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A Tokyo-based self-service coffee brand is taking personalization beyond simple flavor preferences. AI Free Coffee, formerly known as Free Coffee, changed its company name in October 2025 to signal a strategic shift toward what it calls "AI barista" technology.

Rather than offering standard, predetermined options at its F COFFEE stores, the brand's system learns from each cup a customer drinks, then adjusts brewing parameters for subsequent orders based on data it collects. F COFFEE's subscription model, starting at JPY 680 (USD 4.40/EUR 3.80) per month for one daily beverage, positions the service at the lower end of the market while promising quality through partnerships with roasters.

The company now aims to differentiate through technology that adapts five taste dimensions — aftertaste, acidity, bitterness, sweetness and aroma — by analyzing customer feedback alongside contextual factors like time of day, weather, location, age, gender and even stated mood or physical condition.

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F COFFEE's vision of continuously evolving taste profiles speaks to a broader shift in how brands approach personalization. Rather than asking customers to articulate preferences upfront through lengthy questionnaires or complex ordering interfaces, the service proposes learning through behavior and feedback over time. The same way Spotify or Netflix use algorithms to refine their recommendations through listening and viewing patterns.

The model acknowledges a fundamental truth about consumer preferences: they're not static. What tastes right on a rainy Monday morning differs from what someone might enjoy on a sunny Saturday afternoon. As AI capabilities mature and consumers become more comfortable with systems that "know" them, brands across categories will need to decide whether personalization means offering more choices or making smarter predictions. The challenge lies in collecting meaningful data without creating friction, then translating that data into perceptible improvements — ones that justify the technology's presence.

In Lahti, Finland, a new educational initiative addresses the climate crisis through personal mentoring.

The Climate Mentor program, launched this autumn in the city's high schools, connects students with young climate professionals who guide them in discovering their capacity to drive environmental change. Rather than overwhelming young people with the scale of global warming, the course empowers them to take action and equips them with concrete tools to make meaningful impact.

Students work with mentors Anni Pokela and Sara Yrjönmäki — both members of a new generation of Finnish climate experts — alongside their classroom teachers. They learn climate science while actively practicing advocacy through opinion pieces and social media content. By the program's end, participants have tested various communication methods and identified which forms of climate action align with their strengths.

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Climate anxiety is real, particularly among younger demographics who will inherit an overheating planet. Lahti developed its course in response to concerns about young people's wellbeing, aiming to strengthen their faith in the future. The Climate Mentor program acknowledges that the crisis evokes difficult emotions, then channels those feelings into constructive action rather than paralysis. 

As more young people struggle with environmental challenges that feel beyond their control, educational approaches that restore agency become essential. How could your brand help foster a generation capable not just of understanding climate change, but of responding to it?

In the UK, McDonald's has stripped its iconic Happy Meal box back to basics — launching a limited-edition blank design that invites children to draw how they're feeling.

Running through mid-November across the UK and Ireland, the initiative will distribute nearly four million white boxes and crayons, transforming a familiar fast-food staple into a creative outlet for emotional expression. Developed in partnership with BBC Children in Need, the campaign responds to research revealing that 42% of children aged 5-10 struggle to verbalize their emotions to adults and 73% find it easier to discuss feelings when drawing.

The move builds on last year's experiment, when McDonald's UK removed the smile from Happy Meal packaging to prompt conversations about emotional wellbeing. This year's iteration takes it a step further, handing creative control directly to children while equipping parents with resources through McDonald's Family Hub. The research underpinning the campaign found that 88% of parents find conversations flow more easily during creative activities, and 47% say these moments strengthen family bonds.

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While the Happy Meal typically serves as a fast-food symbol of uncomplicated joy, McDonald's is reframing it as a tool for emotional expression. The blank box aligns with two converging cultural currents: the mainstreaming of mental health awareness into everyday spaces and rising expectations that brands should facilitate genuine human connection. How might your brand embed emotional utility into its offerings? Could your products or services become vehicles for the kind of meaningful interactions consumers increasingly crave?

Commuters passing through Gwanghwamun Station on Seoul's Line 5 can now swap their work shoes for running sneakers without having to leave the station.

The Seoul Metropolitan Government has opened Runners' Bases at three subway stations, turning previously idle spaces into fully equipped facilities with changing rooms and lockers. Each location offers distinct programming tailored to its neighborhood and runner demographics.

