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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?

In a powerful reimagining of historically exploitative industries, Memphis-based coffee company Cxffeeblack and sustainable textile brand COMOCO Cotton have joined forces to create a limited-edition t-shirt that transforms cotton and coffee into vehicles for Black economic empowerment. The God Don't Make No Junk t-shirt combines COMOCO's cotton, grown by Black farmers, with natural dyes made from Cxffeeblack's Ethiopian-sourced Guji Mane coffee.

The partnership brings together two organizations working to reshape their respective industries from the ground up. COMOCO Cotton operates within a 150-mile radius for its entire production process, from farm to finished garment, boosting the local economy while drastically reducing energy consumption. Meanwhile, Cxffeeblack established the first entirely Black coffee supply chain from Ethiopia to Tennessee and runs educational initiatives like a barista exchange program between Africa and the United States.

"Cotton and coffee built global economies on Black labor. It's time for them to build Black futures," says Stephen Satterfield, founder of COMOCO Cotton and host of Netflix's High on the Hog. The project aims to demonstrate how Black creatives can reclaim supply chains and reshape industries through ownership and cultural autonomy. The t-shirts are available for preorder now and are priced at USD 85, which includes a small bag of Guji Mane coffee and a free download of the Cxffee Makes You Black album.

A new party concept in Montreal is reimagining nightlife by moving it to the morning hours, blending coffee culture with dance music. Croissound, launching this week, transforms local cafes into daytime dance venues where DJs spin tracks from 11 AM to 2 PM, taking inspiration from similar parties in Los Angeles and other cities.

The format represents a significant shift in how people engage with music and club culture. By hosting events in neighborhood cafes rather than traditional nightlife venues, Croissound wants to create an accessible and inclusive atmosphere while spotlighting local DJs and hidden-gem venues. 

The concept taps into people's changing attitudes towards alcohol-centric socializing, driven by health consciousness, budgetary constraints and after-dark safety concerns. Habits are evolving, and more consumers — particularly Gen Z — are seeking alternatives to late-night partying. The first Croissound event will take place on 22 February 2025 at Cass Café, with its organizers using a pop-up model to explore cafe spaces across Montreal.

While it may seem like social media is dominated by filtered reality and AI-generated perfection, Avène and We Are Social tapped into a cultural counter-shift to promote a new product promising to reduce pimples by 92% in two weeks. The brand invited people to test its Cleanance Comedomed Peeling for 15 days and post daily selfies on BeReal, where filters aren't an option. The result? A transparent and real-time demonstration of the peeling's effectiveness.

But #TheRealestAd did more than showcase a product. By documenting real skin transformations on real people, Avène acknowledges that Gen Z's skepticism of traditional beauty advertising isn't just about mistrusting overhyped claims; it's also rooted in a fundamental desire to reclaim human authenticity in digital spaces.

Teens face unprecedented pressure to maintain impossible standards and feel compelled to present an idealized version of themselves online. By choosing BeReal as its platform, Avène demonstrates brands can move beyond surface-level authenticity pledges to celebrate being perfectly imperfect in an increasingly artificial world.

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?

Monks and nuns from the Central Monastic Body of Bhutan will soon be able to explore their religion with BuddhaBot Plus. Trained on ancient texts, the generative AI chatbot is designed to disseminate Buddhist teachings through a modern yet faithful interpretation. Created by a team from Kyoto University and Japanese start-up Teraverse, BuddhaBot Plus was previously only available in Japanese. The English version was developed at the request of the Bhutanese government and will be rolled out in a pilot to 200 monastic individuals who will share feedback for improvements and help shape usage guidelines.

First announced in February 2025, the initial trial will last six months. A full roll-out to monastic Bhutans is expected by 2027. Depending on the trial results, the Bhutanese government will consider further expanding access to all citizens. The initiative could help modernize and democratize access to Buddhist teachings, combating a declining interest in the faith, especially among younger generations.

BuddhaBot's creators also aim to expand the chatbot's use beyond religious teachings into other fields of thought, including philosophy, economics and management. The team plans to start by developing interactive avatars of historical philosophers and saints, offering a more intuitive way to explore human history and collective knowledge. Time to consider how your brand could use generative AI to help people tap into age-old teachings and apply them to their modern lifestyles?

