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Samsung and utility company Coolblue Energie have joined forces in a strategic partnership that will provide Dutch households with free electricity for doing their laundry between 12 pm and 3 pm. Available to users with a Coolblue contract with dynamic pricing and a compatible Samsung washing machine connected to the SmartThings app, the initiative harnesses solar and wind power during peak production hours while simultaneously reducing pressure on the electrical grid.This collaboration addresses growing consumer demand for smarter home energy solutions while promoting sustainable consumption patterns. According to Marijn van Weele, director of Coolblue Energie, the combined power consumption of all appliances sold annually by Coolblue (which is primarily an electronics retailer) could illuminate the city of Rotterdam for three years demonstrating the substantial impact of shifting electricity usage to midday hours when renewable energy is abundant.
Category:
Marketing and Advertising
Netflix is making a leap from screens to physical spaces with the launch of Netflix House: permanent entertainment venues opening in Philadelphia and Dallas in late 2025, followed by Las Vegas in 2027. These 100,000+ square foot locations mark a strategic expansion into fandom monetization: the conversion of IP into durable, real-world revenue through experience design.Each site will host evolving, interactive experiences based on Netflix's most resonant franchises Stranger Things, Squid Game, Wednesday as well as curated food concepts under the Netflix Bites banner and exclusive merchandise drops. Netflix House is designed for longevity, with modular and regularly refreshed content to encourage repeat visits. Netflix wants to become not just a platform, but a place.This model borrows from the Disney and Universal playbooks, updating them for the streaming era. Instead of relying on decades-old IP, Netflix is building themed spaces around properties that are live, globally relevant and deeply embedded in Gen Z and Millennial cultural discourse. The timing aligns with mounting pressure across the streaming sector; subscriber growth has plateaued, and platforms are under increasing scrutiny to diversify revenue.TREND BITENetflix House underscores a critical shift in entertainment: as digital content becomes ubiquitous and easily replicable, embodied experience becomes the premium offering. In an age of algorithmic abundance, emotional stickiness may lie in the tactile, the communal, the unforgettable. For brands built online, this raises a key question: how might your digital ecosystem evolve into a physical destination not just for visibility, but for belonging?
Category:
Marketing and Advertising
New York-based skincare brand Dieux has launched Sun-Screener, an ingredient analysis tool designed to demystify sunscreen formulations for consumers increasingly wary of chemical UV filters. Users copy and paste their ingredients to a text box, and the platform breaks down active ingredients, helping users understand their sun protection products without the fearmongering that often dominates beauty ingredient discussions. Each fact includes links to supporting scientific literature.Dieux which doesn't yet sell a sunscreen of its own argues that 'clean' skincare brands and lobbying organizations have exploited healthcare concerns to drive sales through fear, particularly around chemical sunscreens with decades of safety data. Because, as Dieux points out: "the safest sunscreen is the one you use daily." TREND BITEWith misinformation continuing to erode consumer trust in established science, brands face a choice between capitalizing on fear or building confidence through education. Dieux's approach represents a shift toward transparency without terror tactics, addressing legitimate concerns about ingredient disclosure while affirming the safety of products that protect public health. Companies that can navigate the line between transparency and reassurance may find themselves building stronger, more informed customer relationships.
Category:
Marketing and Advertising
New York's Pier 36 has been transformed into an elaborate crime scene by Herms. The French luxury house's Mystery at the Grooms' activation runs through June 29th and invites participants aged seven and up to play detective in a theatrical quest to find missing horses a quest that cleverly disguises product displays as interactive entertainment.The experience centers around the Grooms' House, a meticulously crafted set where caretakers live alongside their equestrian companions until the horses mysteriously vanish into the brand's own merchandise. Participants must decode clues scattered throughout rooms that double as curated displays of Herms' sixteen métiers from leather goods to ceramics to ready-to-wear. It's an approach that makes browsing feel like an adventure, turning potential customers into active participants rather than passive observers.Mystery at the Grooms' debuted in Shanghai in December 2024; Tokyo, Singapore and Paris are lined up as the installation's next stops.TREND BITEThis gamification reflects a broader shift in retail, where brands increasingly compete for attention through experiential storytelling rather than traditional showroom displays. By embedding products within a narrative framework, Herms transforms what could be intimidating luxury browsing into an accessible treasure hunt. The free, family-friendly format democratizes engagement with a brand historically associated with exclusivity, while the hour-long sessions create focused, memorable interactions. Herms' detective game demonstrates how luxury brands can maintain their mystique while becoming more approachable creating stories people are happy to explore.
Category:
Marketing and Advertising
Design and innovation office Modem has developed a bedside device that visualizes people's dreams. Dream Recorder captures spoken dream recollections and uses generative AI to transform them into what the creators call 'ultra-low definition dreamscapes' intentionally fuzzy visuals that mirror the hazy quality of actual dream memories.The analog-inspired device sits on nightstands, glowing softly in the dark. It works independently of other devices to safeguard bedrooms as phone-free sanctuaries. Users wake up, describe their dreams by speaking in any language and watch them materialize as low-resolution cinema in the aesthetic style of their choice.Each unit can store a week's worth of subconscious theater,' building a personal archive for reflection and pattern recognition. Dream Recorder is entirely open-source, inviting builders to download code, gather off-the-shelf components and 3D print their own shells (no soldering required). Design files and software are available on GitHub; the required parts cost around EUR 285.TREND BITEDream Recorder signals a broader shift in how people engage with their inner lives and how technology can enable new paths to self-discovery. Three key angles: Self-intimacy over self-quantification: Consumers once wanted to hack sleep with biometrics and data. Now they crave meaning. This device reframes sleep as a source of stories rather than REM statistics, encouraging a daily ritual of reflection. Phone-free sanctuaries: As awareness grows around technology's impact on sleep and wellbeing, Dream Recorder embodies the 'quiet tech' movement. No screens. No endless scroll. The rise of the dream economy: From LEGO's DREAMZzz show to hotels offering lucid dreaming packages, dreams are evolving from fleeting curiosities into cultural capital. People want to record, understand, and even design their dreams as a form of storytelling, therapy and entertainment.
Category:
Marketing and Advertising