News 27.09.2023

Need to Know

elf cosmetics targets Gen Z with new campaign, Pizza Hut begins a new world in the metaverse and why agrifood firms aren’t committing to regenerative agriculture just yet.

Beauty brand elf champions individuality in new campaign

Express Your Elf by elf, UK

UK – Generation Z are known to be individualistic, and elf got the memo. The brand, which stands for ‘eyes. lips. face.’, invited the audience to re-imagine the acronym and its definition of beauty in a new creative campaign.

The elf commercial, developed with the strategic creative agency Southpaw and Irresistible Studios, serves up self-expression galore. The video playfully re-interprets the meaning of elf by means of spoken word performances. It features a range of diverse and fashion-forward characters giving their take on the ‘express your elf’ challenge, from ‘euphoric.luminous.fierce’ to ‘every.’life.free’.

At a time when beauty is being refined for Generation Z, the campaign sets out to connect the American brand with a new, younger and UK-based customer demographic. ‘We’re speaking to an audience that reject stereotypes and make-up is an important way to express the fluidity of their identity,’ says Glenn Smith, creative director of Southpaw. ‘This is their story, with elf being this supportive friend rather than a brand just trying to sell product.’

Strategic opportunity

To resonate with young consumers on the fringes, take cues from elf’s creatively unhinged messaging. How can anti-aspirational, more gritty interpretations of beauty align with your brand?

Pringles begins TikTok-approved caviar collection

US – In a ground-breaking fusion of social media trends and gourmet snacking, Pringles has teamed up with The Caviar Co to introduce a limited-edition Crisps and Caviar Collection from 19 September. The pairing gained recognition on TikTok in 2022 when content-creators would use different types of crisps to dip in caviar. Pringles smartly jumped on the trend by releasing this chips and caviar combination embodying upmarket snacking.

This innovative collection pairs Pringles’ Original, Sour Cream & Onion and BBQ flavours with The Caviar Co’s Classic White Sturgeon Caviar and Smoked Trout Roe. The kits also come with a gold collectable caviar keychain, tin openers and spoons for indulgent snacking anywhere.

Options include the Smoky Shores kit (£40, $49, €46), blending Sour Cream & Onion Pringles with Smoked Trout Roe, and the Salt of The Sea (£90, $110, €104), combining Original Pringles with Classic White Sturgeon Caviar. For variety, the Crisps and Caviar Flight (£115, $140, €132) offers all six flavour combinations.

In our TikTok Tastes microtrend report, we analyse how TikTok’s influence on food and drink trends is crossing over into the real world, inspiring new brands and products, as well as menu and marketing concepts.

Pringles Caviar Collection, US

Strategic opportunity

As TikTok trends evolve rapidly, consider how to harness the platform’s viral potential without ostracising consumers who have never heard of such food challenges. Pringles’ limited edition is a smart homage to a previous trend but will also appeal to food enthusiasts of all kinds

Pizza Hut creates pizza-themed world in the metaverse

TMNT: Mutant Mayhem Pizza-Scented Controller by Xbox, US TMNT: Mutant Mayhem Pizza-Scented Controller by Xbox, US

Middle East – Publicis Middle East and Pizza Hut have collaborated on the restaurant giant’s first venture into the metaverse.

Inspired by fans creating their own pizza-themed experiences on the app, The Hut is a virtual Pizza Hut world on Roblox. Fans can play mini-games and hunt for their favourite pizza toppings and earn badges and prizes, all while kitting out their Roblox avatars in pizza-themed costumes and accessories, such as cheese and tomato onesies, tomato helmets and pepperoni glasses.

The new Roblox world is accompanied by a Fun 4 All family pizza and sides deal from Pizza Hut.

‘With the launch of The Hut into Roblox, we want to honour the efforts of our superfans and deliver what they have been hoping for, giving them a chance to virtually experience the Pizza Hut world and share their love for pizza,’ Ahmed Sabri, marketing lead at Pizza Hut Middle East and Pakistan, told Campaign.

Pizza Hut’s new campaign follows in the footsteps of other retailers such as Chipotle, Coca-Cola and Kellogg’s that have entered into the Gastro Gaming Market in an attempt to appeal to families and young gaming communities.

Strategic opportunity

Consider how you can appeal to both Gen Alpha and their parents through immersive experiences on the metaverse paired with real-life incentives, such as Pizza Hut’s Fun 4 All meal deal

Stat: Agrifood firms believe in regenerative agriculture but adoption is low

Black Urban Growers and the National Black Food and Justice Alliance at Norman’s farm by Nydia Blas, Atlanta Black Urban Growers and the National Black Food and Justice Alliance at Norman’s farm by Nydia Blas, Atlanta

Global – A September 2023 study by investor network FAIRR reveals that while most food and retail sector giants view regenerative agriculture as a climate crisis solution, concrete actions are lagging behind. For The Four Labours of Regenerative Agriculture report, some 79 major agrifood firms were surveyed, worth a combined £2.5 trillion ($3 trillion, €2.8 trillion) and representing one-third of the sector.

