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10 B12 SHOTS FOR THE NEW YEAR
necessary nourishment for a healthy 2023
Wow - 2022 really flew by. And the pace of consumer evolution
has never been faster and more meaningful.
At B12, we keep our finger firmly planted on the pulse of human reality.
And right now, it’s RACING.
It’s never been more important to step back, to look around
and then look closer.
No time today? Don’t worry, we’ve got you. Because that’s what we’re here for. To kick start your thinking.
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1. Work for them, not their gender
In today’s cultural climate - and especially for Gen Z, Millennials and Gen Alpha - gender is an outdated construct. Your skin, your hair, the aesthetics you pursue and the activities you don’t - none of that is defined by your chromosomes.
"I don’t buy things because I’m a WOMAN - I buy them because I’m a HUMAN. Because I’m me."
GEN Z CONSUMER, US, IN CONVO WITH B12
In this context, brands are being challenged to communicate category expertise - not just rely on stereotypic colourways and conventional roles. Consumers want them to speak to something deeper and more unifying, embracing human criteria that aren’t just gender-inclusive but able to span all intersects.
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IMAGE: benefitcosmetics.com
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BENEFIT - Male consumers are increasingly ready to talk self/personal care and non-traditional grooming, making it a natural next step for specialist Benefit – with its exhaustive portfolio designed to power every kind of brow – to feature male models (and a pink gorilla) in its campaigns.
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IMAGE: tiffany.com
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TIFFANY & CO. - Tiffany’s new Lock collection embodies its celebration of the bonds that bring people together through unisex design, updating its archival padlock motif for the next gen of consumers with a progressive positioning to match innovation in design.
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2. AI is the flavour of the month, but be ready to count the calories
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VIDEO: Sleepery Sounds, YouTube
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And just like that, everybody is talking about - and using - generative AI. From the magic avatars that have stormed Instagram to artworld wins. And while we’re yet to meet a consumer who is (or admits) to using ChatGPT to write their college essays, the conversation about AI is LOUD and will keep getting louder.
# AI selfie generator Lensa AI saw 12.6 million global installs in the first 11 days of Dec 22 (up 600% from the previous month) becoming the highest grossing app in countries like the US, UK, Germany, Italy and Turkey – how do magic avatars change the way consumers feel about their appearance IRL?
On the dissection table right now are Lensa AI’s Magic Avatars, which, with their BIG BOOBS and racial ambiguity, highlight generative AI’s capacity to reflect our worst biases right back at us. For many Gen Z consumers, this feels like a step back from dismantling toxic beauty ideals – especially once you add stories of avatar-inspired rhinoplasty to the mix.
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IMAGE: openai.com
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CHATGPT - A recent conversation with Gen Z consumers revealed that ChatGPT’s natural language tool is already causing panic among college professors, unable to distinguish between original writing and AI authorship.
There is nothing more divisive than true innovation. And as the digital gets more digital, new forms of communication and creativity will be unleashed and challenged, and consumers will continue to embrace – and combine – both reactionary and progressive behaviours.
What does this mean for brands? Just that if/when they bring AI into the mix, they need to be ready to talk about it - confidently. Because only one thing is certain - the conversation will be happening, with or without them.
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3. When consumers say ‘personalisation’, they really mean ‘curation’
If Millennials taught us anything, it’s that we are each uniquely precious with our own individual needs. But the expense of true personalisation is prohibitive to all but the1% – not to mention the time and effort it takes to define your choices.
What most consumers really want is a trusted brand who will understand their requirements and aspirations and use them to curate solutions that feel personalised. More made-to-measure than bespoke.
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IMAGE: functionofbeauty.com
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FUNCTION OF BEAUTY - Successful diagnostics (like Function of Beauty's hair quiz) are easy and fun to do, offering consumers an opportunity to reflect on their needs and feel heard – with a simple but comprehensive portfolio to match.
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IMAGE: shopping.google.com
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GOOGLE SHOPPING - Google Shopping helps consumers navigate the infinite choice of online shopping by combining search-driven dynamic filters and personal preference.
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4. It’s time to start taking the Baby Boomer $ seriously (seriously)
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IMAGE: trendencias.com
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Gen Z are getting a lot of attention now (understandably) - but what about consumers with more years on the clock? After all, by 2030, 1 in 6 people in the world will be aged over 60 - that’s just 7 years away!
Healthy representation of Gen X on the B12 team means we can’t help but notice the wave of menopause-centric products spreading like a hot flush across the personal care and health aisles But it still feels like older men and women are largely forgotten.
“I feel young. But when I look at adverts, I don’t see anyone like me.”
BOOMER CONSUMER, UK, IN CONVO WITH B12
Western Baby Boomers are redefining what it means to age. Informed, wealthy and in good health, they’re taking up second careers, pursuing passionate hobbies – and challenging brands to communicate youthfulness that is relevant to them, not just Gen Z.
“As we get older, our skin changes. And we do too. Men in their 40s, they’re big on self-respect and they want to maintain what they have. Then you hit 55 and you’re not so sure who you are anymore – but you’ve never had more time and money and you’re ready to find out.”
MALE GROOMING EXPERT, UK, IN CONVO WITH B12
Given the increasing size (and influence) of this market, why aren’t we focusing more innovation to meet their specific and evolving needs?
# By 2040 it’s estimated that 63p in every £1 will be spent by people over 75 – what are you doing to prepare to get more than your fair share?
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5. From light LOLs to educational expertise
Consumers have always been hungry for information and news but today they demand more detail and depth than ever before. Digital natives, who didn’t need to learn to double-click, know that Tik Tok edutainment may start them on the journey - but it takes more to develop the expertise that translates to valuable social currency.
