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OpenAI and MIT Media Lab just released their first large-scale study on ChatGPT’s impact on emotional wellbeing. After analyzing 40 million weekly user interactions, researchers found that while most chats are quick and transactional, a small group of users (~10%) engages far more deeply, spending an average of 30 minutes a day with the chatbot. These users often describe ChatGPT as a source of trust or companionship. But this digital closeness comes with caveats.

➡️ More usage, more loneliness? The study found that intensive users reported increased loneliness and reduced real-world socializing. Female participants were slightly less likely to engage socially after four weeks of use. And users who interacted with a voice-mode chatbot of a different gender were more likely to feel emotionally dependent and lonely by the end of the study.

⚠️ Another layer: ChatGPT itself shows signs of reduced emotional resilience when exposed to trauma-heavy conversations — raising questions about the mental load on machines, too.

As AI becomes more emotionally embedded in people’s lives, brands can’t afford to think in scripts and FAQs alone. If consumers are venting, bonding or trauma-dumping on your bot – tone, boundaries and emotional intelligence matter.

✨ Two trends and two tools to build emotionally intelligent touchpoints:

1️⃣ Inside the chat – VIRTUAL COMPANIONS
Bots aren’t just support agents anymore — they’re becoming low-stakes friends (like your work friends), especially for younger users seeking connections that feel safe, nonjudgmental and always-on.

🤖 Example: In clinical trials, AI therapist Therabot reduced depression symptoms by 51%, anxiety by 31% and eating disorder symptoms by 19%.

2. Beyond the chat – SOCIAL FABRICS
As screen-based comfort replaces social confidence, brands can step in with tools that rebuild confidence beyond the screen. Think AI-powered rehearsal buddies, low-pressure meetups and tech that nudges users back into the real world.

💕 Example: Tinder's new OpenAI-powered flirting coach simulates dating convos, gives feedback and helps users sharpen their in-person charm — before they move on to the real thing.

For a change, the most talked-about IPO in Asia wasn’t an AI disruptor or fintech unicorn, it was bubble tea. Mixue, the China-based bubble tea and ice cream brand, debuted on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange in early March. The IPO was oversubscribed 5258 times, with shares jumping 30% on the first day and remaining up 49% since. Mixue’s momentum mirrors wider market interest in the category — another major Chinese tea brand, Chagee, filed for its highly-anticipated Nasdaq IPO last week. Still, long-term performance remains uncertain; Nayuki, one of the first Chinese tea chains to go public in 2021, has seen its stock fall 90% since.

Yes, the popularity of Mixue’s stock is largely due to its rapid expansion. The brand has been opening an average of 21 stores every day since 2019. At 45,000 outlets globally, it is now the largest fast food and drink chain by store count, surpassing both McDonald’s (43,000+) and Starbucks (41,000+). But beyond business metrics, its success reveals something more telling: the strength of little treat culture as a consumer driver.

Mixue offers low prices (often 20% lower than competitors) and a product people enjoy — so much so, that when it was recently revealed that some stores had engaged in unsafe handling of ingredients, most consumers simply laughed it off. But its real resonance lies in the cultural role of bubble tea in many Asian markets as consumers’ go-to “happy drink.” It has become a default small treat — something people turn to for a mood lift, whether they are struggling through a difficult day or celebrating a mini milestone.

The tendency to escape into small pleasures is the cornerstone of little treat culture, a global movement that has traction momentum on social media in the last few years. Beyond being just another quirky TikTok trend, however, little treat culture reflects a broader consumer reality. Amid inflation, ongoing global crises and a general sense of instability, consumers are gravitating toward accessible, everyday pleasures. These aren’t luxury splurges — they’re manageable indulgences that provide a sense of control and comfort.

For brands, the opportunity is clear. You don’t have to be in the business of drinks or desserts to deliver small moments of delight. The question is: how can your brand embed everyday joy into its offerings and become a source of positive, repeatable experiences for your customers?

