LSN : News : Stat: Soft skills are in high demand

Theragun offers pro-level sports recovery

Theragun G3PRO

Los Angeles – The makers of Theragun have released a new generation of the brand’s sports therapy device, which aims to offer consumers total body recovery at athlete level.

True to its tagline, Designed for professionals. Made for everybody, the US brand enables users to self-administer percussive therapy, a form of soft-tissue massage for muscle stiffness or pain. Its new high-powered 3GPRO device is designed to provide pain relief and fitness recovery, while improving posture and mobility. It is also 50% quieter than previous iterations.

‘With its uniquely calibrated frequency, amplitude and torque, the Theragun was engineered to effectively treat sore lactic acid-filled muscles and other muscle-related conditions,’ says founder Dr Jason S Wersland. ‘In addition, it allows the activation of muscles and joints to achieve a broader range of motion.’

As such, Theragun combines an active recovery mindset with advances in smart technology that helps non-professionals train more efficiently.

Earlybirds is making healthy convenience sustainable

Earlybirds, UK

UK – A new range of plant-based breakfast drinks is packaged in compostable bottles made from sustainable sugar cane.

Due to be launched in April, Earlybirds encourages healthy convenience while promoting eco-friendly packaging. By focusing on both the contents and the container for its products, the London-based start-up aims to differentiate itself from other ready-to-drink products, which are often heat-treated, high in sugar and sold in plastic bottles.

In contrast, Earlybirds’ three breakfast drinks are cold-pressed to preserve nutritional content, contain fibre and are lower in sugar than many competitors. Flavours available are Mango Baobab, Spiced Apple and Strawberry Banana, all of which are made with either coconut, almond or oat milk as a base, a portion of fruit and vegetables, and oats, flaxseeds and plant protein.

Through its material innovations, the company says its goal is to ‘support the increase in supply of plant-based packaging that will encourage the introduction of a third disposal stream across the UK’. For more on the materials of tomorrow, read our Material Far Futures report.

Aethics is a CBD water for workouts

Colorado – A new sports wellness brand is turning to CBD to aid the training, performance and recovery of athletes.

Founded by a group of athletes, coaches and entrepreneurs, Aethics offers a new type of performance recovery product that is natural and chemical-free. The line includes a tasteless and odourless CBD sports water that is equipped with a dosage tracker, performance drops to relieve stress and anxiety, and muscle rescue lotion for immediate pain relief.

‘As we ingrained ourselves in the CBD market, it became apparent there was a huge leadership void in the sports wellness category and a unique opportunity to create a company focused on people who live an active lifestyle,’ says Brad Wyatt, president and CEO of Aethics.

CBD is causing a stir in the wellness, beauty and food industries. To find out why, read our interview with Melisse Gelula, co-founder of Well + Good.

CBD Water for Athletes by Aethics

KLM builds a hologram bar to connect air travellers

KLM Take-off Tips

Amsterdam – The airline is using technology to allow travellers to exchange local tips, making use of dead airport time.

The new travel experience, Take-off Tips, has been installed in airports in Amsterdam, Oslo and Rio de Janeiro. It connects fliers to a hologram of someone in the airport of the city they are flying to, with people encouraged to have a conversation and swap local tips and cultural insight.

By using technology to spark conversations between strangers who would otherwise never have met, KLM is making use of the hours spent waiting at airports while also injecting serendipity into the flying experience.

As globalisation makes the world feel smaller, the very concept of nationality is becoming more fluid. Read more about how this is affecting the travel industry in our macrotrend New Bricolage Living.

Stat: Soft skills are in high demand

As workplaces continue to evolve, the increasing importance of soft skills is being recognised. Data from LinkedIn’s 2019 Global Talent Trends finds that prospective employers and hiring managers are prioritising soft skills alongside hard skills during the recruitment process.

The rise of automation means that creativity, persuasion, collaboration, adaptability and time management have emerged as the most in-demand soft skills. Despite their growing value, companies struggle to formally assess these skills, according to the report, and 68% of talent professionals say they gauge soft skills by picking up on social cues during interviews.

Brands such as Crowne Plaza are already training their staff to be emotional intelligent, and in Brand Culture 2020, we explore how brands can create a future-fit workforce that balances soft skills with the benefits of automation.

Thought-starter: Are the over-40s the next colour cosmetics category?

At a time when Flat Age women are making themselves seen and heard, creative researcher Jessica Smith asks: why are colour cosmetics brands seemingly ignoring them?

Let’s talk about the colour cosmetics industry. It occurred to me recently, while scrolling through various beauty blogs, that there are few women over the age of 40 representing make-up brands. Although many brands tap into the beauty zeitgeist of today and champion diverse features and faces – ageism remains a major issue.

We’ve made leaps and bounds in the skincare category, ridding the industry of its bias towards younger models and embracing age positivity. Brands like Dove and Space NK have made a conscious effort to use models aged over 45, while luxury skincare brand Babor recently launched an awareness campaign in collaboration with All Womxn Project, pioneering unretouched images of older women. So why isn’t this mindset present in colour cosmetics?

Many make-up companies base their brand propositions around self-empowerment, individuality and breaking boundaries on gender and diversity. But this only matters, it seems, if you’re under 40. However, as customers get older, they increasingly want the brands they love to grow with them.

Read the full Opinion here.