The rise in candy from around the world reflects people's growing adventurous palates and the role of social media in introducing new foods globally.
History has significantly influenced what various cultures consider beautiful. Major economic and political events, along with shifts in the cultural zeitgeist, have all played a crucial part in shaping ideal beauty standards.
For instance, colonialism radically shifted beauty ideals in many Asian and African countries. Features that didn’t fit with Eurocentric beauty ideals, like deeper skin tones, smaller eye shapes and textured hair, were deemed undesirable, introducing a social hierarchy that is still being unraveled today.
In modern society, the rise of the Internet and social media has been a transformative force in shaping beauty standards. Asian beauty techniques and products have spread to the West and entered the mainstream, while Western influencer and celebrity culture has permeated globally. The conversation around beauty has become increasingly diverse and inclusive, celebrating a wider range of features and styles.
These evolving perspectives on beauty have led to the emergence of new practices, which are prominently reflected in modern advertising. Using our AI-powered Ad Evaluation App, we analyzed beauty advertisements from the 1990s and 2000s by the same brands across five different markets - the US, China, India, Japan, and Brazil. Our goal was to observe their transformation over time and identify any movements between these markets.
Previous Archetypes and Values: Sensual, Intimate, Passionate
New Archetypes and Values: Sensual, Intimate, Passionate, Inspiration, Glamorous
Brazil boasts one of the world’s most diverse cultures, but its beauty standards haven't always reflected that. L’Oreal’s earlier ads featured a light-skinned American model, which is not representative of the country's diversity. While the preferences for glamour and sensuality have remained central, modern ads now showcase a nuanced version of beauty, highlighting different ethnicities and genders. This bolder approach contrasts with the seemingly self-effacing ad of the past, redefining and embracing what beauty looks like in Brazil.
Previous Archetypes and Values: Supportive, Down-to-Earth
New Archetypes and Values: Strong, Brave, Determined
Estee Lauder's 2002 ad in China features Caucasian model Hilary Rhoda as the ambassador, dubbed in Mandarin. This ad may have been a reflection of the period's idealization of foreign beauty and a lack of strong Chinese identity in the beauty industry at the time. More than two decades later, the 2024 ad we analyzed showcases Zhang Weili, a professional MMA fighter, training in a boxing ring. This shift indicates a move away from the consumption of imported beauty standards towards the creation of a homegrown ideal. The new standard of beauty emphasizes strength and health, qualities that Chinese consumers admire and aspire to, and see in themselves.
Previous Archetypes and Values: Powerful, Charismatic, Visionary
New Archetype and Values: Playful, Carefree, Fun-Loving, Glamorous
The two L’Oreal India advertisements featuring long-time brand ambassador Aishwarya Rai illustrate a shift in marketing strategy over the last decade. In the earlier ad, Aishwarya embodies the quintessential beautiful Indian woman, dressed-up and perfectly coiffed. This portrayal emphasizes an idealized and somewhat unattainable standard of beauty.The updated ad presents a more casual and relatable image of the actress, which suggests an attitudinal shift among Indian consumers. While she remains glamorous, the ad focuses on portraying her in a more accessible light, thus positioning her as someone who wants to help other women feel beautiful too.
Previous Archetypes and Values: Innocent, Humble, Optimistic
New Archetypes and Values: Warm, Compassionate, Generous, Nurturing, Inspirational
Shiseido's ads reflect the evolving reality of Japanese women over the past 30 years. The 1992 ad depicts a woman at home, where women typically spent most of their time. The modern ad, however, shows Japanese celebrity Hiromi Nagasaku in various aspects of her life—at work and with her family—showcasing the joy she feels. She appears more confident and assertive, reflecting contemporary Japanese views on beauty. In the past, beauty was associated with cleanliness, but now it encompasses a woman living her life fully and enjoying every moment, illustrating that beauty comes from within rather than just external appearances.
Previous Archetypes and Values: Expressive, Imaginative, Sensuality
New Archetypes and Values: Playful, Fun-loving, Glamorous, Entertaining
Both Maybelline ads share a similar concept, creating a fantasy world that doesn't take itself too seriously. Beauty is meant to be fun, and the 2023 version feels like a modern update of the earlier ad's playful message. The latest ad features the unexpected pairing of Bretman Rock and Martha Stewart, and utilizes both their brand personas. This shift showcases a growing consumer desire for inclusivity and authenticity in advertising, challenging traditional notions of beauty and expanding the idea of who gets to wear makeup.