Reliable cue to get people talking about what’s wrong with society? Netflix and co. Take Adolescence, Netflix’s latest record-breaking hit — it’s not just bingeable, it’s igniting debate about the toxic grip social media holds on teenage boys. Over on HBO, White Lotus season 3 isn’t just stirring (sorry, spoiler) incest discourse — it’s tackling political theology, too. And Apple TV+’s Severance made headlines not only for its interactive pop-up installation at NYC’s Grand Central in January but also for its chilling take on surveillance and workplace drudgery. Separating office memories from personal ones — utopian dream or straight out of Black Mirror?

💡 The Severance Effect: British workplace mental health platform Unmind found that 46% of Gen Z (and 35% of all Brits) would actually choose to be ‘severed’ if they could — a telling stat when the majority of global employees have considered quitting for their mental wellbeing.

🎭 The study also highlights how employees mask their true selves at work:

• 33% of workers admit to pretending they’re busy to look productive — jumping to 47% for Gen Z
• 38% have a ‘work persona’ that doesn’t match their true self — climbing to 52% among Gen Z
• 44% of Gen Z say their job consumes too much of their identity, making it hard to separate work from life. Since Severance-style work-life detachment isn’t an option (yet), how can brands help employees unplug — and drop the workplace act?

💬 From screen to scene: Whether it’s Severance, Adolescence or the next big binge, what shows are your customers talking about? Pop culture isn’t just small talk — it’s a powerful bridge to tackle tough, taboo topics, from social media toxicity to workplace burnout. Even awkward convos between coworkers, families or reality TV couples (Love is Blind, anyone?) feel easier when reframed through a cultural lens.

🤯 Beyond the buzz: In a content-cluttered, chaos-fueled economy (where even Gen Z is burnt out on micro-trends), brands need a clear, thoughtful point of view — not just gimmicky collaborations. Does your brand care about employees’ mental health, tackling the manosphere or bridging socio-political divides? If so, make sure your messaging reflects that.

Last month, a group of young Singaporeans spent Valentine’s Day not at a cocktail bar or a typical event space, but at a laundromat. The dating mixer featured beer, a live DJ and quirky games like blindfolded laundry folding. It was hosted by Hangout Laundry, a local establishment reimagining the laundromat experience. First opened in December 2024 in the heartland neighborhood of Bedok North, the fully air-conditioned space doubles up as a café and co-working space. Its stylish, multi-functional set-up makes waiting for laundry more comfortable and productive. A 30-minute basic wash (16 kg) costs SGD 7, and drying is SGD 1 per five minutes, competitive with typical public estate laundromats in Singapore.

Hangout Laundry is part of a rising wave of modern laundromats in Singapore making laundry more convenient, comfortable and communal. Another establishment, The Daily Tumble, caters to pet owners with machines labeled “special care” for pet accessories. Patrons can sip kombucha, ginger beer or specialty coffee at the on-site self-service café while they wait. Meanwhile, aviation-themed The Good Husband Laundromats and Drycleaners reinvents the laundry experience with massage chairs, an Instachef meal vending machine and even a pop-up barber.

While demand is partly driven by practical needs — compact homes, lack of drying space and busy households — this wave reflects something deeper: a return to community-first local businesses. Beyond meeting a functional need, these laundromats are serving as third spaces — reviving the communal spirit by turning routine errands into opportunities for connection. In turn, consumers develop a sense of ownership over the spaces and chip in to do their part to make the experience better for everyone. At Hangout Laundry, patrons often voluntarily help newcomers and keep the space tidy. At the Daily Tumble, visitors contribute to a mini library of kids’ books.

The shift toward supporting local, which sparked during the pandemic, has endured. Today, local businesses are evolving into community hubs, where practical benefits meet organic connections. What opportunities exist for your brand to create similar urban oases? How might you foster a sense of ownership and connection within your brand’s existing physical spaces?

