Down the Rabbit Hole
Patterns, peculiarities, and the odd epiphany
Trends & Artefacts: diet fatigue edition
In this week’s edition of Trends & Artefacts, we round up the snackable trends, stats and insights from around the world, including:
Adults Are Ordering Off the Kids' Menu
Modular Eating Is Reshaping How Gen Z Thinks About Meals
Degree Hacking Challenges What a Qualification Means
Explainer: diet fatigue
Forgotten 2010s Drama Resurfaces on UK Streaming
Trends & Artefacts: zebra striping edition
In this week’s edition of Trends & Artefacts, we round up the snackable trends, stats and insights from around the world, including:
Knix Brings Dads Into the Period Conversation
Sainsbury's Swaps Brown Eggs for White
Zest Maps Revives Social Food Discovery
Explainer zebra striping
Starbucks Revives the Unicorn Frappuccino for One Weekend
Trends & Artefacts: analogue bag edition
In this week’s edition of Trends & Artefacts, we round up the snackable trends, stats and insights from around the world, including:
Americans Tire of Wellness Obsession Culture
Birdwatching Booms Among Gen Z in Britain
Privacy Is the New Luxury Signal
Explainer: analogue bag
The Snack Tin as a Wellness Ritual
Trends & Artefacts: neighbourism edition
In this week’s edition of Trends & Artefacts, we round up the snackable trends, stats and insights from around the world, including:
Jeopardy! Casts YouTube Creators as Contestants
AI Influencer Makes History Viral
Plug-In Solar Panels Launching in the UK
Explainer: neighbourism
Bingsu-Flation Drives Single-Serve Dessert Boom
Something Borrowed, Something Branded
There's a rumour that Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce will get married at Madison Square Garden. True or not, it's a signal that weddings are being optimised for the feed. Because somewhere, a woman who isn't famous, will feel the same pressure for her wedding to get that reach.
YouScan social listening data tells you how far branded weddings have gone: "content creator" now appears as a standalone vendor category in wedding planning conversations. Couples are not just hiring someone to document the day, they are hiring someone to produce it. And brands to sponsor it.
I wrote about what that means, where it comes from, and what gets lost.
Trends & Artefacts: convenience tax edition
In this week’s edition of Trends & Artefacts, we round up the snackable trends, stats and insights from around the world, including:
German Cars Lose Cool in China
Spain's Hate Footprint Tool Ranks Platforms
Hair Longevity Becomes Beauty's Next Frontier
Explainer: convenience tax
Louis Vuitton Opens Immersive Pop-Up Hotel
Trends & Artefacts: tokenmaxxing edition
In this week’s edition of Trends & Artefacts, we round up the snackable trends, stats and insights from around the world, including:
Jell-O Turns Stadium Noise Into Jiggles
Finnish Supermarkets Listed on Tripadvisor
Phone-Free Events Surge 567% Globally
Explainer: tokenmaxxing
Compact Cameras Outsell Supply in Japan
Trends & Artefacts: hopecore edition
In this week’s edition of Trends & Artefacts, we round up the snackable trends, stats and insights from around the world, including:
Grandma Watches Are Having a Moment
Singles Travel Merges Matchmaking With Numerology
Gen Z Treats Streaming as Pay-Per-Title
Explainer: hopecore
Spotify Verifies Human Artists to Counter AI Music
Trends & Artefacts: catch-up culture edition
In this week’s edition of Trends & Artefacts, we round up the snackable trends, stats and insights from around the world, including:
Young News Audiences Want Both Information and Entertainment
Fluffy Juice Brings Texture to the Glass
Cassette Players Are Back, With Bluetooth
Explainer: catch-up culture
Menswear Is Getting Softer and More Expressive
The Greenfinch and the Algorithm
You don’t expect parakeets in London. But then you hear them. They screech loudly as they zoom through the air, like a green-feathered bullets. They never stop by on my balcony though. I put out some food and get the occasional visitors: magpies, jays, even some crows and unfortunately the dreaded London pigeons, which I try to shoo away quickly. But never the parakeets.