The Gwanghwamun branch caters to office workers with early morning runs before the workday begins, plus weekend trail running sessions in nearby Inwangsan and Bukaksan mountains. At Hoehyeon Station near Namsan Mountain, programs focus on onboarding new runners through gradual progression from walking to jogging to longer distances. The World Cup Stadium location leverages its proximity to Sangam World Cup Park, offering everything from basic running classes to family-friendly slow runs and advanced long-distance training. All programs are free and operate on a first-come, first-served basis with 15 to 20 spots per session.

Access is straightforward: users authenticate via Naver QR codes or KakaoTalk, and lockers sync with Seoul Metro's Ttota system through a mobile app. The facilities have separate changing areas for men and women and completely free to use. "By taking into account various citizens' opinions, we established Runners' Bases, where people can take care of their health on their own at locations convenient to their daily lives," said Lim Chang-soo, Director General of Seoul's Future Urban Spaces Planning Bureau.

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Seoul's Runners' Base initiative demonstrates how cities can reimagine public infrastructure as lifestyle infrastructure. The initiative responds to what officials are calling the "era of 10 million runners" — South Korea counted 8.83 million active runners in 2022, and the number continues to climb. The distinction between "athlete" and "regular person" has blurred, and running is less about elite performance and more about health, identity and stress management.

By embedding wellness facilities directly into the public transportation network, the program addresses a fundamental shift in how people approach sports, and health in general: as an integral part of daily life. The facilities remove small but significant friction points — where to change, where to store belongings — that often prevent urban dwellers from incorporating movement into their routines.

The Orchestre symphonique de Montréal has partnered with Médecins francophones du Canada to launch a pilot program allowing physicians to prescribe concert attendance to their patients.

Running a year starting October 2025, the initiative provides free access to live orchestral performances as a complementary wellbeing tool. Doctors who practice in Montreal have received official prescription forms to use during consultations, with each prescription granting a patient and one guest entry to an OSM concert.

The program builds on a growing body of research demonstrating music's measurable effects on physical and mental health, from stress reduction and mood improvement to enhanced memory and social connection. Participating patients complete post-concert questionnaires assessing their experience and its perceived impact on their wellbeing. Collected data will help evaluate feasibility of broader implementation.

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The Montreal initiative joins a wave of related programs prescribing nature and art. In April 2025, Vancouver Art Gallery began prescribing visits to its Emily Carr exhibition through a partnership with PaRx, Canada's national nature prescription program. Meanwhile, earlier projects in the United Kingdom have documented significant results from nature prescriptions, with some reporting health improvements surpassing standard medication for conditions like anxiety and depression. 

As healthcare costs escalate and mental health concerns remain high, medical communities are exploring alternative interventions. Social prescribing reframes cultural institutions as wellbeing infrastructure, positioning them as partners in public health. These programs tap into mounting evidence that experiences — particularly communal ones involving nature, art or music — can meaningfully influence health outcomes while addressing social isolation, a condition with mortality risks comparable to smoking. How could your brand or organization contribute to community health?

FamilyMart, one of Japan's largest convenience store chains, has redesigned its discount stickers to feature wide-eyed, teary characters pleading "please help me" in a bid to reduce food waste.

The campaign, which launched nationwide in March 2025, replaces standard markdown labels with emotionally evocative designs aimed at encouraging shoppers to purchase items nearing their expiration dates. The stickers feature cartoon illustrations of food items with imploring expressions. During a pilot, the initiative demonstrated a 5% increase in purchase rates of marked-down items compared to conventional discount labels. That may seem like a modest increase, but across FamilyMart's network, it translates to an estimated annual reduction of approximately 3,000 metric tons of food waste.

The chain tested multiple sticker designs, selecting illustrations that conveyed both empathy and the urgency of food waste reduction. Customer feedback highlighted how the tearful characters made them want to help. FamilyMart has since expanded the initiative, introducing complementary on-screen animations at checkout registers that display grateful, smiling characters thanking shoppers for choosing discounted items. In October 2025, the company made the tearful character designs available free of charge to any food retailer, extending the campaign's reach beyond its own stores. It also added illustrations for bread, meat, fish and cake to the original lineup.

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FamilyMart's tearful stickers demonstrate how brands can cut through information overload with communication that's immediate, visual and emotionally direct. Rather than relying on factual appeals or complex sustainability messaging, the campaign speaks in the vernacular of emoji culture and social media — using simple, expressive characters to deliver an instant emotional hook.

The approach reflects a broader shift toward informal information delivery that prioritizes impact and memorability over traditional corporate communication. As consumers grow numb to standard discount signage and environmental appeals, this playful yet purposeful design language proves more effective at driving behavioral change, suggesting that the most persuasive messages may be those that feel less like marketing and more like a quick, authentic plea.

