THE ANXIETY ECONOMY

INTRO D U CT I O N THE A NXIE TY ECO NO MY 2

THE ANXIETY ECONOMY

Across the world, worry is rampant.

In the quest to achieve ultimate

happiness, Americans embark on
exhausting, expensive self-help seminars,
meditation retreats, workplace wellness
programs, and endless positive self-talk—
and yet they are more anxious than ever
before. A May 2018 American Psychiatric
Association poll showed that the United
States national anxiety score, which
is rated from zero to 100, had jumped
five points from the previous year,
with millennials exhibiting the deepest
anxiety.
In her 2016 book America the
Anxious: How Our Pursuit of
Happiness Is Creating a Nation of
Nervous Wrecks, Ruth Whippman
suggests that the tireless quest for
self-care has made people more
isolated from the very factors that
multiple studies have identified as
contributing to happiness: social
life, families and communities.
Whippman reports that, according
to the American Time Use Survey,
Americans spend an average of
just four minutes a day “hosting
or attending social events.” “Four
minutes?” she writes. “Added up
every year, that barely covers
Christmas, Thanksgiving, and your
own kids’ birthday parties.”
And all that self-care doesn’t
seem to be shielding anyone from
an endless list of stressors, from
financial insecurity to student
debt to job instability and political
upheaval.

Alessandro Michele's gothic Cruise 2019 collection for Gucci

INTRO D U CT I O N
For some, the sense of impending
doom brought on by the
environmental crisis has triggered
a syndrome referred to as eco-
anxiety by Psychology Today and the
American Psychological Association.
Sufferers are “deeply affected by
feelings of loss, helplessness and
frustration due to their inability to
feel like they are making a difference
in stopping climate change.” In a
March 2019 online report, the BBC
cites a number of experts who
are seeing an uptick in this mental
health phenomenon, with some
citing the 2018 report from the UN
Intergovernmental Panel on Climate
Change (IPCC)—which warned of the
need to reduce carbon emissions by
45% by 2030—as a trigger for a rise
in fear in the face of an uncertain
future.
Kick, a telemedicine startup that helps professionals overcome anxiety
THE A NXIE TY ECO NO MY 3
“I’ve noticed a great increase of
clients needing to talk about eco-
anxiety since the IPCC report,” eco-
psychologist Mary-Jayne Rust told
the BBC. “Mostly, they are in need
of talking it through with a therapist
who is knowledgeable about the
issues. I think it is a massive thing
to live with the suspicion that—as
some of my younger clients have
said—‘We’re completely screwed’.”
Some have already experienced
the trauma of flooding and other
environmental disasters. During a
March 2019 BBC Radio 1 podcast
about eco-anxiety, one woman
described the impact on her mental
health of a December 2016 flood in
Lancashire, north-western England.
“It’s not just like, it’s fine, we’ll move
on—it’s devastating,” she said. “The
only thing that we can do, in a sense,
INTRO D U CT I O N THE A NXIE TY ECO NO MY 4

is understand that, no matter what, •

nature is something that you can’t The
fight.” anxiety
economy
Brexit has caused high levels of
continues
anxiety among UK residents. A
Mental Health Foundation report
to
released in March 2019 revealed manifest
that over 40% of the 1,800 adults itself in
surveyed felt “powerless, angry or dark,
worried” because of Brexit, while 12% dystopian
said it had negatively affected their ways.
sleep. And it’s not just the United •
Kingdom—business owners and
citizens in the Republic of Ireland
are worried about the potential
effect of a hard border on trade and
livelihoods.

As the future of the United Kingdom

within Europe remains in limbo,
employment, residency status, and
cross-border relationships are on

Rick Owens FW19, Paris Fashion Week

INTRO D U CT I O N
the line, and for many, the lack of
security is too much to handle. One
therapist told the Huffington Post
that she has seen a “record number”
of clients seeking anxiety counseling.
On the other side of the world,
the rise of China and its ongoing
trade war with the United States is
putting pressure on Taiwanese and
Hong Kong youth, whose financial
futures and independence remain
unpredictable. In the United States,
President Trump’s trade war is
sparking fears of recession and the
potential for another government
shutdown is leading to frustration.
To combat anxieties, some
consumers and businesses are
taking matters into their own hands.
They’re demanding sustainable,
zero-waste solutions to curb
SimpliSafe, home security system
THE A NXIE TY ECO NO MY 5
environmental chaos, seeking solace
in cannabis derivatives, and outfitting
their homes with safety-related
tech. New-wave employers are
trying to embrace more ethical work
practices, while tech companies
are showing their more human side.
However, the anxiety economy
continues to manifest itself in dark,
dystopian ways that are permeating
fashion, beauty, and entertainment. It
may even be taking a toll on people’s
sex lives.
“The Anxiety Economy” report
explores how instability and
disruption are having a profound
impact on culture and emerging
trends. Behavior driven by fear, from
the extreme (and the paranoid) to
the more justified, is creating new
market opportunities as consumers
seek to navigate the storm.
 THE A NXIE TY ECO NO MY 6

WORKPLACE WELLBEING

Anxiety and work are intertwined,

whether the worry is inspired by the
looming challenges of the universal gig
economy or by geopolitics—mayor of
London Sadiq Khan predicted earlier in
2019 that a no-deal Brexit could cost the
United Kingdom half a million jobs.

Well & Good reported in February

2019 that tiredness is now “cultural
currency,” thanks partly to the
overwhelming nature of work life. In a
survey conducted by Quartz at the end
of 2018, nearly 30% of millennial and
generation Z respondents said they
experienced “anxiety or depression to
the point where it disrupts work ‘all the
time’ or ‘often.’”

