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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.

Ten architects and designers have created a striking collection of funeral urns for Alessi's The Last Pot exhibition at Milan Design Week. The project, curated by Alberto Alessi, explores the funeral urn as a final container — an object surprisingly overlooked by the design world despite its significance.

The show includes contributions from David Chipperfield, Daniel Libeskind, Audrey Large and Philippe Starck. Vienna-based EOOS Design contributed Totem, designing metal urns in two sizes, smaller for pets and larger for humans, which can be stacked to create "a totem that represents families, clans, or tribes." Hangzhou's Mario Tsai Studio created something resembling a heavy book, for storing on a shelf or keeping out on a coffee table. One segment of Tsai's urn holds ashes; the other, revealed when the 'book' is opened, has room for photos or letters.

The Last Pot reflects broader societal shifts toward death positivity — a movement seeking to normalize discussions around mortality and reclaim death as a personal, cultural and aesthetic experience. It aligns with other innovations in the death care industry, from human composting to dissolving urns and mycelium coffins, as designers increasingly apply their skills to personalize and bring meaning to the end of life. As people seek alternatives to traditional funeral practices, opportunities arise to transform objects of mourning into vessels of memory and identity.

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 bubble 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?

Healthcare provider Akido Labs is bringing AI-powered medical care directly to New York City's busy ride-share drivers, addressing a critical gap in access for gig workers who often skip seeing a doctor to avoid losing income. The Los Angeles-based company will deploy its ScopeAI technology, which suggests diagnoses and treatments based on patients' symptoms and medical histories, with human doctors reviewing and making final decisions. The Wall Street Journal reports that Akido trained its model with historical data gathered from actual patient visits.

Partnering with the Independent Drivers Guild and Workers Benefit Fund, Akido plans to position employees equipped with ScopeAI in strategic locations throughout New York. Appointments facilitated by the technology typically last 30-45 minutes, with certified medical assistants gathering patient information prompted by the AI system. The initiative aims to deliver "whole person care" addressing physical, behavioral and social health factors for drivers whose demanding schedules — often exceeding 10 hours a day — make traditional healthcare access challenging.

The risks associated with integrating AI in healthcare shouldn't be overlooked, especially as technological developments outpace regulatory changes. Unrepresentative training data can perpetuate health inequities and lead to risk miscalculations, and privacy concerns loom large as extensive data collection borders on bio-surveillance. That said, patients are becoming more comfortable with AI-powered decision-making if paired with human oversight. Predictive models have the potential to make healthcare more personalized, efficient and scalable, while delivering the convenience consumers have come to expect in every industry.

An unusual bookstore just opened its doors in Naples — one that emphatically places emotions at the center of the literary experience. Luce, Italy's first 'emotional bookstore,' invites visitors to explore books through the lens of feelings rather than traditional genre classifications, creating a deliberate counterpoint to hardening cultural forces.

Founded by Neapolitan author Lorenzo Marone and family mediator Roberta Nicodemo, the 'libreria emotiva' organizes books based on four primary emotions: joy, anger, sadness and anxiety. The bookstore emerges at a moment when anti-feminist rhetoric and segments of the manosphere championing emotional detachment have gained prominence and power. In contrast, Luce deliberately reclaims and celebrates qualities traditionally dismissed as feminine weaknesses — emotional intelligence, vulnerability and empathy — repositioning them as essential strengths and catalysts for social connection and social change.

The 100-square-meter space, which opened on 30 March 2025, aims to be "a light in the emotional and empathic void," explicitly championing women's voices and perspectives. "Luce seeks to recall the illuminating strength of women, giving space to their determination and view of the world," explains Marone. Beyond selling books, the venue hosts workshops on emotional literacy and critical thinking, transforming reading into what the founders describe as an act of resistance.

At its Alfafar store in Valencia, Spain, IKEA has launched a community-focused initiative providing free retail space to nine local businesses devastated by last October's catastrophic floods. The program, called "La meua llar és la teua" (My home is your home), enables entrepreneurs to reconnect with customers while their original premises are under reconstruction and repairs.

Among the businesses finding temporary shelter at IKEA are a bookstore, a fashion boutique, a plant shop and a beauty salon. Participants were selected by Nittúa, a Valencia-based platform for socioeconomic innovation. As reported by Europa Press, the initiative represents a lifeline for struggling entrepreneurs like Cristian, CEO of workwear retailer Worket: "The flood took away our store and left us in uncertainty. Today, we have the opportunity to resume our activity in IKEA's space. This isn't just a place to sell — it's the hope of starting over."

For IKEA store director Diana Carrero, the program embodies solidarity in challenging times: "We're convinced that unity creates strength, which has become even more irrefutable after the past months." The collaborative approach not only helps flood-affected businesses survive but demonstrates how large retailers can leverage their resources to support local economic recovery following a crisis.

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?

Last week, in a striking visual statement on representation in literature, Amazon Brazil transformed the Memorial of Latin America Library, emptying shelves to showcase only works by Black authors. The installation, coinciding with the International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination, highlighted the stark underrepresentation of Black voices in Brazil's literary landscape.

The campaign connects to a broader initiative by Amazon, the Kindle Black Voices Prize (Prêmio Kindle Vozes Negras), which recognizes independent Black authors publishing through Kindle Direct Publishing. The competition, open for submissions until 6 April 2025, offers winners cash prizes as well as publication deals with Companhia das Letras, plus audiobook conversion through Audible Brazil. 

