In this month’s edition, we delve into virtual reality restaurants, a do-good brewery, Star Wars-themed fitness equipment and much more. We also share our first of many 2018 “Trends to Watch.”

1. 10/17

2. Welcome to the October edition of TAP—taking a look at the latest
roundup of the most innovative, exciting, and creative Trends Across
the Planet and why they are so important.
In this month’s edition, we delve into virtual reality restaurants, a
do-good brewery, Star Wars-themed fitness equipment and much
more. We also share our first of many 2018 “Trends to Watch.”
Happy reading!
Team Momentum
TRENDS ACROSS THE PLANET
INTRODUCTION

3. 1VIRTUAL REALITY
2TRAVEL
6 7 8APP OF THE MONTH JUST FOR FUN TREND TO WATCH
5TECHNOLOGY
3 4ALCOHOL & SPIRITS QUOTE / STAT
OF THE MONTH
CONTENTS

4. VIEW
In the past, a simple, yet surprising experience
was the goal. This year, however, brought us a
shift in how experiences are defined and how far
experiences can go. Virtual reality and augmented
reality have upped the experiential game by
becoming more accessible to consumers, yet still
maintain a level of exclusivity and “newness” that
has consumers wanting more. Mad Rex is taking
dining to a whole new level by blending the world
of VR with a dining experience, accessible to
any curious consumer looking to try it out
and talk about it later. That is, if they can get
a reservation.
VIRTUAL REALITY RESTAURANTS BECOME A REALITY
To say that the subject of a post-apocalypse world has been a popular topic to
cover either via TV (The Day After, which likely gave us all nightmares) or movies
(Hunger Games, Divergent, and so on...) is an understatement. Everyone
wants in on the action. Enter Mad Rex, a post-apocalyptic themed restaurant
which recently opened in Philadelphia and is the first restaurant in the U.S.
to offer a virtual reality experience that is set up in their VREX Lounge. The
restaurant also features work from international artists, an airplane that
appears to have “crashed” into the restaurant, locally grown food and
beverages served in I.V. bags. Katniss Everdeen would be impressed.
1VIRTUAL REALITY

5. VIEW
As a luggage brand, Away could have simply
remained just selling...luggage. Realizing that
there was an opportunity to engage with consumers
on a whole other level, they’ve disrupted the
traditional brand-consumer dynamic. In addition,
choice-saturated consumers are looking to
brands to curate for them and provide them with
the most relevant recommendations, tailored
for them. Away’s pop-up hotel not only offered
consumers a unique and luxurious experience,
but likely introduced the luggage brand to a
new group of consumers, increasing brand
awareness and consideration.
BANG YOUR HEAD (FOR FUN)
U.S. luggage brand Away took over the
Amastan Hotel in Paris during September
2017. Featuring a partnership with French
vodka Grey Goose, “Chez Away” offers guests
in-house manicurists, piercing and tattoo artists,
with complimentary in-room beauty products
supplied by high-end brands like Glossier, Diptyque
and Dr. Jart. The pop-up hotel is a test run for the
brand, with hopes that the brand will be able to
venture into further travel experiences.
2TRAVEL

6. 3ALCOHOL & SPIRITS
VIEW
Be authentic. Brands are constantly told they
must achieve this, yet many completely miss
the mark by approaching it in a way that has
consumers seeing right through it. Today,
a brand needs to possess a human side,
embedding values into their strategy. And
those values need to be acted upon, not just
spoken about, because consumers will hold
a brand accountable. Kudos to BrewDog,
a great example of a brand that is doing
authenticity the right way. They know who
they are, what they stand for and who
their customer is.
DO-GOOD BREWERS
BrewDog has announced that it is giving away 20% of its
profits every year. The UK-based craft brewer is giving
10% to charity and 10% to staff, and from August 2017,
BrewDog will give away GBP 45 million over the next
five years. 10% is being distributed equally amongst
BrewDog teams.