Sleep is no longer just a fundamental human need anymore — it’s the path to peak self-actualization, with REM cycles the new wellness frontier. IKEA’s extensive global sleep study, IKEA Sleep uncovered, surveyed over 55,000 people across 57 markets, exposing how sleep deprivation, inequality and tech habits are fueling the sleep economy:

⏳ Sleep shortage: People globally sleep 1 hour and 20 minutes less than they aim for — that’s 20+ full days of lost 💤 per year.

🌍 Sleep inequality: Mainland China leads in sleep quality, while Norway snoozes at the bottom of countries surveyed. The US? Second to last — coinciding with its lowest-ever global happiness ranking.

😴 Hypersomnia rising? 28% rate their sleep quality as poor, 19% wake up more than twice a night and 18% wake up tired nearly every day.

🛌 Snooze over schmooze: 70% of people rank sleep as one of life’s greatest joys — climbing to 74% among 18-24-year-olds. Over half (58%) even prefer staying in and snoozing to going out.

😰 Stress and financial anxiety: Anxiety and overthinking rob 40% of people of shuteye. Among financially insecure people, 27% wake up multiple times per night — above the global average (19%).

📱 Bad screentime: 72% use their phones in bed — spiking to 86% for 18-24-year-olds, the group most worried about sleep. Laptops (24%) and TVs (39%) are also used in bed.

Coinciding with 2025’s sleep awareness month, IKEA is going full REM. Here’s the brand highlight: 

🛋️ Design your sleep while you sleep: IKEA and MRM Madrid flip sleep tracking into shopping — analyzing your nighttime behavior to serve up personalized, shopable sleep solutions. Dive into more SENSESCAPING innovations to create a tech-driven sleep sanctuary. 

🔦 Sleepless lamp: In Canada, IKEA’s emotional installation flickers to mimic the fragmented sleep patterns of nearly 500,000 sleep-deprived children. In 2025, every brand is a healthcare brand — how will you prove your BRANDCARE value? 

📲 ‘u up?’ stunt: Late at night, IKEA Canada slid into loyalty members’ DMs, turning the iconic ‘u up?’ text into mattress discounts. With people spending almost 40 minutes on their phones before bed, how can you help late-night scrollers build better bedtime habits?

South Korean movie theater chain CGV is introducing monthly knitting screenings, allowing audiences to knit while watching films. The initiative follows a sold-out pilot event in January, where the theater screened Little Forest with adjusted lighting to accommodate knitters. Encouraged by positive feedback, CGV has scheduled these screenings for the last Thursday of each month and expanded it to 10 theaters nationwide, including five outside Seoul. By transforming knitting from a solitary hobby into a shared experience, CGV aims to revitalize theater-going and attract a more diverse audience. 

Five years after the onset of COVID-19, cinema audience behaviors have permanently changed and movie theaters are still struggling to recover. Streaming has reshaped viewing habits, and some films are now skipping the box office entirely. Meanwhile, the film industry's overreliance on franchises and reboots has left audiences disengaged — fewer films feel truly made for the big screen, and most viewers now reserve theater visits for major blockbusters. What was once a casual outing has become an event-based experience.

To compete with the cost savings, convenience and comforts of at-home streaming, theaters must offer value compelling enough to break consumer inertia. CGV is leaning into novelty and community. By tapping into the rising popularity of knitting, the company allows consumers to enjoy their passion point in a new way while repositioning the movie-going experience. Prior to CGV's initiative, similar knitting screenings had been held by Leica Cinema in South Korea, as well as other movie theaters in Austria and Sweden.

Beyond the movie industry, there's a lesson here for all brands around adapting to stay relevant amidst shifting consumer preferences. How can your brand continue to reshape its offerings around existing consumer habits, rather than forcing audiences to fit into your existing services?

COVID-19 turns five this year. Yep, it's been that long. While 1-in-8 people continue to battle long COVID symptoms, the world has stumbled straight from lockdowns into a dizzying poly-crisis — and now, Trump's chaos economy. Bottom line? 'Normal' isn't coming back anytime soon, and it certainly doesn't feel like it for many. Public satisfaction with healthcare systems has hit rock bottom. And among the hardest hit? Young people.