Merger by Keiichi Matsuda

WORKP LACE WE L LB EI N G THE A NXIE TY ECO NO MY 7

• Companies are trying to tackle this

Workplace from all angles. Direct-to-consumer
wellness startup Kick promises to take the
anxiety out of landing a job through
is a $48 bn
a “tailored program” of prescriptions
market.
for propranolol. Similar to the social
• anxiety medication touted by men’s
and women’s wellness startup Hims
(see “Sex Recession”), the pills come
with the promise to soothe nerves
when it comes to networking events,
giving presentations, and doing
interviews. The San Francisco-based
brand launched the new service in
December 2018, letting consumers
consult with doctors online before
getting their beta-blocker tablets.

Efforts are also coming from within

the workplace. According to the
Global Wellness Institute, workplace
wellness is a $48 billion market that’s
growing at a rate of 4.8% a year as

Kick
WORKP LACE WE L LB EI N G THE A NXIE TY ECO NO MY 8

Kick. Quotes from doctors and users

WORKP LACE WE L LB EI N G THE A NXIE TY ECO NO MY 9

firms bring in equipment, services responsibilities from her desk

and programs designed to improve
their employees’ mental and physical
health. Some progressive companies
have been criticized for taking their
efforts too far and breaching privacy
when it comes to health data. Others
are being questioned for missing
the point entirely by focusing on
employee happiness metrics, yet
overlooking issues like overtime pay,
work-life balance and even promotion
and leadership opportunities.
with the wave of her hand. The
video explores how automation
and instability has pressured
employees to push themselves to
be hyper-productive—Matsuda’s
character does this by drinking
food supplements and doing an
“optimal” amount of exercise at
her workstation. It ends with the
accountant’s decision to merge with
the data system in order to best
serve her clients.

In January 2019, London-based

designer Keiichi Matsuda released
Merger, a 360-degree film that
documents his dystopian vision
of what the office space of the
future might look like. It features
an accountant who is always on
call and uses augmented reality
to control her home and family

Merger by Keiichi Matsuda

WORKP LACE WE L LB EI N G
Co-working's evolution
Over the last few years, innovative
companies have been finding ways
to take the stress out of the gig
economy, attempting to transform
Moleskine in collaboration with Unsettled
the concept of work-life balance by
blending the office grind with the
calming benefits of vacation. While
the concept of working on holiday
might still incite anxiety for some, it
hasn’t stopped the plethora of new
coliving and coworking concepts
around the world, from a bleisure
bungalow in Belize to design-
conscious Cohost apartments in
Shanghai.
Big brands are contributing to this
space, too. Moleskine recently
announced it would be partnering
with travel firm Unsettled to offer
experiential live-work retreats in
Bali and Mexico City. The trips are,
according to Moleskine, designed
to “spark inspiration, creativity, and
self-expression. Each destination
offers the time and space for
creative professionals to break out
THE A NXIE TY ECO NO MY 10
of their routine and re-define their
creative process.”
For $2,900 and up, travelers can
choose between two-week and
one-month getaways that combine
cultural exploration with “productive”
remote work time, plus design-
forward, boutique accommodation
and the chance to socialize with
other creative professionals from
around the world.
An innovative company in Cape
Town decided the burden of travel
shouldn’t fall on its workers, but on
the office itself. Work & Co’s Nova
pod, a solar-powered workspace
on wheels equipped with a coffee
machine, bathroom, and charging
stations, allows employees to enjoy
scenic views without any need to
pack a suitcase.

DYSTOPIC LANDSCAPES
Even conventional beauty is being transformed
by these dark times.
Just as the surrealists of the early
20th century transformed everyday
scenes into disconcerting ones,
a new wave of makeup artists is
playfully channeling the grotesque.
The result? Alien-like, mutated and
dystopian figures replace traditional
allure. The phenomenon is going
beyond the pages of young creatives
on Instagram into the runway
shows of luxury designers and
into the feeds of celebrities, from
Alessandro Michele’s gothic Cruise
2019 collection for Gucci to the body
modification jewelry that self-styled
“fashion brand from the future”
(and immersive museum pop-up) A
Human designed for Kim Kardashian,
Chrissy Teigen and Queer Eye’s Tan
France.
Backstage at Rick Owens AW19. Photography Christina Fragkou
THE A NXIE TY ECO NO MY 11
Rick Owens’ other-worldly models
shocked onlookers at Parish Fashion
Week fall/winter 2019, trading
traditional beauty-enhancing
makeup for horns, bulging black eyes
and other face-altering features.
The designer took his cue for his
collection from Larry LeGaspi, the
late designer for the rock band
Kiss, but the makeup was 100%
Caleb Morris, the Welsh drag artist
best known by her Instagram
handle Salvia. Her dark, fantastical
creations, brought to life with the
help of digital manipulation, have
attracted over a quarter of a million
followers.
An Instagram-famous dystopian
beauty duo called Fecal Matter
DYSTO P I C LA N D SCA P ES THE A NXIE TY ECO NO MY 12

Alessandro Michele's gothic Cruise 2019 collection for Gucci

DYSTO P I C LA N D SCA P ES THE A NXIE TY ECO NO MY 13

• told Vogue in October 2018 how

"People recognise they planned to make ugly beauty
beauty as a way of accessible to the masses, and have
created a pair of $10,000 boots that
transformation."
blend into human skin. This particular
•
silicon footwear was designed to
look just like the legs and feet of
one half of Fecal Matter, Hannah
Rose Dalton, replacing typical
stiletto heels with fleshy horns.
The designers intend to make more
affordable pairs for their fans and for
body modification enthusiasts.

