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Major bicycle and components brand Specialized is marking its 50th anniversary with an ambitious initiative to get one million bikes back on the road by the end of 2025, regardless of brand. The program, dubbed Reduce, Reuse, ReSpecialized, kicked off with a day of free basic repairs on 26 October 2024, targeting common issues like flat tires and squeaky chains that often relegate bikes to garage storage.

The impact could be significant: if each repaired bike sees moderate weekly use with bike rides replacing car trips, Specialized estimates the initiative will reduce carbon emissions by 438 million kg. That’s equivalent to planting over 7 million trees. As Specialized puts it, it’s time to Pedal the Planet Forward. Additionally, screen time would be cut by 66.6 million hours — the brand focuses on cycling’s cognitive and emotional benefits for kids through its Outride program.

Beyond environmental and mental health advantages, there’s a compelling business angle, too. After a failed experiment with low-quality bikes in the late ’90s, Specialized embraced an innovate-or-die philosophy prioritizing rider experience. ReSpecialized reinforces that ethos while addressing growing consumer demand for sustainability and product longevity. It’s a strategic move that positions Specialized as an industry leader in (semi) circular economy practices while driving foot traffic to retail partners who may gain new customers through the program.

A new certification program is challenging technology companies to prioritize wellbeing by designing products that minimize distraction. Calm Tech Certified evaluates products against principles for creating more mindful technology experiences, and describes itself as “the world’s first standard for attention and technology.”

The certification’s inaugural class includes four products demonstrating how calm technology principles can be applied across different categories. Airthings View Plus, for example, is an air quality monitor that communicates complex data via a minimal and unobtrusive display, while Daylight’s DC-1 is a tablet designed to protect users’ focus and circadian rhythms.

The program arrives as concerns about technology’s impact on mental health continue to mount. For brands, certification offers a way to differentiate their products in an increasingly crowded marketplace. Early results from certified products show promise: the Unpluq Tag, a tool that blocks apps on a user’s phone with a physical key, reports that over 50% of customers remain engaged after one year, with average daily screen time reduced by 1 hour and 22 minutes.

Whether or not your company will be pursuing Calm Tech certification, it’s worth exploring how its principles can be applied to your products.

Last week, Kim Kardashian went viral playing rock-paper-scissors with Tesla’s Optimus robot and posing with Optimus and Cybercab, Tesla’s (very delayed) robotaxi. Beyond the buzz lies a pressing question for brands: when will your customers welcome humanoid robots as their personal assistants and 24/7 servants?

Gartner predicts poly-functional robots as one of its top 10 strategic tech trends for 2025, forecasting that by 2030, 80% of people will engage with smart robots daily, up from less than 10% today. Translation? The robotic revolution may not dominate 2025, but in five years, humanoid workers might just be indispensable.

Consumers are already warming up to AI for daily chores: admin, communication and even shopping. It’s time to prepare for the rise of robots that can truly lighten the load, from multi-talented humanoids that whip up waffles and feed pets to 2025-ready products like stress-relieving pet robot Moflin and AI-powered mobility-assisting pants MO/GO.

Launched this week, Deep Rising’s The World’s Largest Ocean Dispute is raising awareness about deep-sea mining, specifically in the Clarion-Clipperton Zone (CCZ). Spanning 4.5 million square kilometers in the Pacific Ocean, roughly eight times the size of France, the zone is estimated to hold over 21 billion dry tons of critical minerals like copper, nickel, cobalt and manganese — essential components for low-carbon tech like solar panels and EV batteries.

Companies are racing to convert the zone into the world’s largest mining site, but the planetary cost could be steep. In addition to being a critical carbon sink, the deep seabed is also the most expansive habitat for life on Earth. A 2023 study found that the CCZ alone is home to over 5,000 species not previously known to science, and deep-sea mining has been shown to shrink underwater life density by up to 56%. Inviting global citizens to take a stand against corporate lobbying, Deep Rising has divided the CCZ seabed into 8.17 billion GPS coordinates, representing the number of people on the planet, and invites each person to claim a coordinate to protect.

Every participant will be issued a unique DEEPSEA NFT stamped with the GPS coordinates they’ve claimed. Available in 90 languages, the NFTs feature depictions of deep sea creatures and are designed to be shared on social media. Notably, they’re offered at no cost. Users are sent a blockchain transaction verifying their claim, but a smart contract ensures the NFT can’t be transferred or speculated with. “Just as you wouldn’t share or sell your passport, this Birthright Certificate is yours alone.”