The pandemic didn't just disrupt Gen Z's schooling, social lives and early careers — it permanently rewired their outlook on life. Edelman's latest report paints a sobering picture of 18-34-year-olds:

😞 Mental health SOS: 61% feel deep financial anxiety, 58% report loneliness and isolation, and 53% battle depression and anxiety — all directly tied to the pandemic

💔 Social fabric unraveling: 51% have lost faith in their country's ability to unite in future crises, signaling rising mistrust and disconnection

👶 Pandemic babies to no babies: 1-in-4 will opt out of parenthood because of the pandemic — with country-specific figures ranging from 21% in the UK to 36% in India

Your move? Brands, policymakers, and communities now have a window of opportunity: transforming generational grievances into growth. How will you champion mental health? Foster authentic social connection? Or support young people navigating adulthood in an uncertain world?

The four-day workweek debate may have peaked in 2022, but the practice is slowly gaining traction:

🇦🇺 2-in-3 workers can now swap public holidays

🇪🇸 The government is reducing the legal workweek to 37.5 hours

🇬🇧 200+ companies have permanently adopted a four-day workweek with no pay cuts, benefiting more than 5,000 employees

According to the 4 Day Week Foundation, many of these firms, especially in tech, marketing and the nonprofit sector, report higher productivity, happier teams and even increased profits. And shorter workweeks align with workers' needs and wants — for the first time, work-life balance now ranks higher than salary in importance (83% vs. 82%, per Workmonitor).

So, could your company take a bold leap? In an era of FOBO (Fear of Becoming Obsolete), could help from AI and smarter perks double your workforce’s impact? Even if a four-day week isn’t in the cards (yet 😉), how can you offer flexibility to show employees you truly value their wellbeing beyond ping-pong tables and free coffee? 🏓☕

As geopolitical tensions intensify following president Trump's return to power, European shoppers are looking to support products from their own continent. Three signals of a larger movement:

⭐️ Danish retail giant Salling Group is introducing a new labeling system across its Bilka, føtex and Netto stores. Starting this month, electronic price tags will feature a small star indicating European-owned brands. The company emphasized that while they will continue to stock products from around the world, the star simply offers "an extra service for customers who wish to buy products from European brands."

🛒 Created on 16 February 2025, the Reddit community r/BuyFromEU already has over 122,000 members dedicated to supporting European-made goods and services. The forum serves as a hub for consumers looking to discover locally produced fashion, technology and food, with solidarity with Ukraine playing a significant role, alongside resistance to the Trump administration's policies.

🚗 Unsurprisingly, given Elon Musk's role in the new US government, the automotive sector is also affected. In January 2025, the Volkswagen ID.4 overtook Tesla's Model Y to become Europe's best-selling electric vehicle, with registrations surging 195%. While part of Tesla's 46% sales drop may be attributed to anticipation of a new model, analysts also point to "the declining popularity of Tesla in Europe overall." European manufacturers are capitalizing on this sentiment, with Volkswagen's ID.7 securing third place and Skoda's Enyaq rounding out the top five best-selling EVs.

The 7th annual CX report from Zendesk is in! A global survey across 22 countries reveals five key trends shaping the AI-powered future of CX:

1️⃣ Autonomous service accelerates: 90% of companies report positive ROI from AI-driven agent tools
2️⃣ Trust in AI depends on personality: 64% of consumers are more comfortable with AI that’s engaging and human-like
3️⃣ Personal AI assistants take the wheel: 67% are eager to hand off customer service tasks to AI
4️⃣ Voice AI is turning up the volume: 51% have interacted with it, 60% want brands to adopt it and 67% believe more natural-sounding AI would enhance experiences
5️⃣ Personalization is the loyalty play: 61% now expect AI-powered, hyper-personalized service

🗣️ Let’s talk Voice AI. Your brand has likely implemented its first text-based LLM — yet 90% of CX business trendsetters say voice-driven interactions are the future. And while Alexa and Siri still fumble, conversational AI is continuously raising consumer expectations. No surprise — people spend hours talking to ChatGPT, sometimes more candidly than with their therapists. A recent study confirms it: lower AI literacy increases receptivity, meaning many engage with AI without hesitation. At this point, LLMs might know more about consumers than most insight teams. 😉

💬 So, forget bots that simply react — voice-based LLMs can initiate, anticipate and engage in real conversations. This shift unlocks vast opportunities, but it also demands responsibility. Trust isn’t just about AI sounding human — it’s about knowing how, where and when to use it. So, where does Voice AI fit into your brand’s consumer journey?