Brazilian beauty conglomerate Grupo Boticário has launched a comprehensive initiative addressing the growing trend of children using skincare products that aren't age-inappropriate.

The company's research, conducted through its Women's Research Center, revealed striking patterns among Brazilian girls aged 8 to 14: 95% maintain skincare routines, with 53% applying products daily. More concerning, six in ten are using or want to use anti-aging products, driven by social media influence. Over 40% have purchased or requested products unsuitable for their age, while 74% can't identify the ingredients they're applying to their skin.

The Pacto Skincare Responsável introduced by Grupo Boticário centers on three pillars. The company has committed to a portfolio entirely free of substances classified as endocrine disruptors, in accordance with WHO definitions and European safety standards. Starting in November 2025, it will create an educational hub featuring expert content across multiple consumer touchpoints, while implementing "Recommended for Adult Skin" labels on social media posts and e-commerce platforms for products containing active ingredients designed for mature skin.

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Algorithmic culture (TikTok, YouTube, Instagram) has blurred the boundary between adult and youth beauty culture, creating a generation of children who mimic influencer routines without fully understanding risks and benefits. While regulatory frameworks lag rapidly evolving digital beauty trends, brands with deep consumer relationships are positioned to fill the education gap.

Grupo Boticário's approach recognizes that product reformulation alone won't solve behavior shaped by social media. Meaningful intervention requires meeting young consumers where they are and learn, with clear guidance that respects their autonomy while protecting developing skin. As concerns about youth mental health and body image intensify globally, expect more beauty companies to shift from passive age recommendations to active education. It's a cultural stewardship play — a bet that future loyalty will come from transparency, responsibility and protection, not from fueling aspiration and anxiety.

Italian pet food company FORZA10 has launched FIL BLU, a wet cat food that transforms an environmental crisis into a gourmet meal.

The product features blue crab, an invasive North American species that has colonized Italy's Adriatic Sea, devastating local marine ecosystems and threatening the livelihoods of traditional fishermen in the Polesine region. What makes this crustacean particularly destructive is its voracious appetite and rapid reproduction rate, disrupting the delicate balance that sustains native species.

The collaboration brings together universities, fishing cooperatives and pet food specialists to create what the company frames as a "virtuous supply chain." Beyond addressing the ecological emergency, FIL BLU offers cats a protein source rich in omega-3 fatty acids, essential minerals like selenium and zinc, plus B-vitamins. FORZA10 has committed to donating proceeds from the product to local fishing cooperatives, creating an economic incentive for fishermen to actively harvest the invasive species while supporting the development of this new processing infrastructure.

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The FIL BLU initiative represents a maturing approach to invasive species management, where environmental problems become business opportunities. While it isn't the first brand to turning ecological threats into pet treats (Chippin, for example, focuses on silver carp), FORZA10 adds a strong local twist.

The narrative of saving the Adriatic and supporting Polesine fishermen anchors a sustainability story in cultural pride, appealing both to consumers who scrutinize the environmental impact of their purchases and those who might be more easily swayed by an emotional connection to national identity and regional heritage.

Founded by Mirror's Brynn Putnam, Board just introduced what it's calling a face-to-face game console. It's a 24-inch touchscreen paired with physical game pieces — including blocks, a magnifying glass, robots, a chef — that interact with on-screen play without requiring controllers.

Launching with 12 original titles designed by veterans from studios behind games like Manifold Garden and 7 Wonders Duel, Board aims to slot somewhere between traditional board games and digital entertainment. The system supports competitive and cooperative play for groups of varying sizes and ages, with gameplay spanning strategy, puzzles and arcade-style challenges.

The company positions Board as "together-tech," a deliberate counterpoint to the solitary screens that have come to dominate leisure time. By replacing handheld controllers with tactile objects that players manipulate directly on the board, the device lowers barriers to entry, particularly for older adults and young children. Board will be available through the company's website and at Camp retail locations across the United States starting in November, selling for USD 499 (limited-time offer).

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After years of hyper-personalized digital experiences delivered through phones, tablets and VR headsets, a countermovement is emerging. People are gravitating toward activities that restore face-to-face interaction: communal cooking, tabletop RPGs, pickleball leagues. By framing technology not as a replacement for human connection but as a medium that facilitates it, the console taps into digital fatigue while offering the engagement and novelty that screens deliver.