Our analysis of ads from these five markets reveals three key ways ideas have traveled, highlighting the shift from one-dimensional to multidimensional beauty. The meaning of this shift varies across cultures.
Many modern ads demonstrate a shift in the relationship and power dynamics between beauty brands and consumers. In the past, the beauty industry focused on highlighting imperfections and promoting unattainable standards that could only be achieved through their products. Today, consumers are more empowered and seek brands that affirm their beauty and support them in their journey to become the best version of themselves.
Markets Demostrating this Theme: USA. Brazil, Japan.
Modern beauty ads seem to share a common thread: beauty is about play and passion. It’s meant to be fun and accessible to everyone who wants to take part in it. It's believed that happiness and fulfillment in life radiate outwardly. When you feel content and satisfied, it enhances your external appearance.Brands need to promote the idea that their products are a means to explore, have fun, and express joy, reinforcing where true beauty comes from.
Markets Demostrating this Theme: USA, Brazil, China, Japan, India.
Seeing yourself on screen is more important than ever before. Consumers are demanding to see people who not only look like them but also reflect the unique interpretations of beauty in their respective countries. They want to see individuals who mirror their ideals and lifestyles and with whom they can emotionally connect.
The expectation is for brands to understand them on a far deeper level and cater to their beauty standards, rather than setting the standards for them.
Markets Demostrating this Theme: USA, Brazil, China, Japan.
Candy remains a favorite in ASMR eating videos due to its visual appeal and sound when chewed. Recently, popular candies with crunchy and sludgy sounds have become especially soothing.
Consumers' tastes now favor sharper, tangier flavors. Sour candy offers a refreshing contrast to sweetness and stimulates dopamine release. It is also believed to be a quick antidote for anxiety, as it distracts the brain from negative emotions and focuses it on the tingly sensation in the mouth.
Nostalgia has hit the candy market, with 90s and 00s favorites like Ring Pops, Airheads, and Nerds topping Amazon’s Best Sellers list, indicating consumers’ craving for childhood snacks.
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As beauty standards become more inclusive and diverse, it is clear that consumers are driving a transformative shift in media and advertising, seeking representations that are authentic, empowering, and reflective of their true selves.
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Brand Insights in 3 Sentences: The emergence of AI music generators and the viral success of songs like “heart on my sleeve” showcases the future of AI music and its impact on the music industry. While there are significant ethical and legal challenges to address, the possibilities of creating new genres and pushing the boundaries of music is limitless. The music industry and other related companies need to become versed in the technology and embrace its potential, but also to prioritize the ethical considerations of using AI to create music.
This sounds like a new song by Drake and The Weeknd, but what if we told you that neither of these musicians might have been involved with its creation and that it’s in fact, AI-generated.
“Heart on my sleeve” is a song written and produced by TikTok creator ghostwriter977. Its vocals were made to sound like Drake and The Weeknd, likely with the help of AI, and blew up on platforms like TikTok, Spotify, Apple Music and YouTube overnight. The song went viral before being wiped off the platforms as quickly as they appeared, due to copyright claims made by the artists’ record label, Universal Music Group.
By the time it was removed, it’s reported that the song “had racked up 600,000 Spotify streams, 15M TikTok views and 275,000 YouTube views.” There are plenty of conspiracy theories surrounding the song, with some alleging that it was a publicity stunt by Drake, and others questioning whether it was even AI at all or just someone autotuned to sound a lot like Drake. Whatever the case, it’s a huge turning point in the industry and throws open the ethical and social issues AI-content will have on music.
Today, there are dozens of AI music generators available online. Artificial intelligence can be implemented in many different ways and steps during the music-making process, from songwriting through simple prompts to automated mastering and creating synthetic voices. Many of them are also open-source, which means that it’s available to anyone and helps improve on existing technologies.
Search interest in AI music generators have increased by 886% over the past two years, with Boomy, Aiva and Soundraw being some of the most popular. These generators have given millions of amateur musicians without resources the tools to improve their creative processes and manifest their ideas. They also blur the lines between having an idea and actualizing it, which levels the creative playing field for any music participant, thus making way for endless possibilities for music as we know it.
