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CokeSticks makes creative thinking visible

CokeSticks by The Coca-Cola Company, Vietnam

Southeast Asia – Coca-Cola and Ogilvy Vietnam are embedding the brand into Asian dining rituals by transforming its recognisably contoured bottle into CokeSticks, a functional set of chopsticks.

The campaign is a response to a simple cultural insight: while Coca-Cola is often a default choice with Western food, it is not always the first drink to accompany Asian food. Rather than compete with the chopstick, Coca-Cola has reworked its brand equity into the utensil’s form, using food-grade stainless steel to echo the bottle’s proportions, taper and finish.

By raising the question ‘how could Coca-Cola get on every dining table in Asia?’, CokeSticks shows how brands can make strategic thinking visible, turning product innovation into a public-facing explanation of cultural relevance.

As highlighted in our Gen Z: Global Youth Atlas report, younger generations increasingly expect brands to demonstrate cultural nuance and creative thinking – making the logic behind campaigns as important as the products themselves.

Strategic opportunity

Turn campaign strategy into part of the story. Reveal the behavioural insight your brand is responding to, showing audiences not just what you have made, but also why it matters

Abula highlights the growing commercial potential of indigenous sports

Nigeria – A court sport invented in Lagos in 1984 is seeking international recognition. Abula, created by physical education teacher Elias Yusuf, combines elements of volleyball and tennis, with teams of four using rectangular bats to strike a tennis ball across a net.

Why should innovators pay attention? The sport has built a grassroots following in Nigeria, featuring at the National Sports Festival since 1998 and earning early support through the International Olympic Committee’s Sport for All programme. Advocates believe it could expand across Africa and beyond.

For brands, Abula highlights the growing commercial potential of indigenous and emerging sports. Despite challenges including limited funding, infrastructure and media exposure, organisers see opportunities for sponsorship and promotion.

Abula joins the growing roster of emerging sports featured in our Next-Gen Sports report, demonstrating how new sporting formats are opening up fresh opportunities for brands beyond traditional sponsorship.

Image via Pexels

Strategic opportunity

Brands should back emerging, culturally rooted sports early through grassroots partnerships to secure low-cost rights, build authentic engagement and identify future growth markets before competitors

Stat: How Gen Z are reshaping the luxury jewellery market

Eternal Gold by Prada, Italy

UK – A new generation of buyers are changing how luxury jewellery is collected and consumed. Ahead of its London Jewels sale, Christie’s reported that Millennials and Gen Z now account for 44% of bidders and buyers across its luxury categories, while female buyers have increased by 20% year on year.

Christie’s is seeing younger consumers move away from traditional investment pieces towards jewellery with strong design identities, provenance and cultural relevance.

For brands, the shift reflects a broader move from ownership to self-expression. ‘There is a clear desire for individuality,’ says Henry Bailey, head of jewellery at Christie’s London. He adds that younger buyers increasingly value the circular nature of jewellery, viewing auctions as a more considered alternative to newly manufactured products.

This aligns with findings from our Identity Investors and The New Auction House Playbook reports, which highlight how auction houses are responding to younger collectors through digital-first, fandom-led sales.

Strategic opportunity

Create fandom economies around provenance-rich assets, emphasising story, rarity and cultural relevance, where collectors engage through communities, content and recurring cultural moments