Once upon a time, musicians and bands had to re-record songs to reach new markets – think The Beatles’ “Sie Liebt Dich” and David Bowie’s “Helden”. Today, AI is making this much easier, with “Rockin’ Around The Christmas Tree” getting a Spanish version this Christmas. Who else might be tempted to tap into the Navidad market?
Scroll down to read about the silver economy, snooker inheritance, and Swiss homeopathy.
Stats to power your week
🌸 At this time of year it’s easy to get caught up in Halloween, Black Friday, and Christmas campaigns, but we’re also (just about) in Menopause Awareness Month. Women experiencing menopause share some distinct behaviors – they’re more likely to have arthritis, take part in exercise classes, and are lesslikely to be career-focused than other women over 40. GWI Zeitgeist
💀 For anyone who doesn’t know, Liquid Death is a unconventionally-named canned water brand that’s making waves with Gen Z. But just how popular is it? In the US, more Gen Zers drink it than heritage brands like Evian and San Pellegrino. GWI USA
📢 As the election nears, more Americans are getting information straight from the source. Since February, there’s been a rise in US scrollers saying they’ve seen political content from official candidates (+28%) and party accounts (+39%), and a drop in those seeing posts from unverified accounts like independent creators (-15%). GWI Zeitgeist
💊 “Personalized medicine” is a model that guides treatment based on your genetic profile. Most of us will have some kind of medical issue in our lives, so which groups are most interested in this new frontier of medicine? As it turns out, it’s those with gastrointestinal issues. And early research shows people with IBS are willing to pay good money for personalized “cocktail” treatments. GWI Core
“Kidulting” is reaching new levels. Halloween toys are coming to adult meals at Wendy’s, and McDonald's dropped an adults’ Happy Meal inspired by sitcom (and Gen X touchstone) Friends.
Pandora’s teaming up with Netflix for a line of jewelry pieces inspired by “Stranger Things”, and fashion label Veronica Beard’s teamed with the NFL to launch dickey jackets after a Taylor Swift-related surge in viewership.
Right now we tend to think of AI in terms of chatbots, but the big firms are looking at agents, which can perform tasks on their own. Anthropic has released a new feature allowing its AI to interact directly with a computer, and Google is planning something similar. Just don’t be surprised if these agents get distracted and start looking at photos of Yellowstone National Park.
The latest on overtourism: Venice will extend the number of days tourists have to pay an entry fee, while Malaga is cracking down on short-term rentals.
Usually, if you wanted to make an animated film, you’d need some pretty expensive motion capture equipment. But Runway’s new Act-One tool offers a glimpse of how AI might vastly reduce the barriers to entry. And in the world of music, producer Timbaland has given a big endorsement to AI music creation firm Suno.
Chart of the week
Research shows active adults are more likely to raise active kids. But it’s interesting to zero in on the specific sports that get the biggest engagement boost from parents.
It’s a handy chart, as it helps explain why some sports get so popular in the first place – they’re more likely to be passed down from parent to child. It also highlights some potential barriers to entry – while badminton, basketball, and table tennis are passed on to many kids, sports that need more specific facilities or equipment, or aren’t generally taught in schools (like lacrosse or squash) tend not to be.
Cue sports (like snooker and pool) are the least likely to be picked up by kids. Not only are they up against the barriers above, but traditionally, snooker and pool halls haven’t welcomed children.
Local lowdown
Alternative medicine in the Alps
In the summer of 1527, a man walked into Basel’s market square and burned the leading medical textbooks of his time. That man was Paracelsus, a physician and philosopher whose public display helped create a receptiveness to alternative medicine that survives in present-day Switzerland.
Of all the markets in our research, the Swiss are the most likely to be open to alternative medicines and treatments. Despite being home to some of the biggest names in pharmaceuticals, Switzerland’s big on holistic health – it’s the only country where access to alternative medicine is constitutionally protected, and the world’s first homeopathic medical association was formed there.
The country’s geography makes it understandable – its combination of sun, fresh air, and mountains have long made it a destination for what we might today call “wellness tourism”.
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