In September 2018, Dazed Media

created new platform Dazed
Beauty to give more visibility to the
spectrum of grassroots beauty,
where leaders are attracting
massive tribes within the Instagram
community. “People recognize
beauty as a way of transformation,”
Dazed Beauty editor-in-chief Bunny

Fecal Matter
DYSTO P I C LA N D SCA P ES
Kinney tells the Innovation Group.
“Being scary or ugly is part of that.
Beauty is not synonymous with
looking good, because looking good
is a subjective idea. Beauty is not a
fixed concept. There’s an artistry to
what they’re doing too.”
Recently, the site pushed beauty
boundaries by featuring emerging
artists such as self-described
“face decorator” Mariko, who
crafts elegant cheek, nose and
eye ornaments out of pasta and
dragon fruit, “gorgeous and ghoulish”
Tomasyn Hayes, and Laetitia Ky, a
hairstylist who sometimes uses her
whimsically sculptured braids to
send political messages.
“At the beginning, it was only for
fun and to show my creativity, but
with time it changed,” Ky told Dazed
The Handmaid's Tale series on Hulu
THE A NXIE TY ECO NO MY 14
Beauty. “I saw the impact it can
have on people so now it’s more
serious, more engaged. I do it to send
messages of self-love, tolerance,
equality and respect. I do it to try to
ameliorate the world I live in.”
Dystopia expressed in the beauty
world is also featuring in all forms
of entertainment. The TV series
of Margaret Atwood’s novel The
Handmaid’s Tale has gripped Hulu
audiences since the first season was
released in April 2017. As the genre
described by Atlantic as “feminist
dystopia” rises in popularity, we
can expect to see more of such
speculative, bleak worlds. Female-
authored, female-protagonist fiction
digs into the dark depths of what-ifs,
in novels such as Christina Dalcher’s
Vox, which imagines a world where
women face severe restrictions on
DYSTO P I C LA N D SCA P ES
speech, and The Red Clocks by Leni
Zumas, which tackles abortion rights
in an uncertain era for pro-choice
advocates. In August 2018, Pakistani
author Bina Shah released Before
She Sleeps, a novel that explores
a post-apocalyptic world in Asia,
where women are outnumbered by
men and are forced to replenish the
population.
In an unexpected twist, following
bleak dystopian futures seen in
entertainment such as Netflix’s
Black Mirror, the new YouTube
Originals series Weird City paints
a more lighthearted picture. The
comedy, released in February 2019,
tackles the current pressure points
of consumer anxiety, such as the
long-term effects of technology and
artificial intelligence (AI) on free will.
Weird City, YouTube Origina
THE A NXIE TY ECO NO MY 15
“I wanted to keep it optimistic,”
co-creator Charlie Sanders told
Thrillist. “I mean, there are some
darker stories in the episodes. I
love dystopian sci-fi... it’s one of my
passions. But, I do feel like it’s almost
always kind of pessimistic, saying
things are going to get worse and
things are bad. And that’s just not
the way I feel about the world. I’m
sort of an optimist, so I wanted my
show to have that. I was curious what
it would be like to tell sci-fi stories
through an optimistic prism.”
FASHION F RE N ZY THE A NXIE TY ECO NO MY 16

FASHION FRENZY

Consciously or not, fashion’s luminaries

are preparing consumers’ wardrobes
for tough times ahead. From Prada’s
protection wear and the utilitarian
trends sported by the likes of Balenciaga
and Luka Sabbat to Alexa Chung’s
cocooning, safeguarding trench coats,
designers are responding to scientists’
apocalyptic climate change forecasts,
some with tongue-and-cheek creations, From Prada’s protection wear and the told Jezebel. “It’s a manifestation of
utilitarian trends sported by the likes our hopes and dreams, but also of
others with more practical solutions.
of Balenciaga and Luka Sabbat to fears and panic.”
Alexa Chung’s cocooning, safeguarding
trench coats, designers are responding For Marine Serre, a post-apocalyptic
to scientists’ apocalyptic climate world is more of an inspiration than a
change forecasts, some with tongue- reason to create buffers against the
and-cheek creations, others with more elements. Her fall 2019 womenswear
practical solutions. collection at Paris Fashion Week
mixed head-to-toe nylon body suits
“Fashion is a manifestation of our inner with padded coveralls and leather
psyche,” Sara Idacavage, a fashion face masks, and had bright, faux-fur
historian at Parsons School of Design, accents. “It’s after the apocalypse; a

Unfortunately Ready to Wear by Luke Sabbat

FASHION F RE N ZY THE A NXIE TY ECO NO MY 17

group of friends are underground—a •

community coming together,” Serre “Fashion is a
told Vogue. “It’s a safe zone in which manifestation of
a new world is being created, a future
our inner psyche.”
world, and a new way to see fashion.”
•
Other designers have also put
forward their visions for future-wear.
Junya Watanabe dressed his models
for emergency responders, security
in fireman jackets and trousers
guards and doomsday preppers.”
decorated with reflective neon
patches, while Raf Simons opted for
New York City creative studio Milk
orange construction coveralls and
collaborated with designer Luka
knitted balaclavas for his ready-to-
Sabbat and the NRDC to launch a
wear collection for Calvin Klein in
conceptual collection at New York
February 2019. The New York Times
Fashion Week that featured garments
writer Max Berlinger echoed other
that shield against fires, diseases and
fashion observers in labeling the styles
severe weather. While some of the
“war-core,” suggesting that “if fashion
pieces, such as the smoke-filtering
is reflecting our anxious times, the
bandana and the fireproof jacket,
most alarmist trend these days is the
could prove useful in today’s tough
rise of military-inspired clothing and
environments, the ultimate goal was to
other utilitarian garb normally reserved