The CCZ is designated as a UN site of ‘common heritage of humankind’ to be held in trust for future generations. It’s meant to belong to all humans, not a property that private corporations can call dibs over. Leveraging web3’s principles of decentralization, Deep Rising’s NFTs allow people to stake their claim to this collective ownership — and collective responsibility. Whether that impacts the actions of corporations remains to be seen, but it’s a powerful message and reminder of our shared stewardship of the planet. The campaign is a pro-bono effort between Australian creative agency Emotive and the makers of the documentary Deep Rising, directed by Matthieu Rytz and narrated by Jason Momoa.

Men’s care brand Harry’s is leveling up mental health access with Talk Squad, an initiative blending therapy with gaming. In collaboration with mental health service Shout, Talk Squad offers UK gamers free and confidential counseling sessions while they play Fall Guys, Apex Legends or Halo. All they need to do is fill out a Google form to book a 1-on-1 session with a qualified Shout clinician, during which they’re invited to talk about anything that’s bothering them.

Harry’s and Shout are taking aim at two of men’s biggest mental health barriers — accessibility and stigma. Embedding support into a gaming environment makes therapy feel less like an intimidating leap and more like an easy power-up. Talk Squad launched with a Twitch livestream where UK gaming influencers showcased the service in action, helping normalize mental health conversations in gaming culture.

The bigger picture? While the sessions are only on offer from 28 November through 18 December 2024, this is no one-off CSR play. Harry’s has an ongoing commitment to men’s mental health, donating 1% of its sales to organizations supporting that goal. With Talk Squad, the brand is showing up in a space where its audience already gathers. Cause if you want to connect, you’ve got to play the game ;)

A Colombian eyewear brand has transformed what many would consider a limitation into a competitive advantage. Soul Optic employs blind artisans who handcraft sophisticated, screw-free frames in darkness, leveraging their heightened tactile sensitivity. Each pair of sunglasses and prescription glasses is meticulously assembled using a system inspired by Braille writing slates. The frames’ distinctive bridge design draws inspiration from bats — creatures who, like the artisans, navigate their world through heightened non-visual senses.

Rather than treating inclusivity as an afterthought or marketing angle, Soul Optic has embedded it into its core production process and brand identity. By developing a product and production process adapted to its workers, the company can provide economic opportunities for visually impaired individuals from disadvantaged communities. Besides forming a connection that’s clear as day for consumers to grasp — eyewear made by people who can’t rely on vision — Soul Optic is tangible proof of how assumed limitations can spark innovation when brands leverage purpose as their driver of creativity.

A new whitepaper from WARC Advisory and MSQ uncovers the untapped magic of rituals in people’s lives: Ritualized: where marketing meets meaning. Of 4,000 consumers surveyed (🇩🇪🇬🇧🇫🇷🇺🇸), 72% weave brands into their rituals, 70% are open to adopting new rituals, and 39% feel more positively about brands that become part of their rituals.

Rituals aren’t just (sometimes pseudo-religious) routines — they’re emotionally charged behaviors with transformative potential. By syncing with these moments, brands can spark lasting loyalty and boost emotional value. The paper defines four principles to guide brands as they explore the role of rituals in the lives of their customers:

1️⃣ Rituals are deeply personal: 1-in-4 consumers say rituals give life purpose, with strong ties to mindfulness and self-care.

2️⃣ Rituals support the individual: In today’s atomized world, rituals nurture the self and relationships – 56% focus on personal care or connecting with others.

3️⃣ Rituals provide structure in chaos: They stabilize, offering structure (33%), control (31%) and escape (32%).

4️⃣ Rituals balance meaning and efficiency: As hyper-efficiency reigns, rituals bring emotional depth, adding soul to their schedules.

In 2025, could your brand engage with rituals that help people find purpose or pause? As MSQ and WARC repeatedly point out: ”Consumers create their own rituals and decide whether and how to incorporate brands — not the other way around. A truly customer-centric approach is necessary to make the most out of this opportunity. The advice? Observe, facilitate, participate.”

Dutch secondhand marketplace Marktplaats has launched a children’s book aimed at normalizing used toys as holiday gifts, addressing an apparent disconnect between children’s and adults’ attitudes toward pre-loved playthings. While research shows that 66.6% of (grand)parents acknowledge children are just as happy with secondhand toys as new ones, only 9.7% of Dutch adults plan to give pre-owned gifts this holiday season. The hesitation stems largely from ingrained habits and social pressure, with 26.6% of parents feeling uncomfortable giving secondhand presents and 20.1% worried about judgments from friends and family.

