Ingredients giant dsm-firmenich has introduced emotiOn social connection, a patent-pending fragrance innovation that claims to encourage real-life human interactions through scent. The technology, unveiled in September 2025, represents the company's first foray into what it calls "emotionally intelligent" fragrances scents specifically designed to influence social behavior rather than simply smell good. Developed through collaboration with academic institutions and grounded in over 30 years of neuroscientific research, the innovation aims to address what dsm-firmenich identifies as a growing disconnect: while 75% of consumers across 20 countries cite happy social relationships as essential to wellbeing, 52% of Gen Z report feeling isolated.The science behind emotiOn combines behavioral research with artificial intelligence. dsm-firmenich analyzed its database of 40,000 tested fragrances and over 1 million consumer insights to identify olfactive patterns associated with feelings of connection. Working with an unnamed research institute, the company developed a behavioral testing methodology to measure how people respond to certain scents during social interactions. The result is a set of patent-pending fragrance design guidelines that perfumers can use to create scents intended to foster what the company calls "emotional closeness." The innovation can be applied across perfumes as well as everyday products like body care and home scents.TREND BITEConsumers especially Gen Z and younger millennials are seeking out tools that help them navigate social discomfort. By tapping into fragrance's unique ability to bypass rational thought and trigger emotional responses, emotiOn positions scent as a bridge between our increasingly online lives and the real-world interactions many crave but find intimidating.Fragrance here becomes a proxy for emotional intelligence: a way to regulate mood and social presence subtly, without medication or mindfulness apps. It echoes the broader wellness trend of embedding everyday products with properties promising physical and mental benefits; think adaptive lighting for mood, weighted blankets that reduce stress and food brands marketing gut-brain balance. How could your brand venture (deeper) into the territory of ambient wellbeing?
Alphabet, Amazon, and Meta now draw over half of global ad spend outside China, and they are forecast to account for the bulk of ad market growth this year, according to recent research from WARC. Read the full article at MarketingProfs
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Japanese stationery company Kokuyo has developed the Adult Motivation Pen, an IoT device that turns any writing instrument into a smart learning companion. The 8-gram clip-on sensor tracks pen movements via an accelerometer, converting writing time into "motivation power," which is visualized through a 10-stage LED that shifts from white to pink. After study sessions, Bluetooth syncs data to a smartphone app, which graphs learning patterns, offers personalized feedback from praise to nudges, and tracks progress toward habit formation.The system builds on Kokuyo's earlier "Homework Motivation Pen" for children, which sold over 50,000 units and, according to the brand, achieved an 80% success rate in establishing study routines. For adults, Kokuyo added deeper gamification: a customizable avatar that grows a "motivation tree" as users accumulate study time and unlock accessories. The avatar advances through board-game-style stages, occasionally encountering other users and collecting their "Nakama Cards" profiles revealing why they study and what keeps them going fostering community without direct interaction.TREND BITEWhile much of the world has abandoned pens for keyboards, Japan's complex character system keeps handwriting central to learning and professional life, creating space for innovations that would falter in markets where digital tools have displaced analog ones. The Adult Motivation Pen demonstrates how local context shapes viable solutions: what works in Tokyo might fall flat in Toledo, and that's not a bug but proof that globalization hasn't erased every cultural distinction.As people worldwide face pressure to keep upskilling, sustaining momentum while learning is a universal challenge. And the tools that solve that challenge will reflect local habits. Kokuyo's approach of making incremental progress visible and emotionally rewarding through positive reinforcement offers a template that could be adapted across contexts, even if the pen itself remains most at home in places where people still reach for one daily.
A new app-slash-search engine wants to overhaul how fans explore and engage with the franchises, characters and other cultural phenomena they care about. Unlike traditional search engines or social platforms, Lore prioritizes depth over speed, assembling scattered fan knowledge theories, timelines, essays, connections and debates into a single organized and customizable space. As founder Zehra Naqvi told TechCrunch, "Lore is our attempt to rebuild the Library of Alexandria for the fandom age."The platform addresses a growing frustration among dedicated fans who currently piece together their understanding from fragmented sources: Google's surface-level summaries, ChatGPT's potentially unreliable outputs, TikTok's algorithmic constraints, Reddit's chaos and Twitter's toxicity. Where existing platforms force fans to manually stitch together context across dozens of tabs, Lore consolidates everything into one interface "a toolbox for your curiosity." Beyond search, users can build timelines and relationship maps, save rabbit holes into custom folders, and explore content spoiler-free if they're not caught up.TREND BITELore's emergence reflects a broader shift in how digital communities organize around shared interests, moving away from algorithm-driven feeds toward purpose-built platforms that prioritize meaningful engagement over viral moments. As consumers increasingly fragment into micro-communities centered on niche passions, they're demanding tools that serve depth of knowledge rather than breadth of content.For brands, this signals an opportunity to rethink how to support passionate communities. Not by shouting louder on existing platforms, but by creating dedicated spaces that genuinely cater to how fans want to explore, connect and contribute to whatever matters (deeply) to them.
A Dutch industrial designer is piloting an agricultural method that replaces rectangular fields with circular growing areas worked by a rotating robotic arm instead of tractors. The arm, fixed at the center of a 30-meter circle, slowly moves around the field while pulling existing agricultural tools for weeding, irrigation and harvesting. Circle Farming's design eliminates the need for tractor tracks, creating spaces between circles where nature and humans can flourish places for wildflowers to grow, insects to forage and people to rest or even live. The method combines strip farming and precision farming, with each "line" in a circular field devoted to a different crop, forming a tight grid from above and a biodiverse landscape at ground level.The system integrates sensors and AI to monitor crop health and offer targeted advice, while giving people a renewed role in food production. Workers use special beds attached to the robotic arm, allowing them to lie comfortably while performing tasks like weeding and harvesting as they float and glide over rows of crops. A digital platform guides workers through daily activities, potentially making agricultural work accessible to urban dwellers seeking meaningful alternatives to office jobs. Designed for smaller farms near cities, the approach offers a path to scaling production while maintaining connection to land and community.TREND BITECircle Farming marks a shift from viewing automation and nature as opposing forces to seeing them as complementary. It's a human-scaled, softer form of agricultural industrialization, tailored to small (sub)urban organic farms that often struggle with the labor demands of weed control when pesticides and tractors aren't options. This blend of robotics and human effort could create landscapes that produce food while supporting biodiversity.For brands, the innovation highlights new opportunities for bridging urban and rural divides reconnecting consumers with the origin of the food they eat. The model also taps into the growing desire for meaningful work, suggesting that future agricultural solutions will succeed not just by being efficient, but by creating experiences that draw people back to the land.
Some 37% of marketers say they've felt a high level of burnout from the pressure to constantly respond to trending topics and viral moments with content, according to recent research. Read the full article at MarketingProfs
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