Marine Serre, Fall 2019 womenswear collection. Photography by Filippo Fior, Gorunway.com
FASHION F RE N ZY
educate consumers on how to avoid
the worst possible climate change
scenario forecast by the United
Nations (UN).
“We’re going at this from a different
angle than I think most environmental
organizations have ever done,” Reah
Suh, president of the NRDC, told Fast
Company. “Honestly, I think we need to
be a lot more creative about how we
reach out to new audiences.”
Cocooning styles that evoke a sense
of security and coziness continue
to appear on the runway, from Alexa
Chung’s fall 2019 collection, titled
Off the Grid But Not for Long, to
JW Anderson’s soft, blanket-like
outerwear that offered complete
coverage from the elements.
Even the “ugly shoe” trend—in all its
Unfortunately Ready to Wear by Luke Sabbat
THE A NXIE TY ECO NO MY 18
orthopedic glory—may have roots
in climate change worries. Jezebel
writer Jessica Boddy likened the
practical fashion trends of today to the
fashion industry’s response to World
War II, noting that “practical, durable,
utilitarian fashion is clearly having a
moment,” particularly the “chunky,
supportive, post-ugly sneakers” that
“cushion the feet of celebrities like
Bella Hadid and Tyler the Creator.”
For those who simply want to avoid
the troubles of adulthood, there’s
soothing escapism, a fashion trend
for older millennials who use candy-
colored clothing and sparkling
accessories to reconnect to their more
blissful childhoods. In one example,
British-American designer Mimi Wade
collaborated with Polly Pocket in
summer 2018 for a jewelry collection
to relaunch Mattel’s famous ’90s toy.
 THE A NXIE TY ECO NO MY 19

THE SEX RECESSION

Millennials are having less sex, and experts

have been quick to link it to everything from the
anxiety surrounding Donald Trump’s presidency
to the uptick in rates of depression.
In December 2018, the Atlantic
writer Kate Julian explored the “sex
recession” in depth, writing: “Among
the contradictions of our time is this:
We live in unprecedented physical
safety, and yet something about
modern life, very recent modern
life, has triggered in many of us
autonomic responses associated with
danger—anxiety, constant scanning
of our surroundings, fitful sleep.
Under these circumstances, survival
trumps desire. As Emily Nagoski likes
to point out, nobody ever died of
sexlessness: ‘We can starve to death,
die of dehydration, even die of sleep
deprivation. But nobody ever died of
not being able to get laid.’”
The sexual decline, which is also
hitting other age groups, is being
attributed to a variety of factors,
from growing rates of anxiety and
depression to “body dissatisfaction”
to the rise of helicopter parents
preventing their children from healthy
co-ed social activities and dating
opportunities. Julian also explores
a social shift that could be making
it harder to establish romantic
connections in person—with the
#MeToo movement highlighting the
issue of consent, men and women
are experiencing a “new tentativeness
and hesitancy” when it comes to
asking someone out. It’s becoming
commonplace to meet first through

Hers
TH E SE X RECES SI O N
digital dating apps like Tinder and
Bumble, which take the “fear and
uncertainty” out of how to interpret
whether or not someone is interested.
The flipside is that some people find
navigating these apps so problematic
that they stop bothering altogether
and voluntarily embrace celibacy.
Among the recent wave of digital
telehealth startups, Hims offers a
millennial-friendly remedy for one
aspect of the sex recession, pledging
to take anxiety out of the bedroom.
Hims, which launched in November
2017, sells direct-to-consumer
medicine for erectile dysfunction,
swapping the typical Viagra ads aimed
at older men for trendy branding
targeted at 30-something working
professionals. (About one in four men
may experience erectile dysfunction
Hers
THE A NXIE TY ECO NO MY 20
before they’re 40, according to a
2013 report published in the Journal
of Sexual Medicine.) Hims also
sells other health and wellness
products, and seems its message is
resonating—the company was worth
$200 million just a little over a year
after it launched and was valued at $1
billion in March 2019.
This rapid growth occurred partly
because the company launched Hers
in November 2018, offering similar
products for women in millennial-
friendly packaging, including a
controversial “female Viagra” called
Addyi. On the Hers website, the brand
states that, “We believe that women
should have the opportunity to crave
sex just as much as their counterpart.
And no, it is not weird or abnormal
for a woman to have a low libido, it is
quite the opposite.”
TH E SE X RECES SI O N
As critics debate whether low libido in
premenopausal women should even
be treated with a pill, Hims is under fire
from consumers over another direct-
to-consumer drug on its websites.
In February 2019, the Hims and Hers
brands began to sell propranolol, a
prescription medication generally used
to treat high blood pressure and heart
conditions that doctors also prescribe
off-label for anxiety. In March, Hers
released a Facebook and Instagram ad
suggesting that, among other uses, it
could help beat those first-date jitters
for a $25 monthly fee. “Nervous about
your big date? Propranolol can help
stop your shaky voice, sweating and
racing heart beat,” the ad promised.
Instagram “anti-influencer” Yana
Sheptovetskaya of @gelcream was
horrified, responding to the Hers ad
in an Instagram story that provoked
Hers
THE A NXIE TY ECO NO MY 21
• more than 10,000 comments from
“To some other mostly outraged consumers.
extent, After Hers apologized on its Instagram
account, Sheptovetskaya responded
‘buyer
by saying: “playing with insecurities
beware’
to sell serious drugs, especially
applies” when you market them to younger
• audiences—it is irresponsible.”
Still, the social anxiety remedy
remains available on the websites of
both brands, marking a shift in the
digital wellness economy’s marketing
for mental health. “I think in some
ways the availability of these drugs
reinforces this idea that anything can
be fixed and done away with quickly
by taking a pill,” Greg Fonzo, assistant
professor of psychiatry at Dell
Medical School at the University of
Texas at Austin, told Vice. “It’s never
quite that simple. To some extent,
‘buyer beware’ applies.”
 THE A NXIE TY ECO NO MY 22

POST-TRUTH

From the fake news frenzy of the 2016

presidential election to the disastrous
scandals of the Fyre Festival and Theranos,
the age of post-truth continues, as questions
of accountability and transparency fray the
relationships between consumers and brands.

Companies seeking to survive these essentially repost influencer content

turbulent times and sidestep distrust
are taking steps to become more
transparent and establish more
intimate connections with their target
audiences. The trend is even apparent
in the influencer world, where nano-
influencers—those with just a few
thousand followers, but stronger and
more personal ties to their fans—are
on the rise. In March 2019, Instagram
released a feature called branded
content ads. Partly intended to make
influencer marketing more transparent,
the new system allows brands to
as an advertisement on their own
page, to reach a wider fanbase.
Other brands are seeking to be
authentic by acknowledging consumer
concerns and anxieties through
clever marketing schemes. From long-
established companies like Budweiser
to future-facing firms like Amazon (see
“Friendly Foes”), brands are becoming
refreshingly (or deceptively) self-aware
in a bid to help customers find them
more relatable.