🔊 And just as importantly, where do people still need — and even crave — human interaction to build true human-to-human connections, not bot-to-human ones? With digital-first everything, how can your brand act as a stepping stone to help people bridge the gap between online comfort and face-to-face confidence? 

Screen time limits? Gen Alpha says game over! Gen Alpha is spending 4+ hours a day on mobile devices, and they’re not just scrolling and gaming — they’re shopping. From in-app purchases to BNPL and social commerce, digital spending has become second nature to the youngest consumer cohort. But as screen time surges, so do concerns about digital dependence and unchecked spending. A new Qustodio report, analyzing data from 400,000 households across the US, UK, France, Spain and Australia, reveals how young users (ages 4-18) are reshaping the digital economy:

🎮 Roblox takes two crowns: the most-played and most-blocked app of 2024. Kids now spend an average of 139 minutes per day on Roblox, 9 minutes more than last year. While the platform has introduced more safety measures, its business model still thrives on in-app monetization, with some virtual items hitting jaw-dropping prices — like USD 20K for a necklace. 💎

💰 Gen Alpha isn’t logging off, and brands are cashing in; Alpha’s spending power is set to hit USD 5.5 trillion by 2029. With the oldest Alphas turning 15 in 2025, brands must rethink their strategies — marketing not just to millennial parents but also to pre-teen shoppers migrating from Roblox to TikTok and beyond. These young consumers are shaping the future of commerce, and their loyalty resides in virtual worlds where they can create, play and socialize. And interact with brands like Purina, which promotes virtual pet fostering as part of its engagement strategy. 🐶

💡 As Gen Alpha’s screen time and spending power continue to rise, ask yourself: is your customer journey Gen Alpha-proof? From product discovery to aftercare, how will your brand connect and co-create with Robloxians?

Spring Festival, the holiday period around Chinese New Year, has always been China’s busiest travel season. Millions journey home for family reunions or take advantage of the extended break for leisure trips. In 2025, the festive season saw a record 2.3 billion trips, with travelers collectively spending RMB 677 billion (USD 94 billion) on tourism and leisure. Amidst the holiday surge, savvy travelers looking to avoid peak season hotel costs are turning towards a community-driven, wallet-friendly alternative: house-swapping.

The movement started as an informal social exchange on Xiaohongshu (Red Note) and first gained traction around Spring Festival last year. Since then, new platforms have cropped up to serve as formal marketplaces, such as the House Exchange App (换房APP) or House Swap Travel (换房旅游). Users can upload or browse listings, chat with potential swap partners, pay safety deposits and finalize agreements via the app. The platforms also provide a safety net by vetting all users through identity verification, property certificates and facial recognition.

House swapping isn’t a new concept, of course, but it’s enjoying a surge in popularity. HomeExchange, the biggest industry player globally, reported a 51% membership growth in 2024. Drivers for that growth? Hotels from Shanghai to San Francisco increasingly look the same while prices continue to climb in response to heightened demand. Meanwhile, influencers tout the same handful of TikTok-viral, must-go spots. In response, travelers looking to save money while searching for more authentic travel experiences are turning to local communities for unfiltered alternatives.

Beyond the obvious economic benefits, there’s a sense of adventure in connecting with a stranger to swap homes and exchange local tips, a direct antithesis to the algorithmic experience of booking yet another hotel chain and scrolling social media for travel recommendations. Some Chinese house-swapping platforms are gamifying the process, too. Good community behavior — such as maintaining a detailed listing or uploading local tips — is incentivized through platform currencies that can be used to offset the cost of future bookings.