As I sit here, a little jay watching me as it picks up a peanut, I cannot help but wonder if talking about birdwatching makes me sound like an old woman. It’s got that sheen of anoraks and retirement home. But recent statistics tell a different story.
Trends & Artefacts: slow pop-up edition
In this week’s edition of Trends & Artefacts, we round up the snackable trends, stats and insights from around the world, including:
GLP-1 Coverage Is Becoming a Job Negotiation Factor
Snacks Fill the Space Alcohol Left Behind
Cake Picnic Goes Global
Explainer: slow pop-up
Creators Get IMDb-Style Verified Credits
Trends & Artefacts: alpine divorce edition
In this week’s edition of Trends & Artefacts, we round up the snackable trends, stats and insights from around the world, including:
AI Data Centres Are Creating Localised Heat Islands
Shelf Lets You Share What You're Into, Not How You Look
A Wearable Translates Mouthed Words Into Speech
Explainer: Alpine Divorce
A Children's Book That Only Works in the Dark
Trends & Artefacts: stacked water edition
In this week’s edition of Trends & Artefacts, we round up the snackable trends, stats and insights from around the world, including:
Fashion Week Watch Parties Fill 2,000 Seats
Schools Are Renting Out Empty Buildings to Fund Themselves
An App That Sends You the Wrong Way on Purpose
Explainer: Stacked Water
A Dating App Built Around Mood Boards, Not Profiles
Trends & Artefacts: skillcation edition
In this week’s edition of Trends & Artefacts, we round up the snackable trends, stats and insights from around the world, including:
Snail Mail Is Becoming a Serious Side Income
Travellers Prioritise Experiences Over Things
Adult Summer Camps Arrive in Europe
Explainer: Skillcation
Tinned Fish Becomes an Affordable Luxury
Would You Eat This Caterpillar's Face?
Which supermarket has the best caterpillar cake?
Which? has actually just released the results of a blind taste test of 9 supermarket caterpillar cakes, and Waitrose's Cecil came first. M&S Colin - the OG, the icon, the one that started it all in 1990 - came last with 64%.
So I pulled YouScan social listening data to understand what's actually being said online. And it turns out people are not just picking a favourite. They're evaluating caterpillar cakes on a surprisingly specific set of criteria: the ratio of buttercream to sponge, the structural integrity of the chocolate coating, the aesthetic quality of the face and feet.
The choice of cake has become a form of social signalling. For many people, the caterpillar cake isn't really a cake. It's a ceremonial object. And the thickness of the chocolate shell is a measure of how much you care.
So why has nobody ever successfully premiumised it?
Trends & Artefacts: mystic outlands edition
In this week’s edition of Trends & Artefacts, we round up the snackable trends, stats and insights from around the world, including:
Pet Collars Now Let Owners Call Their Dogs
Restaurants Are Banning Phones to Rebuild Connection
Murder Mystery Events Go Mainstream
Explainer: Mystic Outlands
Romania's Bottle Return Scheme Collects Eight Billion Containers
Trends & Artefacts: viking wellness edition
In this week’s edition of Trends & Artefacts, we round up the snackable trends, stats and insights from around the world, including:
Qantas Deploys All-Female Crews at Scale
Victoria Legislates the Right to Work From Home
Spotify Lets Users Edit Their Algorithmic Taste Profile
Explainer: Viking Wellness
Beauty Commerce Shifts to Diagnose and Decide
Trends & Artefacts: stack dating edition
In this week’s edition of Trends & Artefacts, we round up the snackable trends, stats and insights from around the world, including:
Gen Z Still Scrolls TikTok But Trusts It Less
Wordle Creator Launches Harder Word Game
Korea Pilots Free Public Sanitary Pads
Explainer: Stack dating
Uber Lets Women Choose Women Drivers