Not Everything Makes the Cut ad by Amazon

P OST- T RUT H
Food fears
As the quest for the hyper-healthy,
hyper-safe diet goes mainstream,
big supermarket chains and food
companies are facing challenges and
losing market share. Fears around
GMOs, sugars and other ingredients,
as well as sustainability concerns,
are pushing shoppers—especially
millennials—to search for cleaner
alternatives.
“While enormously efficient at
producing inexpensive, shelf-stable
and food-safe products, the industry
has fallen out of touch with consumer
demands for ingredient integrity,
nutritional density and less processed
foods,” wrote John Grubb in Nutrition
Business Journal. “And in serving the
interests of their members, industry
trade groups have conspicuously
Naked Juice
THE A NXIE TY ECO NO MY 23
ignored consumer demands for
greater transparency and integrity.”
In some cases, however, big brands
have taken consumer concerns to
heart. Mars Wrigley Confectionery
announced in the fall of 2018 that
it was adjusting the recipes of its
Mars and Snickers bars in the United
Kingdom, claiming to make them
healthier. In March 2019, PepsiCo’s
Naked Juice ran a campaign for its
new line of juices with 50% less sugar,
with a message about setting small,
attainable, realistic health goals in an
effort to empathize with the struggles
of the average consumer.
In a more controversial move,
Budweiser pandered to consumer
anxieties around high-fructose corn
syrup to create demand for Bud Light.
Its 2019 ad proclaimed to Super Bowl
P OST- T RUT H
LIII viewers, “We don’t brew Bud Light
with corn syrup.”
Critics such as Anup Shah, vice
president of the Miller beer brand
family, claim that Budweiser’s efforts
rely on confusing consumers about
the difference between corn syrup
and high-fructose corn syrup. Adding
to this confusion, brewing expert at
Cornell University Kaylyn Kirkpatrick
told Time that corn syrup is
completely fermented out of the beer
by the time it reaches the bottle.
The controversy, according to Well
& Good, adds up to another example
of healthwashing, where “food and
drink brands are latching on to any
opportunity to align with wellness,”
without necessarily providing any
significant health benefits.
Bud Light's Special Delivery commercial
THE A NXIE TY ECO NO MY 24
Consumer distrust of large consumer
goods companies has created
opportunities for private label brands.
“The role of the brand is evolving,”
Grubb continued. “Millennials are
selectively brand loyal, but they are
also very experimental and more
attentive to peer endorsement than
top-down marketing messages. In this
context there has been both growth
and material quality improvement
in private label offerings serving to
partially displace incumbent brands.”
Nielsen reported that in the last
quarter of 2018, sales of private label
consumer goods brands in US stores
were up 4.3%, compared to a 1.2%
increase for the 20 largest brands in
that category.
Direct-to-consumer startup
and private label brand Public
P OST- T RUT H
Goods recently launched a line of
healthy food. Available as part of a
subscription service, it rivals bricks-
and-mortar stores such as Whole
Foods and Trader Joe’s. Founder and
CEO Morgan Hirsh told Fast Company
that its goal is to make good-for-
you sustainable products available
at a lower price point to consumers
who do not have access to specialty
stores in their neighborhoods. Its
minimalist packaging is designed
to put the buyer at ease and blend
seamlessly into the home.
“We didn’t need to put all kinds of
fake promises or flashy design on the
bottles because I just don’t think that
actually looks nice once you bring it
out of Duane Reade,” Hirsh said. “It’s
a lot like bringing a billboard or an
advertisement and putting it into your
bathroom.”
Brandless
THE A NXIE TY ECO NO MY 25
The competition in this space is
heating up. Rising private label player
Brandless sells quality fair-trade,
vegan and non-GMO food, beauty,
and wellness products, with prices
starting from a mere $3. It tested
the IRL (in real life) crowd with a
12-day pop-up in New York in fall
2018, shortly after reports from
e-commerce research firm Edison
Trends showed that the company
had lower retention rates than
industry giants such as Amazon.
It remains to be seen what lies
ahead for newcomers as big-box
companies launch their own private
label brands to respond to consumer
concerns—towards the end of
2018 Amazon’s Happy Belly expanded
into milk and cheese products,
while Target launched household
goods label Smartly in October the
same year.
P OST- T RUT H THE A NXIE TY ECO NO MY 26

Public Goods
P OST- T RUT H
Waste worries
As consumers begin to recognize
the connection between food waste
and their worries about climate
change and sustainability, food tech
startups are stepping in. Companies
tackling food waste issues raised
approximately $125 million in funding
in the first 10 months of 2018,
according to a report by US nonprofit
Refed. One such company, Silo, raised
more than $1.4 million in a Kickstarter
campaign in fall 2018 to launch Alexa-
connected smart containers that
send an alert when food goes bad.
The vacuum-seal system is designed
to keep food fresher for longer and
help combat some of the $165 billion-
worth of food waste per year in the
United States, according to a report
from the Natural Resources Defense
Council (NRDC).
Loop
THE A NXIE TY ECO NO MY 27
Loop, the brainchild of Tom Szaky,
CEO of waste management company
TerraCycle, aims to tackle packaging
waste with the help of a line-up of
consumer goods giants, including
Procter & Gamble, Unilever, PepsiCo,
Mars and Nestlé, as well as retailers
Carrefour and Tesco, and operational
partners Suez and UPS. Through
Loop’s service, expected to soft-
launch in May 2019, customers can
buy their favorite brands, such as
Häagen-Dazs and Hellmann’s, in
reusable tins. While orders can
only currently be placed on Loop’s
website, the hope is to eventually
integrate with other online and offline
retailers.
When Loop’s customers have used
up their products, they can collect
the empty tins in a Loop tote and
P OST- T RUT H THE A NXIE TY ECO NO MY 28

• schedule a convenient pick-up

“More from their home—an endeavor, the
zero-waste company says, that gives new life to
the concept of the original milkman.
solutions
are
“These brands are interested in
emerging” appealing to consumers seeking
• green-focused brands,” Loop’s
publicist Eric Rosen tells the
Innovation Group. “Businesses big
and small are looking for solutions
to respond to consumers’ desire to
create less waste and lessen the
impact on the environment. More
zero-waste solutions are emerging,
such as bulk stores and package-free
aisles in the supermarket. With more
awareness of the waste crisis comes
the likelihood that businesses that
don’t seek to reduce waste will see
their reputations suffer.”