To help shift these preconceptions, Marktplaats collaborated with children's author Lisa Maschhaupt to create “De kraam van Billy” (Billy’s Stall), a storybook about a child who opens a market stall to help friends find their dream toys without buying new ones. According to Florence Schmit, General Manager at Marktplaats, the book targets parents as much as it does children, using storytelling to challenge consumption habits and nudge people towards more sustainable gift-giving. The initiative comes as research reveals that 56.7% of parents would consider secondhand toys as gifts if it became more socially acceptable, suggesting that shifting social norms could significantly impact buying habits.

UK mobile operator O2 has unveiled an innovative approach to fighting phone fraud: an AI-powered digital grandmother who wastes scammers’ time with meandering conversations about knitting and family stories. Named Daisy, this “Head of Scammer Relations” combines various AI models to conduct real-time, human-like conversations with fraudsters, successfully keeping them on the line for up to 40 minutes at a time.

O2’s campaign arrives as new research reveals 67% of Brits are concerned about being targeted by fraud, with one in five experiencing attempted scams weekly — and not just older demographics. While 71% of people would like revenge against scammers who’ve targeted them or their loved ones, most are unwilling to waste their own time doing so. By deploying Daisy around the clock to answer suspicious calls, O2 is not only preventing scammers from reaching real victims but also gathering intelligence about their tactics to better protect customers.

The scam-baiting nana is part of O2’s broader “Swerve the Scammers” campaign, which includes spam-fighting tools and caller identification services. The company blocked 89 million fraudulent texts last year and intercepted over GBP 250 million in suspected fraudulent transactions. O2 is encouraging people to report suspicious calls and texts, giving them the satisfaction of knowing that an AI granny might well launch a counterattack.

Spanish fashion retailer Bershka has partnered with Los Angeles-based studio FFFACE.ME to launch what they’re calling “the world’s first TikTok clothing collection.” Building on four previous releases geared towards Instagram, the new phygital drop features five exclusive designs on t-shirts and sweatshirts primed for sharing on TikTok. Each Wearable Art shirt features a QR code that, when scanned with a smartphone, brings augmented reality elements to life for enhanced videos of the wearer that are optimized for uploading to TikTok.

The social commerce collection marks a shift from Instagram Filters to TikTok’s Effect House platform — a move prompted not just by TikTok’s popularity but also by Meta’s decision to shut down its Spark platform of third-party AR tools and content. According to FFFACE.ME, the previous semi-digital clothing collabs with Bershka generated over 64,000 pieces of user-generated content and more than ten million online impressions.

Targeting an audience of TikTok natives, Bershka’s collection demonstrates how phygital products can facilitate self-expression. By embedding AR, the retailer transforms basic clothing items into an opportunity for wearers to augment their real-world appearance with fantastical elements for a result that can be easily shared and remixed on the platform. How could your brand turn its IRL products into interactive tools for telling stories, crafting images and playing with identities?

Portuguese grocery retailer Pingo Doce is demonstrating how hyperlocal community engagement can be deployed at scale through its Bairro Feliz (Happy Neighborhood) initiative. Now in its fifth year, the program enables each of the chain’s 450+ stores to support local causes with microgrants of up to EUR 1,000. The initiative takes an entirely participatory approach: community members submit project proposals, and shoppers vote for their preferred causes using plastic tokens they receive with purchases: one token for every EUR 10 spent.

The campaign showcases how national retailers can maintain authentic connections with local communities no matter how many locations they operate. Since launching in 2019, Bairro Feliz has funded nearly 1,500 community projects, with causes varying by neighborhood based on local needs and priorities. Requests that have been fulfilled include musical instruments for a community center’s programs for kids, a vital signs monitor for volunteer firefighters and a campaign to neuter and spay stray dogs and cats.

Effectively turning routine grocery shopping into an act of community building, Bairro Feliz and similar programs elsewhere offer valuable lessons for companies looking to move beyond traditional corporate giving: by fragmenting their social impact budget into hyperlocal microgrants and empowering customers to direct those funds, brands can foster deeper community ties and ensure their social initiatives remain relevant to each location they serve.

Originally created by Twitter co-founder Jack Dorsey, Bluesky is a decentralized microblogging app that lets users curate their own algorithms with custom feeds (now firmly on Zuck’s must-copy list). Growth was steady but slow, sparking doubts: would it flop like Koo or could it be a viable alternative to X? Fast forward to today: in just two weeks, Bluesky’s user base soared to 19M+ as people fled X for calmer skies following the US election. The platform has become a refuge from Musk’s increasingly polarizing space (soon to be state media?), where political content feels unavoidable.

In 2025, could Bluesky dethrone X and solve misinformation and cyberviolence? Spoiler: nope. But its rise shows one thing: users crave better social spaces. 💬✨ Think: places to connect, debate (without toxicity), and explore identities. So, how can brands and platforms join this Elon-free movement?