7. 4QUOTE & STAT OF THE MONTH
“ESPORTS IS NO DIFFERENT THAN ANY TRADITIONAL
SPORT. TEAMS, ATHLETES, COACHES. INDIVIDUAL
OR COMBINED SKILL DICTATING VICTORY...
IT’S REALLY JUST A DIFFERENT PLATFORM,
MUCH AS THE NFL IS TO THE NBA.”
Male Gamer, age 25-34, in response to why
Esports should be considered a sport.
Source: Momentum’s very own
WE KNOW Gamers research
CHATBOTS WILL BE RESPONSIBLE FOR
COST SAVINGS OF OVER 8 BILLION U.S. DOLLARS
FOR BUSINESSES, PER YEAR, BY 2022.
(That’s a significant tick upward from the
$20 million expected this year.)
Source: Juniper Research

8. VIEW
The future is no longer coming, it’s here.
And, while consumers are still struggling
with their love-hate relationship with
technology, they demand that it continue
to evolve, excite and push boundaries.
The latest intuitive technologies are
allowing consumers to interact with
their environment in more natural and
convenient ways. The KPro example
is the latest example of how the way
we pay for goods and services will
be done not with our wallet, but a
wink and a smile.
PAYING WITH FACIAL RECOGNITION? IT’S HERE.
Remember that saying, “a face only a mother could love”? Well, we
now must have a face that a computer can love, too. China-based
KPro has enabled customers to pay for meals using their face. A
“Smile to Pay” terminal, installed at the KFC-branded eatery last
month, uses Alibaba-developed Alipay technology, which lets
users sign in through a face scan. The service uses a 3D camera,
a “live-ness” algorithm (confirming that a video or photo of
another person is not being used to dupe the machine), and
facial analysis to verify a diner’s identity. To complete checkout,
customers then enter their mobile number.
5TECHNOLOGY

9. VIEW
Dating apps have been around for a while,
to the point where many have started to
blend together, with consumers unable to
differentiate one from another. The result?
Consumers are getting bored! But, give
them something that stands out from the
clutter, challenges them to venture outside
their comfort zone and take risks, they’ll
take notice. The Bumble example provides
an entertaining and unexpected experience.
It offered surprise, humor, and generated
positive word-of-mouth and social buzz.
A perfect match.
BUMBLE GETS CATCHY
Last month, social/dating app Bumble hosted “The Great Catch,” a pop-up
food truck designed to promote their new photo-verification feature.
After downloading Bumble, people could receive free catfish dishes
that were created by an in-house chef. Their new tool uses facial
recognition to analyze whether a user’s selfie matches their dating
profile photo. So, why the catfish food truck? Well, the move to
facial verification is designed to eliminate “catfishing,” or using
photos that don’t match one’s actual appearance.
6APP OF THE MONTH

10. MAY THE FORCE BE WITH YOU
Do you love Star Wars? AND fitness?
Well, the Force is strong with those who
love both. Onnit has created three Star
Wars-themed pieces of exercise equipment
for fans: iron kettlebells resembling Darth
Vader, an imperial stormtrooper, and bounty
hunter Boba Fett; a weighted slam ball that
replicates the Death Star; and a yoga mat
depicting Han Solo frozen in carbonite, because,
why not? These will definitely get you noticed at
the gym.
7JUST FOR FUN

11. 8TREND TO WATCH: 2018
LIVESTREAMING AND INTERACTIVE BROADCASTING
Yes, we know, livestreaming isn’t anything new. But brands
are understanding more and more that they must use it
to reach their niche target audiences, which means that
2018 will be the year that livestreaming goes mainstream.
But, how will it improve? Enter interactive broadcasting
channels like Agora, which takes livestreaming (which
is one-way streaming) and converts it into two-way
streaming, allowing people to chat with each other.
The best part? Users don’t have to download
another app. It integrates with existing apps
and allows brands to reach consumers in real-time.
Now we wait to see which brands will start
using this emerging trend.

12. SOURCES:
TrendWatching
Juniper Research
WE KNOW Gamers Proprietary Research
(from Momentum in partnership with Twitch)
Cassandra Daily
info@momentumww.com
Copyright © Momentum Worldwide 2017. All rights reserved. This document, and its contents, are confidential and may not be reproduced or transmitted without the written permission of the publisher.
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