Loop

WELLNESS
Wellbeing overload
Thanks, in part, to a cascade of online
wellness influencers, the proliferation
of self-care—the supposed antidote
to the chaos of the era—is becoming
too much to handle.
The global wellness industry reached
$4.2 trillion in 2017, up 12.8% in two
years—more than half of the total
global spending on health, at $7.3
trillion—according to the Global
Wellness Institute. While this spells
opportunity for retailers, there are signs
that consumers could be recoiling.
“I believe the pressure people feel
to engage in performative wellness
creates anxiety, self-doubt, and
depression,” author and wellness
maven Latham Thomas told Well &
Good, adding that social media is
contributing to a consumer culture
Facebook Austin. Image courtesy of Facebook
THE A NXIE TY ECO NO MY 29
that’s hyper-focused on self-care,
creating an environment that’s in
opposition to what was intended.
Well & Good states that “2019 is looking
like the year when we get real about
what’s doable on a daily basis.” In
beauty, this means embracing “skip
care”—cutting down on the number of
skincare steps to simplify your routine
and minimize the number of chemicals
making contact with your face. Fitness
gurus are revisiting their relationship
with exercise to offer more basic
regular workouts.
And, of course, a probable key culprit
of wellness burnout is also getting a
pause button—social media purging
is encouraged even by tech giants
like Facebook, Instagram, and Google,
following an overwhelming volume of
research that suggests tech can do
WE L LNES S THE A NXIE TY ECO NO MY 30

more harm than good when it comes to

mental health and wellness. A January
2019 study by Stanford University
and New York University researchers
suggests that deactivating Facebook
altogether can lead to mental health
improvements; users that went
without the social media platform for a
month exhibited “small but significant
improvements in wellbeing.”

To help stem anxiety, Google launched

a Digital Wellbeing initiative in early
2018, with a series of apps that officially
went live in November that year. One of
the features includes YouTube’s “Take
a Break” reminders that viewers can
customize to prevent those late-night
video binges. But even that may not be
enough for a group of UK MPs, who, in
March 2019, proposed a tax on social-
media companies that would fund
social-media mental health research.

Digital Wellbeing by Google. Image courtesy of Google

WE L LNES S
Can CBD cure all?
The wellness product that’s
outshining them all is described by
New York Times writer Alex Williams
as a “fix for our anxious times.” CBD
is a cannabis compound that is
expected to reach $16 billion in retail
sales by 2025, according to analysts
at Cowen. It has made its way into
nearly every industry, and some
of the latest deals show just how
mainstream the allegedly miraculous,
cure-all properties of CBD could go.
Martha Stewart announced in
February 2019 that she is going to
work with cannabis firm Canopy
Growth to make CBD products for
pets, while Cowen analysts predict
Starbucks might be the first coffee
chain to introduce CBD-infused
drinks, should FDA regulations allow
The High End at Barneys New York in Beverly Hills
THE A NXIE TY ECO NO MY 31
CBD as a food additive. In January
2019, Canadian-based cannabis
producer Tilray signed a deal with
Authentic Brands, which owns
footwear labels including Nine West
and Airwalk, to distribute products
such as pain-relieving foot creams
laced with cannabis, while Designer
Shoe Warehouse announced a similar
agreement with Green Growth Brands.
While plenty of beauty and wellness
CBD products are already available
at Sephora, a slew of newcomer
retailers are racing to become the
next “Sephora of CBD,” including
Fleur Marché, launched by ex-Goop
directors in January 2019. In the
luxury arena, Barneys in Beverly
Hills opened The High End on the
fifth floor of its department store
on March 29, 2019, teaming up
with cannabis accessories brand
WE L LNES S THE A NXIE TY ECO NO MY 32

The High End at Barneys New York in Beverly Hills

WE L LNES S THE A NXIE TY ECO NO MY 33

Beboe to curate a luxury space for •

cannabis imbibers. Surrounded by “One of the
soothing hemp green and marble
greatest
walls, shoppers can browse custom-
risks we
blown glass pipes, vintage ashtrays,
CBD-infused lip gloss and more,
see is that
and consult the brand’s website for
people
guides to CBD wellness and beauty think
products. of CBD
as this
Regulators, however, are so far miracle
unsure how to handle the barrage cure-all”
of CBD innovations. Even as the •
2018 Farm Bill passed, legalizing the
production of hemp, New York City
and California health departments
doubled down on enforcing their ban education and retail, set to go live
on CBD in food and drink. in spring 2019. “One of the greatest
risks we see is that people think of
To try and help clear up confusion, CBD as this miracle cure-all,” Assaf
Jessica Assaf, cofounder of the told Well & Good. “We can’t just be
Honest Company, is set to launch using CBD in a bubble and not take
Prima, an online platform for hemp care of our health in other ways.”

