News 05.02.2025

Need to Know

Apple’s Mac for Students campaign showcases UGC creativity, new insurance policy offers protection from cancel culture and Chinese consumers prioritise health and travel spending.

Apple’s Mac for Students campaign showcases university creativity and content creation

Mac for Students by Apple, Japan

Japan – Apple’s latest campaign, Mac for Students, highlights the creativity and innovation of Japan’s university extracurricular groups, known as ‘circles’.

Developed by TBWAMedia Arts Lab Tokyo and produced by AOI Pro, the campaign follows four university circles as they push boundaries in hybrid rocket engineering, stop-motion animation, game development and sports analytics – all powered by Macs. Each film is told from the students’ perspective to further demonstrate how Macs enable them to bring their most ambitious ideas to life. 

One standout film focuses on a university lacrosse circle, highlighting the rise of women’s sports, female fandom and user-generated content. The spot captures how student athletes use Macs to analyse performance, create engaging content and build a passionate community around the sport. 

Explore our Game-Changers: The Future of Sports Fandom report to discover how new technologies, emerging markets and evolving audiences are transforming sports and fandom.

Strategic opportunity

How can your business tap into the rise of female fandom? Consider developing tools, platforms or funding initiatives that empower young female creators to produce user-generated content (UGC), build communities and shape the future of women’s sports broadcasting and engagement  

New insurance product shields celebrities from cancel culture fallout

UK – A new insurance policy is offering high-profile individuals protection against the reputational and financial risks of cancel culture. Developed by Samphire Risk, a Lloyd’s of London-backed underwriting agency, in partnership with crisis PR firm Borkowski, the policy provides crisis management services tailored to mitigate social media backlash.  

‘Sharing or liking a tweet can bring the whole world down on you,’ Mark Borkowski, a veteran PR boss who drew up the terms of the policy with the services’ risk partner RepuTitan, told The Financial Times. ‘There are a lot of anxious people. The cancel button is the new guillotine [and] one mistake is your epitaph. It’s too easy to take a position on things…  without being thoughtful.’

The policy, named Preempt, includes 24/7 crisis support, monitoring, and a 60-day communications strategy to manage public scrutiny. Borkowski emphasised that the policy is not designed for individuals who have committed crimes but for those caught in social media storms. 

With cancel culture remaining a divisive issue, this insurance could appeal to executives, celebrities and influencers navigating an increasingly volatile digital landscape. In The New Creatorverse report, we analysed how some influencers are aiming for longevity, with new ventures slowly moving them away from the centre of attention.

Photography by Shingi Rice, UK

Strategic opportunity

Rather than placing a brand’s reputation in the hands of a single mainstream influencer, focus on building and empowering communities by investing time and energy in superfans and user-generated content (UGC). This reduces reliance on high-risk individuals and fosters organic, resilient brand loyalty

Stat: Chinese consumers are prioritising spending on health and travel

Photography by Sunny Ng, China Photography by Sunny Ng, China

China – Despite China’s economic slowdown, spending in key sectors is poised to grow, according to AlixPartners’ survey of 3,000 Chinese consumers. 

Health tops the agenda, with 41% of respondents planning to increase spending –particularly affluent seniors in smaller cities who are focusing their spending on preventative healthcare.

Travel is also on the rise, with more than 40% of young consumers (and 60% of high-income Gen Z in Tier 1 cities) planning to spend more on travel in 2025.

‘This shift towards experiential spending mirrors trends seen in other maturing Asian economies,’ said Lisa Hu, partner and managing director at AlixPartners.

Consumers remain cautious on luxury spending, but quality and sustainability are key motivators, signalling a shift from impulse to strategic purchasing. Meanwhile, 49% of middle-income urbanites in Tier 1 and 2 cities plan to increase expenditure on clothing.

In our Guochao Wellness report, we analysed the boom in Chinese luxury wellness, as the sector embraces the national trend of Guochao, offering authentic cultural experiences and C-beauty products.

Strategic opportunity

Integrate relaxing wellness activations and moments of other-worldly awe into your stores to make your retail spaces feel like a destination or portal into another world, appealing to Chinese consumers’ shifting priorities for spending.

Previous News Articles
Peachy Den and Adidas spotlight the enduring power of female sporting legends

News

Peachy Den and Adidas spotlight the enduring power of female sporting legends

British fashion label Peachy Den has teamed up with global sportswear giant Adidas to re-imagine the bold spirit of 1980s and 1990s football kits, ...
Fashion : Sports : Adidas
Riley makes organic period care a hotel room standard

News

Riley makes organic period care a hotel room standard

Irish B Corp company Riley has launched a discreet organic period care hotel kit to bring menstrual essentials to hotel rooms as standard amenities.
Health : Travel & Hospitality : Period Care
Stat: Gen Z reject AI dating tools

News

Stat: Gen Z reject AI dating tools

As dating apps bet big on AI to attract younger users, a new Bloomberg Intelligence survey shows Gen Z aren’t buying it.
AI : Dating Apps : Ai Dating Tools
Tencent’s AI model generates virtual worlds from a single text prompt

News

Tencent’s AI model generates virtual worlds from a single text prompt

Tencent has launched an open-source AI model, Hunyuan3D World Model 1.0, that allows users to generate complex 3D environments from a single text p...
VR : AI : Technology
Rare Beauty launches debut fragrance and customisable layering balms

News

Rare Beauty launches debut fragrance and customisable layering balms

Rare Beauty has entered the fragrance market with a debut scent that reflects its feel-good ethos.
Beauty : Fragrance : Rare Beauty
Stat: Luxury and online retail fuel men’s skincare boom

News

Stat: Luxury and online retail fuel men’s skincare boom

The men’s skincare market is projected to be worth £21.05bn ($27.99bn, €24.20bn) by 2031, according to a report by Research and Mark...
Beauty : Mens Grooming : Skincare
Sporty & Rich re-imagines wellness hospitality with first residency

News

Sporty & Rich re-imagines wellness hospitality with first residency

Popular lifestyle brand Sporty & Rich is launching its first hotel residency, in partnership with The Pridwin Hotel & Cottages on New York’...
Fashion : Travel & Hospitality : Luxury
Dubai Mallathon re-imagines shopping centres as climate-controlled fitness spaces

News

Dubai Mallathon re-imagines shopping centres as climate-controlled fitness spaces

A new Dubai Mallathon initiative will see seven malls being used as indoor walking and running tracks throughout August 2025 under the patronage of...
Dubai : Dubai Malls : Mallathon
Stat: Shoplifting soars to record high in England and Wales amid retail crime surge

News

Stat: Shoplifting soars to record high in England and Wales amid retail crime surge

Shoplifting offences in England and Wales have hit their highest level in more than two decades, with recorded incidents rising by 20% to 530,643, ...
Retail : Stat : Statistic
Cash App taps Timothée Chalamet for youth-friendly money talk

News

Cash App taps Timothée Chalamet for youth-friendly money talk

Cash App has launched an integrated brand campaign featuring Academy Award-nominated actor Timothée Chalamet which aims to foster intergenerational...
Finance : Gen Z : Youth
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