Amazon's library installation turns the underrepresentation of Black voices into a visceral, tangible experience. It's not just about highlighting the issue; it's about making people feel and grasp the absence of writing by authors who have been systemically sidelined. That said, Amazon's initiative also raises questions about who controls the future of Black literature. True progress will come when diverse voices are wholeheartedly embedded into the publishing ecosystem — without needing corporate allyship to bring attention to their existence.

While agencies and brands across industries debate whether to use AI influencers or actual people in their campaigns and product shoots, Amsterdam-based Moederannecasting offers a third option: AI-generated versions of human models. The casting agency's new initiative, DigiAnne, creates digital twins of IRL models to address one of the most persistent problems in generative AI: authentic representation of distinctive individuals.

The technical limitations of generative AI become apparent whenever brands attempt to create diverse imagery. "Gen-AI is notoriously poor at prompting people with unique features. This is not because it is unwilling; it is because it wasn't trained on the right data," explains DigiAnne. Meanwhile, consumers are growing weary of homogenized beauty standards perpetuated by algorithms and AI. DigiAnne aims to break through the blandness.

The joint initiative between Moederannecasting and Aigency Amsterdam invites models to sign up to have their digital twin constructed. AI is trained on photos that capture their distinct features and individuality, and a contract ensures their rights and earnings are safeguarded. Clients can then browse those digital twins, select individuals who fit their campaign needs and receive customized AI-generated content featuring the hybrid models — allowing them to maintain authenticity and behave ethically while benefiting from AI's efficiency.

Research shows that most shoppers are more likely to buy from brands that make efforts to represent people like themselves — not algorithmic approximations. By training its AI tools on real, diverse individuals, DigiAnne taps into that consumer expectation. One to try out for your next campaign?

Since the 1970s, 'No Ball Games' signs have quietly shaped city life in London, restricting play and movement in public spaces. But a new initiative, More Ball Games — launched by London Sport and ad agency Saatchi & Saatchi — seeks to change that. By removing the outdated constraints, the campaign aims to unlock access to free, active spaces, particularly for children in lower-income communities, where over half fail to meet recommended activity levels. The campaign kicked off by attaching a basketball hoop to one of the estimated 7,000 signs.

The initiative addresses a troubling reality: more than half of young Londoners fail to meet recommended activity levels, with children from lower-income communities disproportionately affected by restricted access to spaces for play and movement. Research reveals that each removed 'No Ball Games' sign could benefit approximately 80 children, allowing them to be more active outside. The campaign frames this as not merely about promoting sport, but about dismantling both individual and systemic obstacles to physical activity.

While urban infrastructure projects often take decades to implement, removing these prohibitive signs represents a low-cost and immediate intervention to boost community health and cohesion. Beyond supporting physical health, the campaign acknowledges the vital role of play in childhood development, community building and neighborhood connectivity. By reimagining public spaces and challenging archaic regulations, the initiative aims to spark a cultural shift that prioritizes movement and play as essential components of public wellbeing.

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?

Paris's iconic Le Bon Marché Rive Gauche has transformed into a high-end playground for dog lovers with its new store-wide event, "Je t'aime comme un chien!" Running through 20 April 2025, the luxury department store is celebrating canine companions with a comprehensive program that reflects the growing cultural significance of dogs — "nos amis à 4 pattes, icônes de la pop-culture."

The elaborate installation reimagines the store's architecture through a dog-lover's lens, with giant bone sculptures adorning escalators, colorful panoramas lining the aisles, and stylized dog houses replacing traditional display cases. Beyond the visual spectacle, the event features a range of interactive experiences, including dog yoga sessions led by certified "doga" instructor Andreea Sembely, pet grooming conversations with professional Fatima Veliz, and creative workshops where visitors can make personalized dog toys from upcycled fabric scraps. Author Mylène Bertaux will also be present to sign copies of her book "Toutoute: La nouvelle place des chiens dans nos vies."

This canine celebration is more than just a themed retail moment — it represents the luxury market's growing recognition of pet owners as a lucrative consumer segment. With dedicated spaces like Alpha Dogs House offering specialized grooming services and the canine magazine Bâtard establishing a café within the store, Le Bon Marché demonstrates how high-end retailers are adapting to consumer priorities. Around 40-50% of high-net-worth individuals across major markets are pet owners, creating significant opportunities for (luxury) brands to develop premium pet-focused offerings that merge fashion, wellness and pet care.

For the launch of its ToRiKo Touch lipstick, Japanese cosmetics brand KissMe Ferme is turning down the lights. The brand has created a temporary "lipstick in the dark" store, where customers are invited to step into a dimmed room with private, veiled-off spaces and apply the new product. It's a deliberate design choice that encourages visitors to focus entirely on the tactile experience — the smoothness, texture and scent of the lipstick — rather than its visual appearance.

The experiential, sensory concept stands in stark contrast to a crowded Sephora or brightly lit department store counter. By removing visual distractions and creating a quiet, intimate atmosphere, KissMe Ferme heightens customers' awareness of the product's key selling point: its exceptionally smooth feel. The lipstick features an innovative layered micro-structure and emollient oils, creating what the brand describes as a "captivatingly smooth and blissful application."

The activation leverages the psychology of sensory focus — when one sense is diminished, others become more acute — and highlights how multisensory environments can be used to produce memorable customer experiences. By encouraging shoppers to "surrender to the dimly lit, quiet space" and "direct all consciousness to the lips," KissMe Ferme is betting that an emotional, sensory connection with the product will resonate more deeply than any traditional campaign could.