# Traditional education is in crises - only 4% of people in the UK think a university degree is the best way to prepare for the future, higher education institutions in the US have lost nearly 1.3 million students since Mar 2020, while dropout rates in India among poor and marginalised students are as high as 60%- how can brands fill the education vacuum?
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IMAGE: vogue.com
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KIM KARDASHIAN - Always ahead of the curve, Kim Kardashian has taken time away from body positive shapewear for legal training, adding a powerful new dimension to her personal brand.
In this context, brands are being challenged to offer more than products. Our conversations with consumers show just how important the About page is on your site – chances are, any first-time visitor will click on it – seeking not only the inside story but, perhaps, an opportunity to become an expert in their own right.
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6. Wellness is all very well, but health has a healthier outlook
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IMAGE: neontalk.com
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Nothing concentrates the mind on health like a global pandemic. And lockdown gave us plenty of time to think about how we can feel better and age well – physically and mentally.
Wellness mainstreamed ‘inside-out’ behaviours but its elitism, focus on the aesthetic, and commodification by infinite influencers has lessened its appeal. In contrast, affordable pharmaceutical brands speak to consumers with their accessible functionality.
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IMAGE: theordinary.com
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THE ORDINARY - a new generation of informed consumers love The Ordinary’s active ingredient-led product portfolio, which lowers the price by losing the fluff, empowering them to ‘prescribe’ their own skincare regime.
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IMAGE: itsapril.com
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APRIL - April's all-natural curated vitamin supplements "fuelled by plants, science and wisdom" are wellness at its most rigorous and a holistic route to health.
In this context, is it time more brands (from beauty to food) got straight to the point and took a page from the OG health category? From diving deeper into diagnostics to helping consumers track and measure their progress.
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7. From global clusterf**k to local love-ins
Geopolitical Crazy at a global and local level, combined with erosion of belief and trust in institutions once held sacred, has left consumers craving emotional security.
Where can they look for comfort, continuity and community? The answer lies closer and closer to home. From investing in their living environments - with interiors tending towards maximalist, nostalgic and homespun, and new luxury diffusion lines meeting the willingness to spend – to new ways of cohabiting their IRL neighbourhoods.
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IMAGE: sohohouse.com
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SOHO HOUSE - consumers who want to relax in a luxurious home-away-from-home at the heart of their community, which is why members club Soho House is expanding to suburban locations with a strong local identity.
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MOMSCREAM - parents, stressed out and isolated by the pandemic, needed a space to get primal together – enter the ‘mom screaming’ event, still going strong today.
Meanwhile, new digital platforms are getting a little more ‘local’ too – geography- and interest-based, decentralized and designed to facilitate and reflect IRL networks.
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IMAGE: partiful.com
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PARTIFUL - post-pandemic Gen Z value the time they spend with friends IRL – enter party-planning app Partiful (‘facebook events for hot people’), a bare bones social network with a dopamine aesthetic, which provides an online launchpad for offline togetherness
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8. ‘Value’ has never been more personal and multifaceted
The next global recession is up close and very personal. Increased energy, housing and food costs have brought financial anxiety into the heart of the home. Where the last economic crisis seemed to play out in the realm of stock market abstraction, this one is very much ‘happening to me’, emotionally impacting and changing consumer behaviours across the board.
# 85% of people in the UK worry about the rising cost of living, 66% of Americans fear imminent recession and 9 out of 10 Italians have made cuts to their spending – what makes your brand something consumers won’t compromise on?
In conversation, consumers across multiple markets told us they were showering more at the gym to cut back on their water and power bills. They’re still taking their favourite shampoo with them, of course – some things you can’t compromise on. But if habit changes like this become more widespread, what personal care routines will take place less frequently? And how will this impact the products they use?
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B12 GLOBAL CHATS WITH GEN Z REVEALED A FEW SURPRISES...
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9. Flexibility out, stability in
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IMAGE: Dan Myrers, unsplash.com
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It’s not sexy – but in the face of an uncertain financial future, what pragmatic Gen Z really crave is consistency and balance in work and life.
# Forget the Great Resignation and start preparing for the Great Negotiation because 74% of Gen Z put job security first – how can you show Gen Z that you take them seriously?
Putting mental health first means behaving a lot less recklessly than twenty- somethings who came before. Whether dating with boundaries or drinking in moderation – because the world is off-kilter enough already.
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TINDER - Gen Z are turning their backs on millennial ‘hook-up’ culture in favour of slower dating, driving Tinder to explore organic virtual interactions in the metaverse.
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10. Brave new world builders
Discontented (to put it nicely) with the flawed systems they’ve inherited, Gen Z care less about ‘getting ahead’ within a broken world and more about building new ones altogether.
– what can you do to meet them there?
For younger teens (and especially Gen Alpha) coding is fundamental to communication and play. As native users, they are in the metaverse driving seat. Forget Bitcoin – Robux is the alternative currency of choice for many. While new products (take Forever 21’s F21 Metaverse Collection) are as likely to begin life in Web3 then move offline as the other way round.
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IMAGE: nfcw.com
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ALPHAMETA - consumers are ready to embrace paradigm-shifting multi-functional ‘products’ that blend on- and offline – like the AlphaMeta’s personalised virtual fragrances (a collaboration between luxury parfumiers Byredo and NFT makers RTFKT studios) which exist on the blockchain and IRL.
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IMAGE: gettyimages.com
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Fancy a chat?
The B12 team are on the move, meeting with consumers face-to-face again, everywhere from Atlanta to Berlin.
Chances are, we could drop into your office / local coffee shop / favourite cocktail bar soon.
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