The High End at Barneys New York in Beverly Hills


TECHNOLOGY
Protective tech
Tech firms and entrepreneurs aimed
to sooth, reassure, and offer security
at CES 2019. Some innovations, such
as BeeLife’s Cocoon, delivered high-
tech solutions to climate-change
challenges like the declining bee
population, while others, including
Avidea’s Safe Zone, vowed to better
secure schools against gun violence.
Others responded to anxieties about
unseen environmental hazards.
Consumers will breathe easier thanks
to French startup R-Pur, which has
designed a filter mask specifically
for bikers and motorcyclists. R-Pur
claims to protect against pollen,
viruses, bacteria, and virtually any
nanoparticle the size of PM0.04,
which is 60 times smaller than
PM2.5—the particle commonly
Bot Air by Samsung
THE A NXIE TY ECO NO MY 34
measured in highly polluted cities
like Beijing. Samsung addressed
burgeoning air pollution concerns
with a smart air purifier called Bot
Air, which, with the help of sensors,
navigates to whichever part of the
home has the worst air quality.
The Korean tech giant isn’t the only
one getting in on the air purifier
market, which is expected to reach
about $33 billion globally by 2023. By
2020, Ikea is set to debut the Gunrid
air purifying curtain, which boasts a
photocatalyst coating that allegedly
removes pollutants in the home that
other air purifiers can’t tackle, while
restaurants, gyms, and even hotels
like The Four Seasons Hotel Los
Angeles at Beverly Hills are adding
advanced air purification systems to
their luxury amenities.
TEC HNOLO GY THE A NXIE TY ECO NO MY 35

Startup founders are listening as

trust is eroding in institutions relied
on to provide safe water. Some of
the latest headlines on microplastics
from the Guardian and CNN warn
that these tiny pieces of plastic
debris are everywhere, including
fresh water sources, air, and even
bottled water.

Israeli startup Lishtot, named

by Time magazine as one of the
top genius companies of 2018,
references water crises like that
of Flint, Michigan, when marketing
its keychain-like device that lets
consumers instantly test the
safety of their water. “One-third of
Americans drink polluted water—
don’t be the next Flint, Michigan,” its
tagline reads.

Gunrid air purifying curtains by Ikea

TEC HNOLO GY THE A NXIE TY ECO NO MY 36

Larq, a San Francisco-based startup following a successful Kickstarter

that attended CES, promises to
remove “99.9999% of bacteria and
viruses” from drinking water. The
company uses UV-C LED technology
to offer a convenient self-cleaning
bottle, thus avoiding single-use
plastics. Larq clearly has millennials
in mind, with minimalist design and
colors like Himalayan Pink, Seaside
Mint, and Granite White devised to
rival the chunky water-purifying
travel thermoses already on the
market. The product retails for $95
on Goop and Bloomingdales.
campaign that saw more than 800
backers raise four times its goal.
“We imagine a future in which
healthy hydration is available to
all in a convenient, affordable and
environmentally sustainable form,”
Mitte’s CMO Karan Sarin told Forbes.
“Where people can choose the water
that suits their tastes and lifestyles,
and where plastic bottles are the
exception rather than the rule.”

Another startup, Mitte, debuted a

table-top smart water filter that
promises to remove microplastics,
while adding back in the minerals
that most water purifiers remove.
The Berlin-based company raised a
seed round of $10.6 million last year

Larq
TEC HNOLO GY THE A NXIE TY ECO NO MY 37

Larq
TEC HNOLO GY THE A NXIE TY ECO NO MY 38

Home security gets smarter

In 2019, responding to the current

sense of unease, home security
specialist SimpliSafe became the
first such company to debut a Super
Bowl commercial. The 30-second
spot, “Fear is Everywhere,” explores
some of the bogeymen confronting
homeowners, from “porch pirates” to
spy drones, with a touch of dry humor.

“We’ve landed on an idea that

acknowledges the amount of fear and
anxiety in the air right now and offers
a simple way to face that fear,” says
Rob Baird, chief creative officer at
Preacher, the Austin-based creative
agency that worked on the ad.

At CES 2019, French tech company

Netatmo debuted a smart video
doorbell security device that’s

SimpliSafe
TEC HNOLO GY THE A NXIE TY ECO NO MY 39

compatible with the Apple HomeKit Google about hidden microphones

and can be used without a in Nest devices that the company
subscription, while California-based claims it forgot to tell customers were
Maximus revealed a dual camera there. The company has also been
doorbell system—one of its video encouraging customers to secure
lenses can be trained on packages their Nest smart home security
left on the porch. From family houses camera systems after a spate of
to luxury apartment complexes, tech hacking reports.
for safeguarding the home is more
streamlined and sophisticated than
ever before. “We’re at the point where
security in some high-end buildings
is starting to resemble systems in
casinos and airports,” Dino Iuliano, the
chief revenue officer at concierge and
security firm Planned Companies, told
the New York Times.

But even security systems may not

even be completely safe, or so it
seems in the midst of Google’s latest
challenges with Nest. In February
2019, Congress started questioning

