Would you rather jet off to the Bahamas next week, or save and go in a years’ time? In an ‘I want it now’ culture, thinking for the future is hard. When two-thirds of boomers retire they won’t have saved enough to maintain their lifestyle. How can brands encourage people to think about tomorrow, today?

Public shaming is back on the agenda. From fears of being photographed eating on the tube, to apps that erase pics from the night before – the spectre of public criticism looms large. Has social media revived this age-old mechanism of control? Or can shame be a force for positive change?

Chewing gum used to be synonymous with youth in America. It was sexy, glamorous and epitomised a laid-back attitude. But the $4 billion US gum market is down 10% in sales, and this is expected to continue until 2019. So why are Americans spitting out their gum?

Could a 700-year-old Swedish tobacco product that's placed under the top lip replace e-cigarettes as the next smoking alternative? About 1 million Swedes use snus daily, and it's becoming popular in the US too. What does it reveal about the changing demands of tobacco consumers?

Many smokers trying to quit find that nicotine patches and gum don't hit the spot. Enter QuitBit, a 'smart lighter' that tracks how many cigarettes you smoke and how long it's been since your last one. It connects to an app, allowing you to set limits on how often it lights up.

With smoking in decline, e-cigarettes are anticipated to be the future – but only by being culturally relevant can new brands like Vuse stand out. Will this high-tech alternative be enough reason for smokers to switch entirely?

In today’s world you can customise your Nike trainers, put your Instagram pictures on place mats or even put your dad's name on a bottle of Bourbon. Thanks to a US study into people’s ability to stop smoking, soon you could have your own unique quitting plan, too.

The tobacco industry was the best-performing industry in the US throughout the 20th and early-21st centuries. Weed is already a $1.53 billion business, and now it's been legalised in certain states, will the tobacco industry see its profits getting high on pot, too?