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Axe gamifies fragrance sampling with arcade-inspired bus stop activation

Axe, Grab The Sweet, Greece

Greece – Axe is making fragrance sampling fun with a new campaign for its Cherry Fizz body spray. In partnership with Ogilvy Greece, the brand transformed a busy Athens bus stop into a life-sized claw machine called Grab the Sweet.

People could scan a QR code to play for tester strips which were released through a built-in dispenser and surrounded by oversized cartoon cherries. By gamifying the wait for a bus, Axe is tapping into Gen Z’s appetite for experiences and Instagrammable activations.

It’s a smart evolution of traditional sampling and a reminder that engaging young audiences often means showing up in humorous and unexpected ways.

In Cannes Lions 2025: The Unhinged Humour Opportunity, we unpacked how humour is now a growth strategy, with brands such as Duolingo and Axe (known as Lynx in the UK) regularly turning to absurdity and self-awareness to drive engagement and relevance.

Strategic opportunity

Identify high-traffic, low-engagement touchpoints such as bus stops, hype-bake café queues or checkout and introduce gamified activations or sampling kiosks that turn waiting into playful, memorable experiences

New wearable tracks hydration levels in real time

Photography by Pixabay

US – Researchers at the University of Texas at Austin have developed a non-invasive wearable that continuously monitors hydration levels in real time.

The lightweight sensor, tested in lab-controlled and 24-hour free-living trials, uses bioimpedance, which measures how electrical signals pass through body tissues, to detect hydration changes. Data is transmitted directly to a smartphone which then gives users insights into their fluid levels during daily activities.

This device provides a reliable alternative to traditional urine or blood tests, which are invasive and impractical for continuous use. Early studies showed strong correlations between arm bioimpedance readings and actual water loss, which underscores its accuracy.

With dehydration linked to reduced cognitive function, lower physical performance and conditions and illnesses such as kidney disease and heatstroke, the potential applications extend from athletic performance to occupational safety and healthcare.

Read our CES 2025: Six Trends to Watch report, where we highlighted a range of innovations bringing healthcare into the home through remote patient monitoring.

Strategic opportunity

Collaborate with healthcare providers to create wearables that meet medical standards while delivering a seamless experience to reinforce trust and widen adoption

Stat: Online resale is booming in Britain

Dry Goods by Savanna Premium Cider and Wanda Lephoto, South Africa

UK – Online resale is booming in Britain, with pre-owned shopping now worth £4.3bn ($5.8bn, €5bn) annually and is set to rise to £4.8bn ($6.4bn, €5.5bn) in 2025, according to a new study for Amazon by the Centre for Economics and Business Research (CEBR).

After surveying 10,000 people in the UK, France, Germany, Italy and Spain, CEBR found that two-thirds of UK consumers bought secondhand goods online last year, keeping 199m items in circulation and saving £5.6bn ($7.5bn, €6.4bn).

Interestingly, 34–45% of the spend in categories such as tech, fashion and home appliances is on used products. Some 27% of online secondhand purchases in the UK are sales that wouldn’t have happened without the ‘used’ option being available. Secondhand includes refurbished, returned and ‘open-box’ items – not just traditionally ‘used’ ones.

Rising living costs (31%), greater availability (26%) and environmental concerns (25%) are driving the shift. Amazon’s secondhand sales in the UK and Europe hit £1.7bn ($2.2bn, €2bn) in 2024 through the company’s own offerings, including Amazon Renewed, and luxury partners such as Hardly Ever Worn It.

However, the survey also found that concerns about the condition of items, lack of warranties and whether a seller can be trusted are barriers to the growth of this sector.

For more insights on pre-loved retail, read our Rebranding Resale report.

Strategic opportunity

Consider how to create dedicated resale or refurbished tiers (like Amazon Renewed) with rigorous quality control, original warranties and customer-friendly return policies to instill trust in shoppers