LSN : News : Sol introduces immersive reading headset

Liquid Death’s ad album turns hateful comments into creative fuel

Liquid Death, US

US – Canned water company Liquid Death has released a provocative album entitled Greatest Hates Vol 3 embodying the brand’s fearless embracing of criticism. It features lyrics derived from less-than-friendly comments received by the brand on social media and presented in a powerful music video.

The brand’s previous albums, Greatest Hates Vol 1 and Greatest Hates Vol 2, explored death metal and punk genres. In Vol 3, Liquid Death has delved into quality dance pop, with each song reflecting the brand’s unapologetic attitude, with titles like Worst Name For A Water Company and There’s Not Even Alcohol In It.

While some may view this as a marketing stunt, the album carries a more profound message. It highlights the importance of brands having a distinct point of view and expressing it creatively.

Mike Cessario, Liquid Death’s CEO, believes that solid branding is crucial in a saturated market like water. ‘Dasani is just purified tap water in a plastic bottle, and they do £764m ($1bn, €890m) in revenue. Aquafina is just purified tap water in a shitty plastic bottle, and they do £917m ($1.2bn, €1bn) in revenue,’ he told Fast Company. ‘Water is a category driven mostly by brand. So we build brand first, and we represent a point of view.’

In Elastic Agencies and Subversive Sustainability Ads, we previously highlighted how a rising bolder approach embracing cynicism, dark humour and rebellion in creative and advertising agencies is helping brands cut through the noise.

Strategic opportunity

Consider how your brand must have a point of view and express it as creatively as possible to be in tune with the new codes of popular culture (dark humour, absurdity and a somewhat unhinged approach) in the 2020s

Sol introduces immersive reading headset

US – Tech company Sol is introducing Sol Reader , a wearable headset similar to Apple’s Vision Pro and Meta’s Quest Pro, but solely designed to immerse users in reading and the world of e-books – free from distractions. The company describes the product as ‘noise-cancelling for your eyes’. Sol previously received £3.8m ($5m, €4.4m) in a funding round in 2022.

Available to pre-order before officially launching in autumn 2023, Sol Reader will retail for £267 ($350, €311). The gadget displays text and can be controlled using a wireless remote control to turn the pages, allowing ease of use and the option of reading hands-free on the spot. The battery has an estimated 25 hours of reading time after a single charge.

‘We’re less concerned with spatial computing or augmented and virtual realities and more interested in how our personal devices can encourage us to spend our time wisely,’ says Sol CEO Ben Chelf. ‘We are building the Sol Reader specifically for a single important use case – reading. And while Big Tech surely will improve specs and reduce cost over time, we can now provide a time-well-spent option at 10% of the cost of Apple’s Vision Pro.’

Our Reading Market report examined how digital and interactive cross-reality book formats are being embraced by consumers seeking escapism and an immersive experience.

Sol Reader, US

Strategic opportunity

Sol’s positioning is clever; focusing on lower-cost AR/VR tech than market leaders and answering criticism about the use case for this new tech by focusing on 'time well spent'. If you’re considering entering this new market, how will you focus on offering consumers a 'useful' experience?

Stat: Demand for five-star hotel rooms on the rise

Six Senses, Ibiza, Spain

Global – In the Future of Luxury Travel report published in May 2023, consulting group Deloitte highlights how the global luxury travel market is reaching new highs. Worth a colossal £916bn ($1.2 trillion, €1.06 trillion), the market is set to increase at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 7.6% in the lead-up to 2030. One of the factors behind the growth is a rise in demand for luxury hotel rooms. Deloitte reports bookings at five-star hotels increased by 19% in the first three quarters of 2022 compared to the same period in 2021.

Luxury travellers also expect travel advisers to choose and book the said five-star hotel rooms for them. According to the report, 85% of luxury travellers surveyed view advisers as the best way to book personalised luxury travel, while 74% say that travel advisers can create a truly ‘luxury experience’. As explored in our EQ-Commerce macrotrend, Deloitte suggests industry players should invest in hyper-personalised services and embrace digital innovations such as AI, data analytics and machine learning to tailor each experience to the high-net-worth clients’ tastes.

In Brand-led Immersive Travel, we previously analysed the future of luxury travel by speaking to brand consultant Joel Bartfeld who specialises in curated, authentic and qualified travel guidance for luxury consumers.

Strategic opportunity

Luxury hospitality players should consider how to augment their concierge services’ current CRM and booking tools with AI and machine learning to create hyper-personalised services