Beyond knowledge sharing, BuddhaBot and similar projects could pave the way for broader applications of generative AI in facilitating discourse between groups of different — and opposing — views. Initial studies have shown that a personalized chatbot is more likely to change someone's mind than another human is.

Addressing growing concerns about mobile device theft, telecommunications provider TIM has developed a wearable security device that automatically locks smartphones when they're separated from their owners. The TIM Block Pin, which debuted last month at the Salvador Summer Festival, adds a layer of protection for festivalgoers.

Users attach the pin to their clothing and use a free app to connect it to their smartphone. If the pin and phone are separated by a distance of 10 meters or more, the app triggers an automatic screen lock and sounds an alarm to help the owner locate their phone. TIM is a major sponsor of the Salvador festival and introduced the technology to its 40,000 attendees via QR code-based contests at one of the brand's festival booths. The company plans to expand the program during this month's Carnival celebrations, with Brazilian singer Ivete Sangalo supporting the rollout. 

Given TIM's sponsorship of music events, festivals are a natural fit. But there's plenty of opportunities for brands in other spaces, too. Airlines could offer frequent flyers a smart wristband that ensures a phone or tablet is locked if separated from its traveling owner. High-end fashion retailers could add a pin to newly purchased clothing to prevent shoppers from leaving their haul in a cab or café. One to launch for the crowded environments your audience frequents?

Located less than a mile from the Joshua Tree Visitor Center, Rivian's new charging station goes well beyond basic infrastructure. While drivers wait for their vehicles to charge, they can lounge in hammocks, let their children explore a climbing wall, or stroll around an outdoor museum to learn about the local desert landscape. The site also includes a zero-waste food initiative and a gear repair station, aligning with the outdoor lifestyle Rivian champions. 

Unlike its other fast-charging sites, the Joshua Tree Charging Outpost is Rivian's first to be compatible with other EV brands, too, with connectors available for vehicles using the North American Charging Standard. While charging and complimentary coffee are available to all, Rivian drivers are entitled to extra perks. For example, restrooms are open to the public from 7 am–7 pm, but Rivian owners get after-hours access with a code found in the brand's app.

The strategic placement near national parks — earlier in 2024, Rivian opened an outpost in Yosemite — makes sense. This isn't just about serving Rivian's own adventure-seeking customer base. Memorable charging stations are fast becoming an essential investment for electric vehicle manufacturers as competition in the market heats up. After all, charging time is a prime opportunity to showcase your brand and its values to a broader audience of EV drivers, including those eager to shift away from other, less purpose-driven makers ;-)

Sports Illustrated and Dove are rewriting the narrative of athletic representation with Sports reIllustrated. It's a special edition that puts young female athletes in the spotlight, including 10-year-old wrestler Honor Smoke as the youngest cover athlete in the magazine's history. The initiative tackles a sobering reality: 48% of girls abandon sports after being told they have the 'wrong' body type. Through vivid profiles of ten diverse young athletes, from basketball players to para-athletes, the special edition aims to expand the visual narrative of what athletes look like.

This collaboration extends beyond the printed page, linking to Dove's Body Confident Sport program, a scientifically-backed coaching tool for girls aged 11–17. With backing from athletes like Billie Jean King, Venus Williams and Sabrina Ionescu, the initiative bridges the gap between media representation and practical support. Sports reIllustrated launched strategically ahead of the Super Bowl, appearing online on 3 February 2025 and as a dedicated section in Sports Illustrated's March 2025 issue.

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?

Fusing a design icon, classical literature and modern technology, BIC Brazil found an ingenious way to showcase the iconic Cristal ballpoint's durability. To celebrate the pen's 75th anniversary, the French manufacturer used a robotic arm to transcribe the entirety of Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet using just one Cristal. The arm wrote for 63 continuous hours and still had ink to spare.

Based on the sole surviving manuscript in Shakespeare's handwriting, BIC's team used AI to analyze the script and create over 20 versions of the bard's scrawl before landing on an authentic representation. The resulting work, a 212-page book, was donated to the Real Gabinete Português de Leitura in Rio de Janeiro.

By transcribing one of the world's most enduring love stories with its equally enduring pen, BIC makes a compelling case for the Cristal's legacy. Besides reminding viewers of how good blue ink looks on paper, the experiment explores the role of automation in creative processes — particularly relevant as businesses navigate the balance between embracing advancements in AI and maintaining a human touch.