One of the biggest fears that people have of AI and machine learning, is that it could render musicians and songwriters obsolete, as insinuated by “heart on my sleeve”. But, we’re here to make the case that this is likely not the case.
Creative AI tools will instead be useful as a supplemental tool to improve and simplify current processes by eliminating tedious tasks and allowing music makers to focus on their craft. We argue instead that “heart on my sleeve” demonstrates how music can be created by AI, but it doesn’t possess the creativity or the human touch that is required to make sense of the song. There still needs to be a person to edit, reimagine it to make it sound better, and have it relatable to listeners.
The future of AI’s role in the music industry and its boundlessness should be an exciting prospect for all musicians. AI requires innovation, so the need for curiosity, knowledge on this technology, sound and music creation will all be sought after. One artist that has embraced these new AI technology is Grimes, who’s invited creators’ to use AI-generated versions of her vocals to make new music. In a tweet, she stated that she would split 50% royalties on any successful AI-generated song that uses my voice. Same deal as I would with any artist i collab with.”
On Twitter, Grimes said that she was looking forward to being a “guinea pig” for AI-technology. When asked how she would react to graphic, racist or violent content however, the singer responded that she “may do copyright takedowns ONLY for rly rly toxic lyrics.”
The question of whether she has the legal right to get songs using her voice taken down remains a gray area, which therein lies one of the biggest challenges of AI music. The legalities of AI-generated music is uncharted territory, and artificial intelligence may be developing faster than the law can keep up. Who owns a copyright to the music? Given that machines draw from existing content, is it actually considered original work? What does this mean for streaming platforms?
The legalities of AI music is uncharted territory, and artificial intelligence may be developing faster than the law can keep up. So, however substantial the advantages of AI music is, it’s imperative that those questions be addressed. Lawmakers must hold AI-users accountable and that individuals remain responsible in how and why they utilize the technology.
Write to [email protected] to learn about AI-powered market research and the latest trends.
synthesizing vast data into actionable insights that reflect each market's unique cultural and economic backdrop
grasping the distinct consumer perspectives that these diverse regions offer
Curated digital profiles:
-Instagram, Twitter, and TikTok (US)
-Weibo and Douyin (China)
Pulled 400 million unique searches to estimate the growth of each segment
Used Quilt.AI’s Sphere language and image capabilities to categorise lifestyle areas into specific segments
These consumers are confident, bold, and comfortable with modern masculinity. They also often turn to social media to express their personal style and interests.
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Actionable Insight: Collaborate with high-profile fashion influencers to create vibrant, trend-setting campaigns that resonate with this segment's desire for attention and admiration.
Highly image-driven, these individuals often seek validation through their appearance and are likely to engage heavily with both grooming and fashion products.
Actionable Insight:Leverage digital marketing strategies that feature before-and-after visuals and testimonials that showcase the transformative power of the products
These men aim to be recognized as modern, open-minded, and sensitive – embodying the image of "the woke good guy" in today's society by actively participating in movements related to activism and gender equality.
Actionable Insight:Design marketing campaigns that highlight their participation in these movements, showcasing products that enable them to express and amplify their desired social identities.
They value beauty while still maintaining traditional masculine ideals of what it means to be good-looking. These men also tend to seek out methods of maintaining their youthful appearances.
Actionable Insight:Market products that boost physical appeal and suit active lifestyles, and focus on dynamic marketing that highlights masculine elegance.
Despite seeing gender in traditionally binary terms, these men aren’t afraid of behaving in more feminine manners. They own their uniqueness and tend to be deeply loyal to brands that affirm their identity.
Actionable Insight:Focusing on brand narratives that celebrate individuality and personal expression will better engage this segment. Brands can also offer personalized services to maintain their commitment.
As consumers who value knowledge, they embrace technology and innovation that enhances their lives. Wanting to stay ahead of the curve, they prefer brands that offer cutting-edge solutions that reflect their own mentality.
Actionable Insight:Market products to this segment by emphasizing innovation, utility, and exclusivity. Brands can focus on how their products integrate the latest technology and engage these men through intelligent content that speaks to their curiosity.
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