UK – With some men finding it difficult to talk openly about mental health, suicide prevention charity Campaign Against Living Miserably (CALM) is partnering with brewery Black Storm to create an awareness-building collection of beers. The 12-piece collection, called In the Stars, has been designed by branding agency Wonderstuff and features a range of illustrations and graphics representing the 12 zodiac signs.

Featuring gradient colours and welcoming aesthetics, each can communicates calming emotions to promote more open conversations among its drinkers. In a press release, Wonderstuff describes it as ‘a collectable, collaborative range to raise awareness of CALM, provide support to the charity, and encourage men to talk.’ By using beer – a beverage strongly associated with masculinity and bravado – the collaboration is an example of how brands can reframe stereotypes around masculinity to encourage difficult discussions.

While the beer itself no emotion-boosting formulations, the packaging and communications reflect the ideas we identify within Total Tastes – with brands highlighting the link between emotions and food and drink.

Across the UK, people are beginning to re-embrace cultural sites like galleries and museums, amid the recent easing of pandemic restrictions. However, research by Art Fund shows that this interest is largely concentrated towards major attractions in London.

Indeed, the research finds that people in the UK have planned 66 million trips to galleries and museums this summer. A majority (65%) of people who are planning a visit are set to go to one of the top ten biggest museums in the UK, compared with just 39% who said they would visit one of the 2,000-plus smaller venues across the country.

Despite these figures, almost half (48%) of people across the UK said that it would be a ‘tragedy’ if smaller museums and galleries were to close. With this in mind, tourism brands should tap into the Staycation Market and engage people in regional activities.