TrendWatching | MakeShift

Edition #20 | Your weekly inspiration fix • 19 - 25 October 2023

INTRO

Embracing care: brands champion the wellbeing of their consumers

We know 2023 has had its fair share of challenges. So our last MakeShift of the year is here to shine a spotlight on brands who champion care and healing – think inclusive cloud-shaped swings, light-hearted interventions for older adults, and activations bringing much-needed care to refugees. Read on to explore our top picks designed to enhance the physical, emotional and communal wellbeing of your consumers.

Dive into the mega-trend: Age of Healing

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INNOVATION

🇨🇦 Future Chicken show helps kids battle eco-anxiety by becoming planet protectors

As the world's leaders prepped for COP28, a thematically related, animated show premiered on CBC Kids. Developed by Star Wars veteran Catherine Winder, Future Chicken stars a time-traveling eco-superhero chicken called Potato.. Read more

INNOVATION

🇺🇸 Cloud-shaped swing set provides communal joy for all, with and without wheelchairs

Encircled by trees in a park clearing, Cloud Swing is a lofty blue structure with a cloud-shaped canopy constructed from over 100 feet of curved steel pipe. Suspended from the canopy are five… Read more

INNOVATION

🇬🇧 Nurofen's Pain Pass offers women a practical tool for coping with healthcare's gender bias

Last year, Nurofen published its first Gender Pain Gap Index Report. The pain-relief brand has now released a follow-up, which found "less than half of women surveyed receive a diagnosis for their pain… Read more

TREND

AWESCAPES: Solace-seeking city-dwellers find wonder in the outdoors

Offering a peek at our 2024 Trend Report (an Amplify exclusive) – here’s AWESCAPES, a trend detailing how consumers are seeking solace through wonder.

Largely ignored until the early 2000s, awe is now a cutting-edge research subject within emotional psychology, and scientists continue to uncover its benefits. The feeling can make people kinder, quieten their inner critic, help them get out of their head, discover their place in the world and improve their emotional resilience. No wonder almost half (49%) of consumers globally say they want more awe in their lives.

In 2024, just spending time outdoors won't cut it. Yearning for experiences that transcend daily life, people will seek out AWESCAPES. Whether through disruptive green encounters or monumental installations, can you bring consumers closer to those moments of wonder that energize and rejuvenate?

Dive into our 2024 Trend Report for the full scoop 😉

INSIGHT

Tapping into play to promote better aging

By 2024, the over-65 age group in Europe will surpass the under-15 population, echoing a broader global shift. With dementia, diabetes, cholesterol and arthritis on the rise among older adults, the need for preventative care during the transition to middle and old age is evident.

When it comes to aging better, play could be a powerful ally. Consider this multilingual game that helps to fend off dementia or this recipe book that turns cooking into arthritis therapy. Or, taking the concept literally, a playground bench that slows down muscle loss.

Some studies have shown that seniors feel younger when they have a sense of control, including autonomy over their own wellbeing. Regardless of industry, could you use play to help seniors reclaim their health independence?

THOUGHT STARTER

Trend Check: Your opportunity checklist

With 61% of global consumers feeling the pinch of healthcare costs, brands irrespective of sector can tackle health challenges head on. Our 2024 Trend Check explores cross-industry actions solving consumers’ most pressing issues.

Read the full 2024 Trend Check here

INSIGHT

2023 by numbers: Delulu is the Solulu

The #delulu movement (celebrating being ‘intentionally delusional’) has over 5.7 billion views on TikTok. The practice of setting unrealistic expectations with the confidence that you will achieve them (aka #delulu) is gen Z's humorous attempt to push back against insecurity and social pressures to perform.

Co-opted from K-pop slang, the term was the 2023 buzzword among TikTokers looking to project confidence. The idea that 'delulu is the solulu' might not last into 2024, but the broader themes of self-belief and manifestation will continue to resonate with anxious young people. Can you develop messaging that inspires gen Z to set and achieve ambitious goals?

INSIGHT

Home away from home: brands at the forefront of refugee wellbeing

In the face of unprecedented migration, brands are extending a helping hand to those who need it most. In a first for UK banks, HSBC is now offering credit cards to migrants and refugees without a formal credit history, bringing back dignity and financial inclusion. While Nike, in collaboration with the Olympic Refuge Foundation, is creating opportunities for displaced athletes to find community in the world of sports.

Beyond access, there’s an opportunity to help refugees connect with new communities by celebrating their unique cultures. In July, Ben and Jerry’s launched Sunny Honey Home flavors in the UK, inspired by the rich heritage of North Africa and the Middle East, with proceeds dedicated to funding refugee-led startups. How can you forge connections between refugees and their host communities and promote intercultural understanding?

INNOVATION

🇨🇭 New phone by Punkt offers mindful connectivity (it also defends privacy and tracks carbon)

For better and worse, smartphones permeate our lives. The new Punkt MC02 aims to do the opposite, emphasizing mindful usage instead. Unlike typical phones that inundate users with notifications and distractions… Read more

INNOVATION

🇺🇸 One more hour? Dating app Hinge allocates USD 1M to tackle loneliness

Dating app Hinge is moving beyond the romantic realm to address a critical social issue: the gen Z loneliness epidemic. Launching its new One More Hour initiative with a USD 1 million fund… Read more

Talk to us

Be sure to ping our editor, Galina Yordanov, if you're working on something we should feature on MakeShift.

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