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In Spain, Lidl is taking a significant step in the battle against childhood obesity by removing child-targeted visual elements from its private label products with lower nutritional profiles. The supermarket chain has already redesigned packaging for over 50 items and plans to extend this initiative to more than 60 products by January 2026, proactively moving ahead of any potential national regulations.The transformation involves replacing animated characters, playful names and bright colors with more subdued, product-focused designs. Notable examples include Capitán Rondo chocolate cookies, which have traded their pirate character for a simpler design; Ladrillos and Tubitos gummies, now showing realistic representations of the product; and chocolate milk that's swapped its cartoon dog for a more natural product image.This initiative, part of Lidl's broader strategy to promote conscious eating, comes as childhood obesity affects one in three children in Spain. Framing obesity as a public health issue not a personal failure opens up new ways for brands to engage. If regulation hasn't already mandated the removal of 'fun' elements from less nutritious foods in your market, time to get ahead of the competition through self-regulation! How could your brand contribute to better long-term health outcomes?
Category:
Marketing and Advertising
BBC Maestro has unveiled a writing course that uses cutting-edge AI technology to recreate Agatha Christie, allowing the world's bestselling novelist to share her writing secrets decades after her death. The two-year project, involving nearly 100 professionals, combined human expertise with AI innovation to digitally resurrect the author. Actor Vivien Keene, selected after an 18-month casting process involving 150 auditions, provides the physical performance while AI technology transforms her appearance and voice to recreate Christie's likeness as closely as possible.What sets the project apart is its meticulous attention to ethical considerations and authenticity. Created in full collaboration with Christie's family, the course draws exclusively from Christie's own recordings and writings. A team of leading academics and Christie scholars carefully analyzed her manuscripts, letters and interviews to extract her views on writing.Far from eliminating jobs, this application of AI demonstrates how new technology can create employment opportunities: 100 people worked on the project, expanding BBC Maestro's typical production team to include specialists in period costume, hair and makeup design, visual effects experts who recreated Christie's appearance, and sound engineers who transformed Keene's voice into Christie's. This collaborative blend of human artistry and technological innovation points toward a future where AI amplifies creative work rather than diminishing it.TREND BITEThe new course positions Agatha Christie not just as a literary icon, but as a mentor for 21st-century aspiring writers, allowing new generations to learn directly from one of literature's greatest minds in her own words. We've entered an era where influential figures can 'live on' as interactive educators. People want to learn from the greats, and now they can.How Christie was brought to life feels respectful, not dystopian. Every decision from casting to voice tech to visual nuance appears to have been guided by integrity. In an age of deepfakes and digital cloning, that level of consideration aligns with a growing consumer expectation: if tech is going to replicate the dead, it better be meaningful, ethical and deeply crafted.
Category:
Marketing and Advertising
Visa has launched Visa Intelligent Commerce, opening its payment network to AI developers building the next generation of shopping experiences. The program allows AI agents to securely find and buy products on behalf of consumers, transforming how people shop online. Working with tech giants like Anthropic, Microsoft, OpenAI and Samsung, Visa aims to create a trusted foundation for AI-powered commerce.At the heart of this innovation are 'AI-Ready Cards' that replace standard card details with tokenized credentials, enhancing security while confirming an agent's permission to act on a consumer's behalf. The system puts users firmly in control, allowing them to set spending limits and conditions. Visa's experience with fraud management and data security underpins the technology, positioning the company as a trusted intermediary in the emerging AI shopping landscape.TREND BITEVisa isn't just enabling transactions; it's offering a trust infrastructure. As AI agents gain autonomy, consumers require transparent guardrails: spend controls, real-time oversight and dispute mechanisms. Services that provide confidence and clarity in automated decisions will set the stage for delegated convenience, where consumers define preferences once and trust agents to act on their behalf.
Category:
Marketing and Advertising
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