Hello curious people,

Here are this week’s headlines:

Enjoy the read.

George

I can't help but feel like everything's starting to feel a bit the same, do you?

AI's churning out safe, predictable content, flattening culture into algorithmic sameness. Hollywood is lamenting the lack of creativity at film studios beyond the next 'big' franchise. TikTok trends loop with mechanical precision. Fashion recycles itself. We're drowning in a feed of beige.

I know I'm not alone in this. Will Lion, CSO at creative agency BBH, has been talking about "AI sludge" and argues that "The edge belongs to those who can be jaggedly human, deep in the culture, and gloriously, unapologetically different."

Comfortably Numb

And as culture homogenises, we're not just bored, we're in danger of becoming numb (if we're not there already).

Our brains are overloaded, developing ‘banner blindness’ to 97% of the 4,000+ ads we see daily, consciously noticing only about 100 (Dentsu, 2023).

Brands that dare to cross a line, tastefully, intentionally, meaningfully, are the ones cutting through to capture our attention and spark some emotional responses.

The biggest risk isn't getting criticised, it's being ignored and suffering a slow death by irrelevance. So let's have some fun finding where the edges might be, not to be outrageous, but to be part of the 3% people actually pay attention to.

This isn't a new thing, so let's look at brands over the past few years who have explored the edges in all the right places...

The edges are where attention lives, emotion happens, and relevance is earned, so let’s explore all of the bold possibilities:

So, what would you do, say, or launch if you stepped out of your comfort zone?

They come straight from Future Possible®, the world's only innovation tool that combines consumer foresights, actionable opportunities, and thousands of inspiring signals. It’s a sweet bundle of everything we’re seeing that gets updated weekly, so you can stay inspired and map your next moves for only £95/year.

A food focus this week, exploring taste, flavour and ingredients.

Here are three brands that are making us stop and think this week, each in their own unique way…

Representing Diabetes

Adding to their 175 or so dolls already, Mattel has pushed Barbie into new realms with the launch of the first Type-1 Diabetic doll. As a diabetic myself, this can only be a good thing and it’s clearly captured the world’s attention in the last few days.

Pure & Simple

Pure Leaf have been running their ‘Tea Breaks for Busy Lives’ campaign for a while now but this activation in New York has captured people’s attention thanks to its simplicity.

Stopped in Your Tracks

Alzheimer’s Foundation’s new campaign created by Stockholm-based agency, Kid, bypassed standard charity comms to connect with a wider audience through a simple, modern, visual icon to make the disease instantly more relatable.

A new sculpture exhibition at the Henry Moore Institute in Leeds, Beyond the Visual, curated by blind and partially sighted individuals, is flipping gallery etiquette on its head, inviting visitors to touch the art instead of keeping their distance. With works selected for their tactile intrigue rather than just visual appeal, the show redefines artistic engagement by centring sensory inclusion over silent admiration.

In a world that often privileges sight, this exhibition makes a radical gesture: pleasure doesn’t just live in the eyes. It lives in textures, temperatures, forms, felt through fingers, not filtered through frames. As multi-sensory design gains momentum across everything from packaging to tech, this moment reminds us that touch is not a disruption of art, but an expansion of it.

How might your brand invite hands-on connection in a hands-off world?