Need to Know
11 : 08 : 23

France – Luxury beauty brand Guerlain is introducing a series of videos using ASMR, placing its long-standing sensory savoir faire in the spotlight.

With the Sound of Craft campaign, Guerlain is inviting viewers to discover the multisensory nature of the making of the brand’s high-end beauty products. The four videos aim to engage the audience's senses, layering picturesque sightings with ASMR sounds generated by an artisanal production process. Instead of focusing on the products, the videos draw attention to the know-how needed to create products such as the Abeille Royale Advanced Youth Watery Oil and Rouge G lipsticks. With viewers seeing honey harvested and oil being gently poured, the initiative is an invitation to slow down and appreciate the wonders of nature and the skills of makers.

Expect craftsmanship-centric campaigns and conservation efforts to play a big role in the future of luxury, inviting senses into storytelling to keep consumers engaged.

UK, Europe – A July 2023 report by the campaigning organisation Greenpeace highlights that train travel costs four times more than flying from the UK to Europe, indicating a lack of financial incentive for travellers to opt for more sustainable transport. The study compared train and plane ticket prices for 112 routes across 27 European countries, revealing that flights were generally cheaper on 79 out of 112 routes. On average, train journeys were twice as expensive as flights.

Some routes were much worse. The cost of travelling by train from Barcelona to London, for example, was 10 times more expensive on average, despite a potential emissions saving of 461,000 tonnes of greenhouse gases. This is partly because airlines can keep their prices artificially low as they do not pay kerosene tax or VAT and have recently even received reduction in air passenger duty in the UK. On the other hand, train operators must pay energy taxes, VAT and high rail tolls in most European countries.

Greenpeace is calling for bans on all short-haul flights where a reasonable rail alternative exists and for an end to subsidies currently available for airlines and airports. It also calls for European governments to introduce ‘climate tickets’ – long-term tickets that are valid on all means of public transport in a country or region. Such solutions are necessary to upgrade existing urban mobility networks.