Navigating reality has become an almost constant shock to the system. With the ongoing cost of living crisis, wars, political polarisation, and global environmental issues, life’s stresses are becoming increasingly difficult to escape. With individuals and collectives in a perpetual state of disturbance, peop...

Once a signifier of luxury or novelty, custom products and services are now within reach of the everyday consumer, thanks to the rise of artificial intelligence, algorithm-led platforms, and the COVID-era digitisation boom. Today, everyone wants to be the main character of their brand experience.

In the face of economic crises, climate anxieties, and global wars, people are seeking solace through connection. They want to be sure someone will hold their hand in the face of hardship. As a result, they have higher expectations of care and understanding from interactions with brands, social systems, and p...

As the new post-pandemic normal settles in and people adapt to a context of uncertainty, constant adversities, and pessimism, we are moving away from a moment in which consumers expected brands to rise up to society's challenges and into one when they’re demanding genuine allyship from businesses.

AB InBev has become the first global beer sponsor of the Olympic and Paralympic games, a relationship that extends to the 2028 Games in LA. The headline products at each event will be no and low alcohol options, reflecting a shift in associations with the beverages from restriction to entertainment.

According to industry experts, adults shopping for themselves drove an outsize portion of toy sales in 2023. Many grown-ups are buying analogue toys for their nostalgic appeal, collectability, and use for offline social play – leading the industry to factor ‘kidults’ into their plans for the future.

Pent-up post-pandemic moods are seeing foodies reject refined eating for more sensorial options that champion gusto and indulgence. While at-home meals are embracing the ugly, the world of ‘junk’ food is foregrounding the messy and casual as new markers of a ‘try it all’ attitude to eating and drinking – one with pleasure, tactility, and informality at its heart.