Of the 50 firms that recognise regenerative agriculture as vital for climate change and biodiversity, 64% have not outlined company-wide targets. Companies that have yet to do so include Chipotle, Domino’s and Bunge. Only 8% of the firms surveyed have pledged financial support to incentivise farmers to adopt regenerative practices. Notable exceptions are Nestlé, PepsiCo, JBS and Sodexo, with Nestlé committing £985m ($1.2bn, €1.1bn) to these practices.

Some companies are taking positive steps. Danone aims to source 30% of key ingredients from regenerative farms by 2025, while General Mills plans to implement regenerative agriculture on one million acres by 2030. Walmart and PepsiCo are collaborating on a regenerative agriculture programme to eliminate four million tons of greenhouse gas emissions.

In our previous coverage of Adaptive Appetites and How Soil is Inspiring Food Futures, we analysed how regenerative agriculture is crucial to the survival of the food and drink industry given climate change could lead to resource scarcity.

Strategic opportunity

To avoid greenwashing accusations, agrifood professionals must allocate resources to support farmers in adopting regenerative agriculture techniques. This can include financial incentives, training and partnerships with agricultural communities

Previous News Articles
Iris van Herpen unveils Sympoiesis at Paris Haute Couture Week

News

Iris van Herpen unveils Sympoiesis at Paris Haute Couture Week

At Paris Haute Couture Week, Iris van Herpen unveiled Sympoiesis, a collection steeped in material innovation.
Couture : Fashion : Bioluminescent Algae
Foresight Friday: Dan Hastings, deputy foresight editor

News

Foresight Friday: Dan Hastings, deputy foresight editor

Every Friday, we offer an end-of-week wrap-up of the topics, issues, ideas and virals we’re all talking about.
Fashion : Luxury : Pop Culture & Media
Stat: Global spending on leisure travel will triple by 2040

News

Stat: Global spending on leisure travel will triple by 2040

A new report by Boston Consulting Group reveals that the global leisure travel market is set to triple in value, growing from £3.51 trillion ($4.25...
Travel : Hospitality : Tourism
Tripadvisor rebranding elevates travellers’ voices

News

Tripadvisor rebranding elevates travellers’ voices

Tripadvisor has unveiled a major rebranding led by creative studio Koto, marking its evolution from a pioneering travel guide into a global booking...
Travel : Hospitality : Design
Atlanta’s first women’s sports bar Jolene Jolene redefines the game

News

Atlanta’s first women’s sports bar Jolene Jolene redefines the game

Jolene Jolene, Atlanta’s first-ever women’s sports bar, is proof that interest in women’s sports is reshaping the traditionally male-dominated spor...
Hospitality : Sports : Leisure
Stat: Gen Z aren’t quitting alcohol after all

News

Stat: Gen Z aren’t quitting alcohol after all

New research challenges the narrative that Gen Z are the sober generation.
Statistic : Generation Z : Alcohol
Pattern Beauty brings authenticity and curl culture to tv with first-ever commercial

News

Pattern Beauty brings authenticity and curl culture to tv with first-ever commercial

Tracee Ellis Ross has launched Pattern Beauty’s first ever tv commercial, a 60-second spot that blends humour, nostalgia and a celebration of textu...
Haircare : Pattern Beauty : Beauty
The Messenger bot quietly transforming women’s safety in Jordan

News

The Messenger bot quietly transforming women’s safety in Jordan

A discreet digital tool is offering life-saving support to vulnerable women in Jordan.
Artifical Intelligence : Technology : Women's Safety
Stat: Study finds TikTok is reshaping luxury discovery

News

Stat: Study finds TikTok is reshaping luxury discovery

A new study in the US, the UK, France and Italy, commissioned by TikTok, reveals a structural shift in how consumers discover luxury, inc...
Statistic : TikTok : Luxury
BMW rebrands motorcycling as digital detox

News

BMW rebrands motorcycling as digital detox

BMW Motorrad and its UAE dealership AGMC have launched Throttle Therapy, a series of 10-second videos positioning motorcycling as a form of digital...
Health & Wellness : Advertising : Digital Detox
You have 0 free News articles remaining. Sign up to LS:N Global to get unlimited access to all articles.
BECOME A MEMBER
SIGN IN