train ride along Kent’s coastline

UK – British Pullman has unveiled a moving murder mystery experience in partnership with live event curators Private Drama Events. The immersive show, Dead on Time, is a homage to the private luxury train business’s rich heritage and the British thriller tradition.

The five-hour journey along Kent’s coastline aboard Art Deco carriages – including the award-winning Cygnus, redesigned by Wes Anderson in 2021 – heightens the game’s suspense. Guests must deliberate on which of the 10 suspects, played by costumed actors, committed the murder to crack the case.

Experiential travel takes on a whole new meaning aboard the British Pullman through the recreation of this classic game, drawing guests in to engage with their journey through multiple touchpoints – a truly immersive experience. As revealed in our Rail Travel Re-ignited report, the post-pandemic travel market is all about romanticising train travel while boosting the rail economy.

Dead on Time by British Pullman, UK

Strategic opportunity

No longer hesitant to embark on long or off-route journeys, customers will be further incentivised for rail travel if the experience is whimsical and grand

Foresight Friday: Dan Hastings, deputy foresight editor

The Future Laboratory

Every Friday, The Future Laboratory team offer an end-of-week wrap-up of the topics, issues, ideas and virals we’re all talking about. Deputy foresight editor Dan Hastings discusses dressing up for worship, reparations and mammoth meatballs this week.

: As per tradition, Easter was the Met Gala for my favourite fashionistas: church ladies. According to Essence, the coloured hats, jewels and opulent feathers significantly affected everyone from the late fashion editor André Leon Talley to stylist Law Roach and fashion designer Sergio Hudson, who dressed US vice-president Kamala Harris, Beyoncé and former First Lady Michelle Obama

: Is the UK slowly entering a post-decolonisation era? Earlier in March, BBC journalist Laura Trevelyan quit her job and moved to join the growing movement for reparatory justice in the Caribbean after uncovering her ancestor’s role in slavery. With its new podcast Cotton Capital, The Guardian is analysing founding editor John Edward Taylor and nine of his 11 backers' ties to slavery. For the first time, even King Charles signalled his support for research into the British monarchy’s historical links with transatlantic slavery

: The dystopia is reaching new beginnings in New York, where NYPD officers will soon work alongside Digidogs, researchers are cooking meatballs made using mammoth DNA and men are buying AI-generated nudes of imaginary women on Reddit.

Quote of the week

‘The birds don’t sing; they screech in pain’

Werner Herzog, and also the title of the first episode of Netflix’s new hit show, Beef

Stat: Companies are receiving more requests to delete consumers’ personal data

Framework, US

Global – New research has shown how consumers' concerns about data privacy and the control of their personal information are growing. In the Privacy Trends 2023 Report, data privacy solution DataGrail reveals a steep rise in Data Subject Requests (DSRs), which are formal applications to companies by individuals asking to access, modify or delete the personal data that the company holds on them. From 2021 to 2022, such calls increased by 72%, even in countries where privacy laws were in place to protect all consumers.

These findings suggest that not only are consumers warier about their data, but also that businesses have a role to play in fulfilling requests even when they are not legally required to do so. ‘Consumers’ desire for greater control over their personal information grows stronger by the day,’ says Daniel Barber, co-founder and CEO of DataGrail. ‘People recognise that privacy should be a human right, even if it is not yet federally protected.’

As the generative AI boom takes the Media and Tech sector by storm, the online privacy issue will only be exacerbated. It should be a top concern for any business collecting and managing large consumer data sets.

Strategic opportunity

Businesses need to honour consumers’ desire to protect their privacy. Consider how to enable your clients to access, modify and retrieve their personal data