News 19.07.2023

Need to Know

Liquid Death turns hate into pop music in latest ad, Sol introduces immersive reading headsets and why five-star hotel bookings are booming.

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 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

Previous News Articles
NRF 2025 Retail’s Big Show Europe: Unified commerce and inspirational entertainment

News

NRF 2025 Retail’s Big Show Europe: Unified commerce and inspirational entertainment

On the opening day of NRF 2025: Retail’s Big Show Europe, the spotlight turned to unified commerce and the evolving role of physical stores in omni...
Retail : NRF : Pop Up Store
The Future Laboratory presents The Synthocene Era macrotrend at Première Vision

News

The Future Laboratory presents The Synthocene Era macrotrend at Première Vision

The Future Laboratory’s co-founder and chief creative officer Christopher Sanderson presented The Synthocene Era macrotrend at the fashion industry...
Global Events : Technology : The Synthocene Era
Gen Z in China are using AI to transform themselves into collectable merchandise

News

Gen Z in China are using AI to transform themselves into collectable merchandise

Gen Z in China are using AI art tools and 3D printing to transform themselves into ‘guzi’ – personalised collectable merchandise.
China : Kidults : Kidult Craze
Stat: Gen Z stay indoors for days as screen time replaces nature

News

Stat: Gen Z stay indoors for days as screen time replaces nature

Two-thirds of Gen Z in Britain confess they can go days without stepping outside, according to new research by Super, Natural British Columbia.
Gen Z : Nature : Health And Wellness
Big W embraces the beautiful chaos of parenting in new campaign

News

Big W embraces the beautiful chaos of parenting in new campaign

Department store chain Big W is shaking up family advertising with a bold new campaign celebrating the chaos, meltdowns and small wins of everyday ...
Advertising & Branding : Parenting : Retail
George at Asda unveils new adult adaptive clothing range

News

George at Asda unveils new adult adaptive clothing range

George at Asda has launched a 28-piece adult adaptive clothing collection, designed in collaboration with the late breast cancer campaigner Nicky N...
Retail : Fashion : George At Asda
Stat: Girls’ sport participation could unlock leadership potential at work

News

Stat: Girls’ sport participation could unlock leadership potential at work

Girls who play extracurricular sport in the UK are 50% more likely to go on to achieve senior professional roles at work, according to Game Changin...
Sport : Women's Sports : Teenage Girls
Vattenfall and Samuel L Jackson’s seaweed snack is grown on wind farms

News

Vattenfall and Samuel L Jackson’s seaweed snack is grown on wind farms

Swedish energy company, Vattenfall has teamed up with actor Samuel L Jackson to launch Wind Farmed Seaweed Snacks, a limited-edition delicacy grown...
Visual : Sweden : Energy
Happy Head debuts DNA-based system for personalised hair growth

News

Happy Head debuts DNA-based system for personalised hair growth

Happy Head has launched StrandIQ, the world’s first dermatologist-developed hair growth system powered by genetic analysis, giving patients tailore...
Health : Wellness : Happy Head StrandIQ
Stat: Luxury consumers’ optimism is improving amid global slowdown

News

Stat: Luxury consumers’ optimism is improving amid global slowdown

Saks’ latest Luxury Pulse survey shows rising confidence among luxury shoppers, with more than half planning to maintain or increase their spending...
Stat : Statistics : Statistic
You have 2 free News articles remaining. Sign up to LS:N Global to get unlimited access to all articles.
BECOME A MEMBER
SIGN IN