LSN : News : 14 : 07 : 25

Polaroid champions an analogue way of living amid AI hype

The Camera for an Analog Life campaign by Polaroid, New York, US

US – Polaroid has launched The Camera for an Analog Life, a campaign designed to push back against screen fatigue and AI overload. The initiative celebrates real-world connection through Polaroid’s new Flip instant camera.

From New York’s JFK Airport to Apple Store neighbourhoods, fly-posted Polaroids carry slogans such as ‘Real stories. Not stories & reels’ and ‘No one on their deathbed ever said: I wish I’d spent more time on my phone’. The campaign deliberately places tactile imagery beside digital environments, prompting passers-by to reflect.

To bring the concept to life, Polaroid is rolling out phone-free walking tours in cities including Paris, Tokyo and London, starting on 19 August. Participants are encouraged to stash their phones for an hour and capture the city through the Flip camera. Each session ends with mailing a photo as a postcard – an act that reinforces an analogue way of living in a world dictated by digital.

Patricia Varella, Polaroid’s brand and creative director, notes: ‘We are analogue creatures… the more we lose ourselves in digital algorithms, the more we drift away from empathy and real connection.’ Polaroid deliberately aims to awaken people to the emotional power of physical moments captured on real film.

Unplugging reflects a wider shift highlighted in our Digital Detox Destinations report, which explores how travellers are increasingly seeking out environments that offer silence, simplicity and screen-free space.

Strategic opportunity

Consider integrating tactile and analogue-driven elements such as offline events, handcrafted visuals and sensory experiences to build emotional resonance and challenge the dominance of screens

Zalando shifts from algorithm discovery to beauty expert authority with Insider’s Edit

Global – Zalando is rethinking how it sells beauty with the launch of Insider’s Edit, a new shoppable content series that blends expert advice with curated commerce. Kicking off with Paris-based facialist Sophie Carbonari, the platform invites beauty consumers to watch and shop her routine in real time, offering a more personalised and emotionally resonant shopping experience.

Rather than relying on algorithmic suggestions, Insider’s Edit taps into the growing demand for authenticity, guidance and trusted voices. The move reflects a wider shift in retail, explored in our EQ–Commerce macrotrend report, where emotional intelligence and first-party relationships are becoming the foundations of effective engagement. As shoppers move fluidly between digital and physical touchpoints, brands must provide value-driven, content-rich interactions to win attention and loyalty.

By using content as a gateway to commerce and focusing on expertise over aesthetic perfection, Zalando positions itself as more than just a retailer: it becomes a trusted guide in the customer journey, showing how EQ can shape the future of e-commerce.

Zalando and Sophie Carbonari, Germany

Strategic opportunity

Given consumers’ growing scepticism toward influencer over-saturation and affiliate-driven recommendations, consider partnering with tastemakers who offer genuine expertise, and harness trust and emotional engagement to drive conversion

Stat: AI’s impact on traditional search is already impacting ad spend

SXSW London, UK

US – As AI agents begin making purchases on behalf of consumers, retailers must redesign websites and rethink advertising strategies to remain visible and competitive in an AI-first retail landscape. According to Emarketer, spend on traditional search ads is expected to slow, decreasing from 11% in 2025 to 4.9% in 2029.

Retailers are racing to future-proof their online presence as AI shopping agents increasingly influence consumer purchases. Developed by companies including OpenAI and Google, these tools are now capable of browsing sites, adding items to carts and completing transactions. However, they interpret websites very differently from human users. Interactive features like image carousels or JavaScript-based menus – common in fashion e-commerce – are often invisible to AI, putting many brands at risk of being overlooked.

This shift is prompting a new wave of digital optimisation, moving beyond traditional SEO to generative engine optimisation (GEO) and answer engine optimisation (AEO). Structured product feeds, comprehensive metadata and robust online reviews are now critical for capturing AI’s attention.

In our analysis of SXSW London 2025: The Pursuit of AI Optimism, we highlighted how marketers are already diverting advertising budgets away from traditional search to optimise for large language model visibility.

Strategic opportunity

Treat ChatGPT, Perplexity and other answer engines as new search frontiers. Actively curate your presence on Reddit, Wikipedia and community-led forums to shape how your brand is surfaced by AI. How can you incorporate AEO into marketing strategies?