Could your brand benefit from fostering a barter community? Which segment of your audience would be most eager to join?

From London to Istanbul to Sydney, rents are skyrocketing while homeownership drifts further out of reach. For most Gen Z and Millennials, buying a first home remains a distant dream. A recent Zillow report confirms the struggle: single-family home rents in the US are up 41% since pre-pandemic times, while multifamily rents have jumped 26%.

Ipsos' latest Housing Monitor provides a deep dive into global sentiment across 30 countries:

📉 71% of respondents believe that even with hard work and good jobs, young people today will struggle to find suitable housing

🏠 70% of under-35s say it's harder for their generation to buy or rent a home than it was for their parents, though 64% of older respondents (60-74) also find it's more challenging to buy a home than before, showing it's a cross-generational concern

📈 67% expect house prices to climb in the next year, and 71% predict rising rents

💸 37% already worry about making rent or mortgage payments (rising to 57% in Turkey), and nearly the same number fear affordability will worsen over the next year

It's time to ditch outdated stereotypes. Younger generations don't just crave freedom and flexibility; they want stability and security, too. Which milestones are your youthful stakeholders chasing? Whether it's a sabbatical or a starter home, how could you help them get there?

From tokenized homeownership and intergenerational co-living to financial literacy boosts — there's room for innovation. Will your brand be part of the solution?

AI is disrupting everything, but in the rush to automate, brands risk losing their human touch. Enter HUMANIFESTO — a new wave of authenticity pushing back against AI-generated polish. Not the carefully curated ‘realness’ of the past decade, but something raw, messy and unmistakably human. Because in a world of machine-made content, what stands out is what AI can’t replicate.

VML’s recently published The Future 100: 2025 backs this up: 82% of global consumers prefer advertising that’s humble, while 37% crave more fun and laughter (compared to just 23% who seek excitement). True humor thrives in shared experiences and cultural nuance — a territory where AI still can’t compete. Case in point: AI-generated ads tried to steal the show during the Super Bowl 🏈, yet all anyone’s talking about is Kendrick Lamar’s halftime performance. 🎤

As synthetic content floods digital feeds, brands face a defining moment: how will you prove that real still matters? Beyond campaigns and content, how will your brand verify and value authentic human interaction?

GlobeScan's The Road to 2025 surveyed 30,000+ consumers across 31 markets, mapping their sustainability mindsets. Turns out, not everyone is on the same eco journey. The study segments consumers into four distinct groups — let’s break them down:

🔵 Anxious Inactives (28%): They care about the planet but feel powerless, stuck in a loop of eco-guilt and inaction.
🇩🇪 Could your brand make sustainability feel effortless? Consider Puma’s podcast series, helping young consumers navigate green choices with less anxiety.

🟠 Indifferents (27%): Sustainability? Meh. They’re not engaged unless there’s a clear what’s-in-it-for-me factor.
🇸🇬 Hook them with incentives — like FairPrice x HPB’s in-app rewards for healthier purchases.

🟢 Enthusiasts (23%): Eco-warriors on a mission, slightly overrepresented in emerging markets. They actively seek out sustainable solutions.
🇬🇧 Give them the tools to level up. Take cues from Zero’s banking app, which breaks down spending’s environmental impact.

🟣 Minimalists (22%): Less is more. Minimalists prioritize reducing consumption and favor mindful living, particularly in Europe and North America.
🇳🇱 Show them less stuff, more impact — like Dutch plant retailer Sprinklr’s extra days off for employees who skip flights.

💡 Your takeaway? Sustainable behaviors aren’t one-size-fits-all. Brands need to tailor their approach to match these distinct mindsets. Could you segment your customers the same way?

🎯 Extra challenge? 20% still think healthy living means self-denial and 23% say the same about sustainability. Time to flip the script! Sustainability isn’t about sacrifice — it’s about joy, purpose, community and even saving money. Could your brand make green living feel like the ultimate life upgrade? 🌱✨