Our Thinking

08 - Apr - 20

Navigating the Storm | A resurgence for efficacy claims

As we come to terms with the artificial environment we find ourselves in, we anxiously await for some indication of how our world will be impacted in the longer-term future.

READ ARTICLE

02 - Apr - 20

A Beacon through the storm

Introducing our new COVID-19 Beacon reports. Earlier this week we officially launched our Beacon trend reports, the first of our COVID-19 related suite of products.

READ ARTICLE

26 - Mar - 20

Navigating the storm – objectivity in the COVID-19 crisis

When my fellow founder Hugo Amos suggested “Black Swan” as our company name, my first reaction was “that’s pretty bold mate, do you really think we can do that?”. Seven years later the world finds itself in the midst of the impact from an unprecedented Black Swan event; COVID-19.

READ ARTICLE

09 - Mar - 20

Careers

International Women’s Day | Pipeline Problems & Practical Tips

Supporting women earlier in their careers will fuel the pipeline for tomorrow. Discover Camilla Carson's practical tips to change the trajectory of your career, no matter the stage you're at.

READ ARTICLE

15 - Jan - 20

CES 2020 | Beyond the Robots

The biggest and boldest are sometimes overshadowed by the everyday delicate changes which make our busy lives that little bit easier.

READ ARTICLE

16 - Jul - 19

Beer and the Alcohol-Free Boom

While the name suggests zero percent alcohol, this isn't strictly true; the product term includes any beer with less than 0.5% alcohol content - so its effect is zero. The aim is to reproduce the taste of beer without its inebriating effects. Traditionally, an unvaried product type chiefly spanning lager, the ‘lo and no’ trend is now starting to impact other beer types, such as ales and wheat beers while improving non-alcoholic lager quality too.

READ ARTICLE

14 - Jul - 19

Cheers to Locally Sourced Beer

The Local Hype Today’s consumers are increasingly seeking out locally sourced products, regional foods and ingredients. Indeed for many, the ‘local’ label is a stronger pull than ‘organic’. Particularly within the craft beer and cider space, the influence of this trend is making an impact.

READ ARTICLE

14 - Jul - 19

Lactose - beer's latest unlikely ally?

Why has lactose beer become 'a thing'? For decades, lactose was largely on the periphery and only discussed in craft beer conversation, usually in relation to milk stouts. Now a shift is being seen and lactose is rising on the beer product agenda, with adoption in products previously considered unacceptable.

READ ARTICLE

08 - Jul - 19

Korean Beauty: Spotlight on Centella Asiatica

Centella Asiatica – also known as Asiatic Pennywort, Tiger Grass or Gotu Kol – is a herbaceous, perennial plant native to the wetlands in Asia. For centuries it’s been used in cooking and for medicinal purposes.

READ ARTICLE

08 - Jul - 19

Innovation

The rise of the anti-inflammatory trend

Traditionally we’d tend to think of anti-inflammatory as a type of medication, like aspirin or ibuprofen, for alleviation of physical ailments like sports injuries. As we’re seeing with so many other health-related trends, the conversation around anti-inflammatories is now significantly broadening - not only in application but category expansion too.

READ ARTICLE

08 - Jul - 19

Consumer Behaviour

What is Hallyu and why has it become such a big trend?

Hallyu, a term we may not be familiar with by name but certainly are by output, is a Chinese word literally translating as “Korean Wave”. It refers to the transcendence and increasing popularity of South Korean cultural exports, firstly picked up by countries such as China and Japan, and now more recognisably across Western countries too.

READ ARTICLE

28 - Jun - 19

Consumer Behaviour

Throwback to predicting a bonanza BBQ weekend for Tesco

The sun is out, so it's likely the barbecues will be too. Which got us thinking about one of our early projects for the UK’s biggest retailer Tesco.

READ ARTICLE