Mooie Boules, a Dutch hospitality company built around jeu de boules and other games, is tackling isolation and division in an unexpected way: by handing over its venues.

Through a newly established foundation called Mooie Buurt ("beautiful neighborhood"), all nine of its locations across the Netherlands will be available free of charge during daytime hours for community groups and residents who want to bring people together. No rental fees, no minimum spend — just space, games and drinks provided at no cost to anyone organizing events that foster connection.

Through the foundation, each venue doubles as a commercial bar in the evenings and a community hub during the day. A pilot program last year hosted 50 social initiatives, generating 5,500 new encounters, with 45% of participants reporting they felt more connected to their neighborhoods afterward. With half a million annual visitors across its locations, Mooie Boules is betting its scale and foot traffic can amplify impact where government programs fall short.

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As political polarization deepens and social safety nets fray, businesses can leverage their physical infrastructure to build common ground and facilitate connections. Mooie Buurt exemplifies a shift from corporate social responsibility theater to structural intervention — brands deploying their real estate, customer base and operations to address social fragmentation.

For hospitality businesses, daytime is often either dead time or a struggle to fill. Instead of trying to squeeze marginal revenue out of quiet hours, Mooie Boules is giving them away to community groups. For businesses sitting on underutilized space during off-peak hours, the question becomes: can your empty tables, meeting rooms or storefronts become engines of social cohesion? And will customers reward brands that use their infrastructure to stitch communities back together?

Nike has unveiled Project Amplify, a "powered footwear system" designed to make running and walking easier for everyday athletes. The system combines a lightweight motor, drive belt and rechargeable battery that integrate with a carbon fiber-plated running shoe.

According to the company, the technology augments natural ankle and lower leg movement, helping people maintain a 10- to 12-minute mile pace with less effort. Testing data from over 400 athletes suggests the system can help runners shave up to two minutes off their mile time, with some describing the sensation as making uphill terrain feel flat.

The technology draws clear parallels to electric bikes, which transformed urban commuting and recreational cycling by making them more accessible for a broader audience. Nike developed Project Amplify in partnership with robotics company Dephy, conducting extensive testing at the Nike Sport Research Lab. Participants logged over 2.4 million steps across nine hardware iterations. The first-generation product isn't intended for competitive runners seeking marginal gains, but rather for people who want to extend their walking commute, add more movement to their daily routine or simply enjoy running for an extra mile or two. The shoes can be worn with or without the robotics system attached.

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Augmentation technology is moving from workplace exoskeletons into consumer products that enhance everyday activities. While Skip integrated a battery-powered knee brace into Arc'teryx hiking pants to reduce joint strain, Nike is embedding power directly into footwear to make running more accessible. This shift reflects a broader opportunity: rather than pushing people to perform at elite levels, brands can use technology to lower barriers to participation. 

The question for businesses isn't whether augmentation will become mainstream — electric bikes already proved that model works — but which everyday activities could benefit from a similar assist. As populations age and sedentary lifestyles increase, products that make movement easier and more enjoyable could reshape expectations around physical activity while creating entirely new categories of sports and recreation equipment.

Dutch bike subscription company Swapfiets launched "Bike Buddies" during this year's Amsterdam Dance Event, offering festival-goers safe accompaniment from DGTL parties to a nearby ferry between midnight and 7 AM.

For many — especially women and gender minorities — a night out often carries a silent cost: the anxiety of getting home safely. Bike Buddies reframes that fear as a moment of communal care. Every half hour, Swapfiets crew members gathered small groups outside the NDSM-Warehouse and rode alongside them to the ferry terminal.

The initiative responds directly to recent femicides and attacks on women in the Netherlands, which have intensified public discussion around safety in shared spaces. While DGTL has long prioritized safety within festival grounds, Bike Buddies extends that duty of care beyond the perimeter. By making safe passage home a visible part of the experience, it shifts the burden away from individuals constantly calculating risk and compromise.

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Swapfiets and DGTL show that hospitality doesn't end at the exit gate. As awareness grows around how safety concerns limit freedom of movement, more brands will expand their sense of responsibility beyond their own spaces. Those that treat safety as infrastructure, not an optional amenity, will earn lasting loyalty from people who've long had to choose between enjoyment and security.

Consumers are increasingly drawn to brands that demonstrate emotional intelligence about vulnerability, consent and care. Acts of empathy matter, and even a simple ride home can signal a brand's values. The underlying consumer need here? Reassurance without restriction. People want autonomy and safety — a powerful design challenge for both mobility and nightlife brands.