Netatmo smart video doorbell

TEC HNOLO GY
Friendly foes
As tech increasingly moves from
the computer and the phone to
invading the personal spaces in
consumers’ homes and cars, the
robot takeover of humankind, as
seen in the film The Matrix, seems
more likely every day. A Gallup
survey conducted with Northeastern
University and released in January
2018 summarized Americans’ views
on the rise of technology and AI as
a mix of “optimism and anxiety,”
particularly when it comes to future
job security and the commodity of
human intelligence. The results of
a PCMag survey released in March
2019 revealed that privacy topped
the list of Americans’ concerns with
smart-home devices—out of 2,075
respondents, 40% said always-on
devices were their first point of
100 Billion Words Super Bowl Commercial 2019 by Google
THE A NXIE TY ECO NO MY 40
anxiety when making a smart-home
purchase.
It seemed as though tech companies,
aware of this swelling anxiety, were
eager to take the edge off when
creating the 2019 Super Bowl LIII ads,
as if to reassure audiences that their
devices have humans’ best interests
at heart after all.
Google aimed to strike an emotional
chord with a minute-long ad that
ultimately revealed the most
searched phrases on its Google
Translate app were “how are you?”
“thank you” and “I love you.” The
video makes its point by showcasing
a montage of travelers reaping the
benefits of using the translation tool
around the world, seeding the idea
that personal tech fosters human
connections and interactions instead
TEC HNOLO GY
of eliminating them. Mercedes-Benz
went for more traditional appeal
with the idea that voice-activated
technology can make humans feel
good, showing “Say the Word” in its
spot to illustrate what life would be
like “if only everything in life listened
to you like your new A-class.”
Amazon admits in its ad “Not
Everything Makes the Cut” that being
too dependent on Alexa’s capabilities
might spell trouble, comedically
suggesting that its voice assistant
can’t—and probably shouldn’t—do
everything. This is underlined when,
to the dismay of actor Harrison Ford,
his dog orders a truckload of dog
food from Amazon, thanks to an
Alexa-powered smart collar.
However, Troy Patterson saw things
differently in his New Yorker article
Not Everything Makes the Cut ad by Amazon
THE A NXIE TY ECO NO MY 41
• “The 2019 Super Bowl Ads are a Case
Tech Study in Technological Dread.” He
design laments Amazon’s ad, which primarily
demonstrates the company’s “tone-
is also
deafness to the fear that its own
shifting as
power stokes... We are meant to
companies be charmed, rather than terrified,
strive by speculative fiction about the
to make whoopsie doodles of the world’s
themselves largest internet company.”
and their
devices In its Super Bowl ad “RoboChild,”
appear less TurboTax opts to acknowledge to
sinister consumers’ growing distrust of bots
and more by assuring viewers that it uses
real humans in its customer service
relatable.
interactions. It playfully highlights the
•
limitations of technology by creating
a Pinocchio-like robot who has yet to
perfect his emotional intelligence.
Tech design is also shifting
as companies strive to make
TEC HNOLO GY THE A NXIE TY ECO NO MY 42

themselves and their devices appear artwork that adapted to the moods
less sinister and more relatable. of passersby and was designed to
At CES 2019, Samsung unveiled a evoke positive feelings. The project,
home medical care robot, Bot Care, by Swedish media company Clear
which, in addition to performing Channel, could serve as inspiration
services such as health checkups for other anxiety-ridden cities across
and heart-rate tracking, shows its the world.
own “feelings” via digital eyes on
its display screen “face.” The bot is
curvy, cute and creature-like, much
like Honda’s 3E-A18 robot, debuted
at CES 2018, which is designed to be
empathetic.

Other innovators are harnessing

tech for wellbeing in new ways,
using advancements in AI and
bio-signal recognition to improve
consumers’ moods. The Emotional
Art Gallery, an exhibition displayed in
March 2019 in Stockholm’s subway
system, used digital display boards,
normally reserved for advertising, as

The Emotional Art Gallery, Sweden

TEC HNOLO GY THE A NXIE TY ECO NO MY 43

The Emotional Art Gallery, Sweden


TAKEAWAYS
1. Political and environmental upheavals
are certainly causing feelings of panic and
helplessness, but they are also pushing
consumer awareness to new heights. A 2017
Cone Communications study showed that 87% of
Americans would purchase from a business that
supports environmental or social issues they care
about. Consumer demand for change is pushing
companies to become extra-creative on all fronts;
for example by disrupting online retail with zero-
waste innovations, or using fashion to inspire
action on climate change.
2. As consumer trust in major institutions erodes,
big brands are trying to change tactics before it’s
too late. In this post-truth world, companies are
aligning themselves with transparent initiatives,
making emotional connections with consumers
through social issues, and getting more personal
with micro-influencers.
3. Some companies are causing controversy by
cashing in on consumer fears, from Budweiser’s
questionable focus on corn syrup in its 2019
THE A NXIE TY ECO NO MY 44
Super Bowl ad to a trendy D2C startup’s sale of
medication for social anxiety. “Miraculous” CBD
remedies and self-care itself are also attracting
their share of skepticism, and entrepreneurs in
the space are scrambling to curb the confusion.
4. The uncertain implications of technology’s
transformative power are terrifying for many
consumers, and tech companies of all sizes, from
giants to startups, know it. Tech innovations are
being promoted as ways to tackle major world
problems and make consumers feel safer in their
homes, schools, and communities—and tech firms
are making it a priority to seem human-centric
and relatable.
5. Dystopian interpretations of the future are
influencing almost every area of culture, from
fashion and beauty to entertainment and art.
Some manifestations are practical and utilitarian,
while others, such as the wave of young
Instagrammers experimenting with grotesque
beauty, serve as outlets for entirely new forms
of expression.
About the Innovation Group Contact:
The Innovation Group is J. Walter Thompson’s futurism, research and Lucie Greene
innovation unit. It charts emerging and future global trends, consumer change, Worldwide Director of the Innovation Group
and innovation patterns—translating these into insight for brands. It offers J. Walter Thompson Intelligence
a suite of consultancy services, including bespoke research, presentations, lucie.greene@jwt.com
co-branded reports and workshops. It is also active in innovation, partnering
with brands to activate future trends within their framework and execute new Creative director
products and concepts. It is led by Lucie Greene, Worldwide Director of the Emma Chiu, the Innovation Group
Innovation Group.
Writer
About J. Walter Thompson Intelligence Jessica Rapp
The Innovation Group is part of J. Walter Thompson Intelligence, a platform
for global research, innovation and data analytics at J. Walter Thompson Sub editor
Company, housing three key in-house practices: SONAR™, Analytics and Hester Lacey
the Innovation Group. SONAR™ is J. Walter Thompson’s research unit that
develops and explores new quantitative and qualitative research techniques —
to understand cultures, brands and consumer motivation around the world.
It is led by Mark Truss, Worldwide Director of Brand Intelligence. Analytics Cover image
focuses on the innovative application of data and technology to inform and Merger by Keiichi Matsuda
inspire new marketing solutions.