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SXSW London 2025: The Store of 2050 and Minecraft’s chicken jockey opportunity

Courtesy of SXSW London, UK

UK – On day two of SXSW London, the panel Retail Remix: The Store of 2050 brought together executives from Co-op, Mondelez International and creative agency VCCP to explore the future of in-store discovery as AI agents increasingly take over online browsing and purchasing.

‘If AI assistants are generating shopping lists, will people even go to grocery stores any more?’ asked Julia Sparrow, head of consumer experience Northern Europe at Mondelez. ‘Currently, visits are purely functional. People want to get in and out.’ To stay relevant, the in-store experience will need to shift from efficiency to inspiration.

Kenyatte Nelson, chief membership and customer officer at Co-op, compared this shift to the early days of SEO, where brands fought to stay visible in digital spaces. ‘We’re now facing the same challenge with AI-powered discovery,’ he said. ‘If agents are always buying the same products for everyone, brand growth stalls unless prices rise. That’s a problem.’

In a separate session entitled Entertain or Die, Minecraft’s associate brand director Harry Elonen explained how brands can earn cultural relevance by creating entertaining, immersive worlds rather than chasing memes. He cited the viral ‘chicken jockey’ phenomenon from Minecraft: The Movie, where teens react to a niche in-game reference with live cinema chaos – a testament to shared brand lore and in-person audience connection. ‘Build the world and get the f*ck out,’ said Dan Salkey, founder and strategy partner at Small W•rld.

Salkey warned against brands intruding into online conversations. ‘They end up talking to each other in the comments. No one else is engaging.’ Instead, he urged brands to contribute meaningfully to fandoms by building stories and letting communities take the lead.

He praised Duolingo’s unconventional rise as an entertainment-first brand. ‘They were just a language app. Now they’re part of anime conventions’ cosplay culture and even taught Game of Thrones fans High Valyrian. They don’t take over fandoms. They join them.’ This approach, embodied by Duo the owl, has helped the brand break into youth culture by enhancing, not hijacking, online conversations.

Strategic opportunity

Instead of branded content, think in terms of brand worlds. Consider how to develop a long-term entertainment IP strategy (such as games, films, 360-degree storylines, AR) where your brand is a co-creator of lore, not just a sponsor

Nike and Lego team up on creative play experiences and products

Nike and Lego partnership, Global

Global – Nike and the Lego Group have launched a global partnership to inspire kids through active and creative play, combining sport and imagination. This summer marks the debut of co-branded products, including Nike kids’ footwear and apparel alongside Lego sets such as the Lego Nike Dunk, available from 1 July 2025.

The collaboration aims to encourage youth participation in sport and play, highlighted by immersive events such as the Nike and Lego Play Arena at Legoland California Resort and a football-themed activation in London. Nike athlete A’ja Wilson, a three-time Women’s National Basketball Association’s Most Valuable Player, joins the partnership, emphasising play’s role in creativity and development: ‘My creativity and play helped me not only in sports but also at school and in life.’

Both brands support the UN’s International Day of Play and will host community activations worldwide. Nike will also launch playgrounds made from recycled shoes in Greater China, promoting sustainability and active lifestyles.

Vanessa Garcia-Brito, Nike’s chief impact officer, said: ‘Our goal is to give the next generation an opportunity to enjoy a lifetime of sport and movement and help make their dreams real.’

This collaboration exemplifies our Game-Changers: The Future of Sports Fandom macrotrend, which explores how young audiences increasingly seek interactive, participatory experiences that allow them to engage with and create sports content in physical and digital environments.

Strategic opportunity

Activate play-led brand collaborations that merge physical activity with creativity, using participatory experiences, gamified retail spaces or branded playground installations to build cultural relevance with younger, experience-hungry audiences

Stat: Consumers globally are buying clothes they never wear

Photography by Ron Lach

Global – According to Statista Consumer Insights, a notable number of shoppers admit to buying clothes they never wear – a wasteful habit most common among female consumers.

The report, based on surveys conducted from April 2024 to March 2025, shows that 29% of women and 17% of men in the UK admit to buying clothes they never wear, compared to 9% of women and 8% of men in China.

In the US, 21% of women and 15% of men confessed to the same habit. India reported 25% of women and 18% of men often purchasing unworn clothes, while in Germany, the figures dropped to 15% for women and 10% for men. In France, 17% of women and 13% of men acknowledged overbuying fashion that they don’t wear.

Our New Codes of Value report identified a growing trend of resistance among consumers who are sick of their ingrained consumption habits, and are seeking anti-consumerism communities online and opting for resale or refurbished products instead of buying new.

Strategic opportunity

Help consumers rediscover value in what they already own by integrating buy-back schemes, wardrobe styling sessions and customisation workshops into your retail strategy, turning unworn clothes into brand engagement moments