The Relevancy Read

Hot takes, early calls and astute observations, carefully curated.

A Sampling

Self-care climate control and sassy snacks.

December 13, 2022

Climate control is the new self-care.

Humidifiers uptick in colder months, staving off colds and keeping skin plump. See Dyson's humidifier-meets-purifier-meets-AC, a 3-in-1 investment. Laneige and Canopy collaborated on a holiday package featuring essential oils and hydrating masks to be used with the latter's diffuser, offering moisture-on-moisture. Bed linens from Sijo are optimized with propriety fiber blends that help consumers maintain peak sleep temperature. On-the-go purification appeals post-covid, like Dyson's air-cleansing headphones and AirHalo's wearable bobble.

Ffups are the sassiest snack on the market.

With "not healthy" front and center on its packaging, the corn puffs lean into indulgence. The brand's painfully honest approach to marketing stands out in a landscape dominated by "healthy" options, whose benefits are often hard to verify. From sponsored ads on Instagram to an irreverent FAQ on its site, the messaging never breaks character. We hope they give their copywriter a raise.

Are selfies the gateway drug to wider AI adoption?

If your newsfeed was flooded with computer generated portraits last week, it was Lensa, a viral photo-editing app putting generative AI in the public’s hands. Simply upload 10-20 of your best selfies, pay a small fee (pricing is dynamic based on usage), and VOILA! Receive 50 versions of yourself rendered in different styles and poses in 4K resolution. The images quickly became a representation of buyers’ idealized selves, many commenting on their more defined features and flattering proportions. Lensa’s ease of use and focus on humans’ favorite topic (ourselves) offers a lesson in successfully bringing AI mainstream. NOTE: we're already hearing Lensa is running into some intellectual property issues.

Consumers don’t want endless options.

Choice overload involved in the bottomless modern shopping experience coaxes consumers back to basics and into a less-is-more mindset. Brands like Rhode give shoppers beautiful product curations with straightforward descriptions and directions. Spanish fashion label Adolfo Dominguez says “repeat more, think less,” with its #UniformMondays campaign encouraging people to wear the same outfit every first day of the work week. Oftentimes the consumer is not looking for more options—they just want direct and pointed guidance to the ones already presented to them.