We hope everyone who’s at Cannes is having a swell time, as the rest of us idly doodle a picture of a yacht and think “maybe next year…”
Scroll down to read about confidence, climate change fears, and a canned vegetable conundrum.
Stats to power your week
⚽ We’re just under a year out from kicking off the 2026 World Cup, and the American hosts are getting excited. 76% of consumers are proud their country will be hosting the event, but amid concerns from tourists, only 39% of Brits think it’s the right place for the tournament to take place. GWI Zeitgeist
🎼 Major music labels are negotiating licensing agreements with AI music companies such as Suno and Udio. As discourse about artists incorporating AI into their music continues among fans, 73% of consumers say it’s important that music is created by humans. GWI Zeitgeist
🧑✈️ The latest season of Nathan Fielder’s “The Rehearsal” takes a deep dive into the state of mental health among pilots, but looking at our data, it’s actually athletes who are the least likely to feel comfortable talking about their mental health. Even with Simone Biles and others speaking out, there still seems to be a stigma around showing vulnerability in the sporting world. GWI Core
🌧️ Climate change is often framed through the lens of intergenerational justice – the idea that a healthy planet is something we owe to future generations. But if you ask parents, climate change is only the 4th biggest fear they have for the next generation, sitting behind the cost of living (36%), mental health (33%), and disconnection from real-world relationships (27%). GWI Zeitgeist
What’s on our radar
Non-alcoholic beer is on track to overtake ale to become the second-largest beer category globally, due to younger generations driving the no/low trend - at least partially.
The Grammys are introducing some new award categories that point to pertinent trends in music culture. First, country music now has “Traditional” and “Contemporary” categories, to recognize the Garth Brooks and Cowboy Carters of this world. The other addition is “Best Album Cover”, though whether Sabrina Carpenter’s recent provocative effort will get the nod remains to be seen.
Mattel has partnered with OpenAI as a part of a strategic collaboration to make AI a safe part of children’s playtime.
Last week’s NBA finals saw yet another groundbreaking ad made with Google’s Veo 3, which suggests a new paradigm for rapid-turnaround, topical video spots. Small businesses are benefiting from the tool too, with a bit of help from AI Bigfoot. It’ll be interesting to see how this trend continues as Amazon extends its own capabilities in AI video.
Not for the first time, a study has shown that use of AI allows doctors to make more accurate diagnoses, though another shows LLMs can struggle reading between the lines when dealing with human patients.
Chart of the week
A lot of 2025 discourse could be summarized with one simple question: what’s going on with men?
It’s a big debate that touches on a lot of issues. But something to throw into the mix is the kind of roles men are expected to inhabit, especially now that much of the world is moving on from the sole breadwinner role.
We asked both men and women what they thought about this. And the results were largely as you’d expect - men prioritize confidence, resilience, and strength, while women are more likely to think they should be caring, empathetic, and gentle.
🔥 Hot take
Punchy perspectives, with data that nudges the narrative
“Ultra-processed is scaring us into food hysteria"
There’s a lot of worry around ultra-processed foods. Over three-quarters of consumers are concerned about the health risks associated with UPF - that’s higher than the share of consumers who agree social media is harmful (66%) for children.
The issue is, what is or isn’t “ultra-processed” can be difficult to understand. According to the NOVA classification system, canned vegetables are merely processed, as opposed to ultra-processed, but 28% of consumers incorrectly identify them as such. Health-conscious consumers can take it even further, being more likely than average to believe smoked meats and fish, which are also just processed, are ultra-processed.
Clearly, there needs to be more education on the subject. In the meantime, if you’re in the business of marketing tinned and canned products, it’s worth knowing you might be caught up in UPF suspicion.
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