✋ Take a stand: Follow The Guardian’s lead and say goodbye to X.

💡 Be inspired: Bluesky’s anti-toxicity tools and no-gen-AI-training pledge are setting new benchmarks.

🔗 Get together: Bluesky might not win on its own, but apps like Openvibe, which merges Mastodon, Bluesky and Threads, demonstrate the power of combining decentralization and aggregation.

Japanese video game maker Sega is rebooting the pager for today’s kids, but with a twist. Slated for launch in December 2024, Emojam is a WiFi-enabled messaging device that lets users chat with registered friends exclusively in emojis. It offers over 1,100 original emojis, with an Emoji Lab feature that can combine two emojis into a new one. Each message can contain a string of up to ten emojis, and the device supports one-on-one messaging as well as group chats for up to five participants.

To ensure a safe experience for kids, the product’s friend registration system requires two devices to physically touch before users can start chatting. This prevents strangers from being able to contact younger users, bypassing a major risk on most social platforms. Sega also hopes emoji-only conversations will limit kids’ exposure to harmful or hurtful speech. Emojam is priced at JPY 7,150 (USD 45), and Sega might launch the product internationally if it takes off in Japan.

Over half (54%) of parents across the UK, US, India, Germany and Australia regret giving smartphones to their children. Those seeking a healthier relationship with technology regularly turn to dumb devices, both for themselves and their loved ones. By stripping Emojam to one core functionality, Sega allows kids to sidestep the downsides of social media without disconnecting from their friends. Additionally, its text-free interface makes for a fun and creative way to communicate — one that’s second nature for an emoji-native generation.

Singles’ Day has become a calendar moment synonymous with mega sales, but PUMA India and Bumble celebrated the occasion by going back to the day’s matchmaking origins. On November 10th, the two brands joined forces to host a singles-only running event in Bangalore for young adults aged 21-35. The event aimed to provide an alternative way for singles to connect in person ahead of Singles’ Day on November 11th. Starting at Nexus Koramangala Mall, the 3 km run ended with a social mixer. 

The internet might have made it easier for people to meet, but genuine connections remain elusive. Nowhere is this more apparent than in the dating scene — 80% of Millennials and 79% of Gen Zs in the US say they have dating app burnout, primarily because they’re not making good connections, are being disappointed or feeling rejected. Singles looking to take a break from the algorithms now look to the real world for serendipitous encounters. Run clubs are turning into defacto dating pools, and remember the viral pineapple phenomenon in Spanish supermarkets? Brands have also taken notice: dating app Pique hosted a real-world ‘singles wall’ in Brooklyn, while Tinder partnered with Runna to launch a run club in London.

Bumble and PUMA India are addressing that IRL desire while tapping into another consumer shift: a growing love for alfresco activities. Following an initial pandemic-fueled boom, the popularity of the outdoors is here to stay — Chinese urbanites are picking up cycling for scenic countryside escapes, and running is the fastest-growing sporting activity in India. A study by Bumble in India supports this trend when it comes to dating — 72% of Indians are open to sports-themed dates, while 44% see a lack of interest in sports as a potential dealbreaker.

Beyond the context of romance, how might your brand help people foster new relationships IRL? Could the great outdoors or physical activity serve as a catalyst?

With iOS 18.1 and macOS 15.1, Apple introduced the Apple Intelligence suite, which boasts notification summaries, email shortcuts and photo editing tools designed to “simplify and accelerate everyday tasks.” While the aim is to streamline, Apple’s AI-powered summaries have become as much of a punchline as a productivity boost. Unlike rivals Google and Samsung, which fairly consistently deliver refined, time-saving AI, Apple’s small-scale LLM seems prone to delightful misunderstandings 🤭

Take @AndrewSchmidtFC’s experience: a notification from his mom about a challenging hike was summarized as an attempted suicide — causing a moment of shock, followed by hilarity and over 13 million impressions on X. It doesn’t take much searching to uncover countless other examples of users being met not with essential updates, but with misinterpretations that swing from amusing to absurd.

As entertaining as those fails are, Apple’s AI isn’t just a comedy of errors. The summary feature is generally useful when digesting longer texts; it’s the brief messages that are more likely to trip up the system. And while the new tools might fall short of high expectations set by Apple’s marketing department, they also underscore that progress doesn’t happen at a steady, linear pace. Alongside unfathomable leaps and bounds, there can be baby steps, missteps and the occasional face-plant — even for a behemoth like Apple. So, whether your own company is dabbling with or diving into AI, be prepared to pick yourself up and dust yourself off ;-)