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E45’s new ad campaign celebrates trans women’s transitioning skin

This Is Me. This Is My Space. Campaign by E45, UK

UK – Skincare brand E45’s latest campaign 'This Is Me. This Is My Space’ spotlights the unique skin changes trans people undergo, and earned the Channel 4 Diversity in Advertising Award. Created by T&Pm, the campaign features trans women during their daily skincare routines in the bathroom, a space where they can 'take off [their] armour' and 'wash away the noise' (a reference to the trans debate being put near the top of the news agenda by Conservative politicians).

'With this portrayal of trans women, we hope to create visibility and empathy for all trans people,' said Sally Perry, E45’s global skin health director. Launched on the International Day Against Homophobia, Transphobia and Biphobia, the campaign addresses the dermatological challenges associated with gender-affirming treatments through research funded by E45.

The hero film, complemented by social-first content created by Channel 4’s 4Studio, underscores the importance of skin comfort and acceptance. 'Better representation delivers compelling storytelling and stand-out commercial results,' added Verica Djurdjevic, Channel 4’s chief revenue officer.

The campaign’s development was informed by consultations with trans and non-binary people, facilitated by the Diversity Standards Collective and WPP Unite, ensuring an authentic and inclusive portrayal. For more insights on how brands can better represent marginalised groups, head to our Identities topic.

Strategic opportunity

Use real-life stories and experiences to develop authentic and relatable content, enhancing emotional connections with your brand

Protect Our Winters Finland turns snow into ads against climate change

Snow Media service by NORD DDB Helsinki for Protect Our Winters Organisation, Finland

Finland - Protect Our Winters Finland (POW) has launched an innovative Snow Media service to turn snowy landscapes into advertising spaces and raise funds to fight climate change.

The Snow Media concept commercialises snowy lakes, fields and rooftops by selling them as media spaces to selected brands, with all profits directed towards winter protection efforts. Kalle Wallin, creative director of ad agency NORD DDB Helsinki who imaged the concept, explains, 'We commercialise winter to save it from the climate crisis. The profits go to protecting winters.'

Artistic snow advertising will be displayed near tall buildings, winter trails and ski centres. It will also be documented for use on social media and digital platforms. The first campaign started spring 2024, with more brands expected to join during the winter 2024-2025 season.

B2B textile company Lindström was POW's first commercial client. Minna Heinonen, head of marketing, stated that 'preserving nature’s biodiversity is crucial to [the company]' and insisted on the brand's commitment to getting more involved in climate action.

In our Rebranding Nature design direction, we explore how to lure Gen Z outdoors and engage them in conservation and climate activism. Nature itself is getting a rebranding.

Strategic opportunity

Consider integrating sustainable practices into your advertising strategy, highlighting both the importance of preserving natural environments and positioning your brand as a champion of environmental causes

Foresight Friday: Alice Crossley, foresight analyst

AI imagery by The Future Laboratory, UK

Every Friday, we offer an end-of-week wrap-up of the topics, issues, ideas and virals we’re all talking about. This week, foresight analyst Alice Crossley unpacks teen boys' love affair with fragrance, OpenAI's latest controversy and tennis-core.

: Teen boys are trading in their Lynx body sprays for luxury perfumes, according to The New York Times. Whilst everyone has been focused on young girls selling out Sephora, boys have been quietly getting into ‘smellmaxxing’, taking cues from fragrance influencers and asking their parents for high-end colognes. Growing up online, it’s little wonder Gen Alphas have brand maturity way beyond their predecessors' years. If I was a beauty brand, I’d be thinking about launching affordable fragrances targeted towards teen boys right now

: Scarlett Johansson has accused OpenAI and founder Sam Altman of deliberately copying her voice for the company’s new chatbot, Sky. The actress, who starred in the 2013 film Her, which sees a man fall in love with his device’s operating system, turned down an earlier approach to voice the chatbot. Still, despite urging her to reconsider two days before the chatbot was released, Altman denies the company sought to imitate her voice. So much for Responsible AI ...

: Buying into the Racquet Culture craze, Louis Vuitton has tapped former rivals Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal to star in its new Core Values campaign. Challengers who?

Strategic opportunity

'Social media and TikTok make people want to be more grown-up'

Luke, 14, to The New York Times

Stat: Five nightclubs are closing weekly in 2024 in the UK

Photography by Mark Angelo Sampan

UK – The British night-time economy is struggling, with nightclubs particularly hard hit according to the NTIA Night-time Economy Report 2024. The number of UK nightclubs has plummeted from more than 3,000 in 2005 to just 851 by mid-2023. The ongoing trend shows an alarming rate of five weekly club closures in 2024.

The report highlighted the resilience of the sector and the critical challenges it faces due to pressures of inflation, rising rents and competition from alternative venues and online experiences that are decimating the conventional nightclub scene.

Challenges extend beyond the pandemic. The cost-of-business crisis and evolving consumer habits, such as a preference for experience-led socialising, contribute to this decline. Experiential concepts and technology-driven venues are competing for night-time revellers, pushing traditional nightclubs to the brink. As analysed in Reading Raves, consumers seek new types of clubs that the nightlife industry must learn from to remain relevant.

Strategic opportunity

Traditional nightclubs can integrate immersive experiences such as themed nights, augmented reality (AR) enhancements, and interactive performances to attract consumers seeking unique, memorable nights out