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Covid-19: Why this bookshop is now a travel agent

Book a Trip by The Wild Detectives

Dallas – Wild Detectives is positioning its range of books as immersive travel experiences.

When the bookstore and café closed due to lockdown measures, it turned to agency partner Dieste to launch Book a Trip, an interactive platform that masquerades as a travel booking website. Visitors to the site will be offered deals such as ‘Barcelona for $14’. Other destinations available include Rio, Alaska and Havana.

When a customer ‘books’ one of these trips, they can explore different books for sale that offer an immersive glimpse into their chosen destination. With the slogan ‘worldwide destinations delivered to your door’, the brand is tapping into the potential of travel experiences that consumers can enjoy while in isolation.

With the travel industry at a standstill, Wild Detectives is demonstrating how the act of travelling is not necessarily a physical movement and can be achieved in the comfort of our homes.

Fenty Beauty builds hype with China’s HEYTEA

Fenty Beauty x HEYTEA, China

China – Fenty Beauty is turning to the food industry to promote its latest range of blushers.

In a collaboration with popular Chinese tea shop HEYTEA, the brand is swapping its traditional product drops for rewards-based access. In order to get hold of its vibrant Cheeks Out blush, dedicated fans of both brands can enter into a lottery via social media platform Weibo, with winners scooping the product, a dual-branded make-up bag and a HEYTEA voucher.

In order to build hype, entrants are tasked with following both brands' Weibo accounts, as well as completing tasks to unlock their chance to enter the lottery. By collaborating in this way, both Fenty Beauty and HEYTEA recognise the crossover in their target audiences, as well as the hype and exclusivity that can be built around their products.

As retailers subvert traditional codes of promotion with unexpected collaborations, the trend of Hype Beauty continues to thrive and align with hyper-local communities.

Hilton sets a new standard for hotel hygiene

US – Hilton has announced a new cleaning programme offering elevated hygiene practices from check-in to check-out.

To meet evolving consumer expectations during the Covid-19 pandemic, Hilton is collaborating with Reckitt Benckiser, maker of cleaning brands Lysol and Dettol, to upgrade its cleaning protocols and ensure a safer stay for guests.

The initiative, called Hilton CleanStay, will establish rigorous cleaning across guest rooms, restaurants, fitness rooms and in other public spaces from June onwards.

‘Hilton CleanStay builds on the best practices and protocols we’ve developed over the last several months, allowing our guests to rest easy with us and focus on enjoying the unforgettable experiences we have to offer – while protecting our team members who are on the front lines of hospitality,’ says Christopher J. Nassetta, president and CEO of Hilton.

To learn more about how travel and hospitality brands can become pandemic-proof, read our dedicated listicle.

CleanStay by Hilton

Stat: Consumers want tech security as standard

According to findings by Research World, 33% of technology customers would be unwilling to pay more for a device that was proven to be completely secure – instead, they believe this should come as standard.

The importance of security is becoming increasingly important for customers, with 52% of people saying their personal data privacy factors into their purchasing decisions more now than it did in 2018. Despite this key concern for consumers, only 24% think that companies are doing enough to ensure their devices are keeping personal data secure.

With digital privacy and data increasingly front of mind for technology customers, Privacy Hardware is being designed to protect consumer safety.