Brazilian beauty giant Grupo Boticário has unveiled an AI-powered lipstick application device that reimagines beauty accessibility for people with motor and visual impairments. The Smart Lipstick prototype was developed through a seven-year collaboration with CESAR Innovation Hub. It combines computer vision and robotics to apply lipstick precisely in two minutes. The system photographs the user's face, maps their lips using AI and guides a robotic arm to apply the product — transforming what was once a challenging daily task into a moment of independence and self-expression.

This innovation arrives as beauty brands face mounting pressure to embrace genuine inclusivity, with research showing that truly inclusive brands grow 1.5 times faster than their peers. Beyond the technical achievement, Smart Lipstick represents a shift in how the industry approaches product design for diverse needs, offering a fresh perspective on how AI can enhance personal care routines. Currently being showcased in select Brazilian stores, this fusion of beauty and technology signals a future where feeling confident and looking your best isn't limited by physical abilities.

While most advertisers seek out billboards with unobstructed sightlines, India-based food products company Britannia recently did the opposite, installing units that had to adapt to the shape of surrounding trees — like puzzle pieces instead of standard rectangles. Launched in January 2025 across four Indian cities, the Nature Shapes Britannia campaign aims to convey that the company is adapting to nature’s needs. Each biodegradable billboard highlights key sustainability efforts, including ‘plastic neutrality’ and water stewardship, with typography and layouts bending to the natural contours of adjacent greenery.

The creative and media agencies behind the initiative specifically identified billboards obstructed by trees and designed creative assets based on each site’s tree growth patterns. The unexpected shapes and designs of the displays elicited initial confusion among consumers (and often humorous social media responses), which gave way to positive commentary about adapting corporate practices to the environment. Of course, sustainability advertising often risks veering into greenwashing territory. Creative billboards, however green their message, don’t guarantee a brand is living up to its sustainability claims. Britannia acknowledges, “We’ve made strides, but the journey isn’t over.”

Besides broadcasting its own efforts, the company’s campaign serves to spark a shift in consumer perspective about the natural world’s status and significance. It builds on a growing theme of personifying nature, highlighting that the planet’s needs are as important as those of humans. Last September, three Pacific island nations submitted a proposal to recognize ecocide as a crime alongside genocide, while New Zealand just granted personhood to Mount Tanaraki. Which poses a bigger question for everyone — instead of forcing nature to give way to human progress, what if built environments and human activities were designed to conform to nature?

Second-hand marketplace Vinted is taking an innovative approach to data storytelling with its new Re~invinted campaign, revealing behavioral patterns among its community of buyers and sellers. Based on data collected between December 2023 and December 2024, the brand maps out 32 distinct personas found among the millions of users of its pre-loved fashion platform, from savvy 'Negotiators' to nostalgia-seeking 'Retroholics.'

Re~invinted transforms previously undisclosed platform data into engaging insights, such as the peak hours for price negotiations (6 pm to 9 pm) and the fact that 19% of all transactions begin with a direct message. At the heart of the campaign is an interactive quiz that matches visitors with their pre-loved personalities, along with relevant data points. Underscoring those diverse motivations and buying habits challenges traditional perceptions of who uses second-hand platforms, and how. Re~invinted is rolling out across four European markets.

Drawing inspiration from how ants detect CO2 to locate food and bees sense temperature changes to maintain their hives, a new wearable system translates invisible signals from natural ecosystems into a sensory experience for humans, offering a novel way to understand and monitor our natural surroundings.

The Gaia Communication System (GCS) uses an array of sensors to detect plant health, has bioacoustic sensors to capture communications from creatures and additional sensors monitoring water quality, air composition and soil conditions. This data is converted into vibrations felt through a wearable vest and gloves, accompanied by LED visualizations that provide the wearer with an intuitive, physical understanding of an ecosystem's vitality.

As Earth faces its sixth mass extinction, with vertebrate populations declining by 69% since 1970, the GCS represents a new approach to rebuilding people's connection with nature. By allowing users to physically experience environmental transformations, the system could help drive more informed decision-making around ecosystem preservation. While initially conceived as a field research tool for architects, the system is equally applicable in urban planning and environmental policy. Next up: a commercially available version for consumers?