With the World Menu Heist, McDonald's UK is temporarily adding eight sought-after items from international markets to its domestic lineup. (And no, the heist timing couldn't have been better 😅)

The menu selection spans seven countries, from Japan's Garlic Black Pepper McNuggets and Indonesia's Choco Caramel Pie to Poland's Sour Cream Black Pepper McShaker Fries. Rather than simply announcing the additions, the chain orchestrated a months-long campaign framing the launch as a cheeky theft operation, complete with leaked packaging details, secret coordinates to sampling locations, and heist-themed in-restaurant experiences.

The rollout builds on years of social media chatter from UK customers expressing envy over menu items available elsewhere. By packaging the initiative as a "flavor relocation" rather than standard product expansion, McDonald's is tapping into fan demand while adding theatrical flair. The campaign — developed by Leo UK — invited followers to join an Instagram close friends group to participate in the fictional heist, then amplified the concept through partnerships with LADbible and immersive activations before a mass launch featuring television spots and outdoor advertising.

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In an era marked by protectionism and polarization, McDonald's World Menu Heist offers a refreshing counter-narrative: celebrating difference as delicious rather than divisive. By framing international flavors as coveted contraband that needs to be "gotten before we have to give them back," the campaign injects limited-edition urgency.

At its core, this campaign taps into a powerful contemporary consumer tension: the paradoxical desire to be both local and global. People crave the comfort of the known (and what could be more familiar than the Golden Arches), but also want to feel worldly and in on something special. Younger audiences, raised on TikTok food reviews and mukbangs, see food as a way to explore. And when actual travel is too expensive or otherwise out of reach, flavor tourism becomes the next best thing.

After five years of spotlighting the environmental toll of plastic soy sauce droppers (quite literally, with its Light Soy lamp), creative studio Heliograf has developed Holy Carp!, a home compostable alternative made from bagasse plant pulp.

The innovation arrives as South Australia moves to ban the ubiquitous fish-shaped containers, which serve their purpose for mere minutes but persist in the environment for centuries.  Working alongside industrial design firm Vert Design, Sydney-based Heliograf created a dropper that's filled in-store rather than pre-packaged in a factory.

The shift to point-of-sale filling enables the use of more readily compostable materials while giving restaurants flexibility to choose which sauces to offer. Heliograf's design breakthrough came from an unexpected source: the designers had been working with plant pulp for their lamp packaging, and ultimately found the solution to the soy fish problem "inside one of their own boxes."

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Single-use packaging represents 40% of global plastic waste, and nearly one trillion single-use sachets are consumed annually. As plastic bans proliferate and consumer scrutiny intensifies, brands face mounting pressure to replace convenience packaging with sustainable alternatives that don't compromise on function or experience. Holy Carp! demonstrates how designers can preserve the appeal and familiarity of an existing format while reducing its environmental footprint. One to replicate in countless categories where small plastics dominate?

Tired of dodging pedestrians and inhaling exhaust fumes on the same old city routes, young runners in the UK are heading for the hills. Airbnb and Strava have joined forces this autumn to spotlight a growing travel pattern they're calling "run-cations" — countryside escapes built around scenic trails.

The partnership offers curated stays in five trending rural destinations, complete with popular running routes pulled from Strava's community data and complimentary treats from local bakeries for anyone who completes a run or books an Airbnb in the area.

The collaboration responds to commissioned research showing that three-quarters of Gen Z runners have planned or are considering a countryside running getaway, and 56% admit feeling bored by their usual urban routes. Strava reports that Gen Z now makes up a third of athletes on its platform, a figure that's jumped 30% in the past 18 months. And nearly a quarter of UK runs logged on the app happen with other people. Rather than chasing personal bests, many are using these trips to disconnect from screens and reconnect with friends in wide-open spaces — from the ancient woodlands of the Forest of Dean to the chalk hills of the South Downs.

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This partnership reflects growing recognition that time in nature delivers measurable wellness benefits, particularly for a generation grappling with screen fatigue and urban burnout. Research continues to demonstrate that spending time outdoors can improve mental health, with some studies finding that proximity to green spaces correlates with biological markers of youth.

As consumers increasingly seek awe-inspiring experiences that combine physical activity with natural environments, brands that facilitate access to transformative outdoor moments — whether through curated rural stays or community-driven discovery of running routes — can help people cultivate the sense of restoration and belonging that urban environments often fail to provide. Could your brand create pathways that turn brief escapes into opportunities for genuine renewal?