The US Census forecasts that by 2034, individuals over 65 will surpass those under 18 in numbers — a historical first. The upcoming decade promises profound shifts, influenced not just by demographic transitions but also by advancements in healthspan and the evolving cultural perceptions of "old age." Embracing this new paradigm is crucial. It's not just about tapping into a burgeoning market; it's about designing products and experiences that not only cater to this segment but also revolutionize categories for all.

With millennial women between 27 and 42 years of age, they are now entering not only perimenopause but menopause as well. In 2023, many will still be unclear about new health symptoms popping up and their meaning, in denial of their symptoms or met with a misdiagnosis in a doctor’s office. In celebration of World Menopause Day on October 18th, we will discuss the identification of symptoms, how to self-educate avoiding misinformation, and how to get the right healthcare for you with some of the top voices in the menopause space.

sparks & honey’s 3-part Beauty Briefing Series will demonstrate the power of cultural intelligence as a tool for marketers and innovators to navigate a rapidly shifting landscape and drive relevance with current and future beauty consumers.

Within the skin care space, s&h strategists will unpack changing habits, lifestyles and preferences that can drive more relevant marketing today, and detect emerging human problems, needs and wants to inspire future innovation and M&A potential.

Throughout history humans have gathered around communal fires, ancient tables, or kitchen islands to share food, drink, and conviviality—but how has gathering shifted in the age of AI tech, post-covid restructuring, changing family dynamics, and new moments of celebration? In this briefing s&h unpacks the pressing cultural shifts in human connections and what savvy food and beverage brands should be doing to prepare for the Future of Gathering.

Generative AI has been the hottest topic of 2023, what does it mean for your 2024 strategy? Generative AI is more than a trending tool. It has and will continue to shape how consumers engage, consume, and perceive brands in the foreseeable future. In this two-part series, sparks & honey cultural strategists will unpack how Generative AI has the potential to drive consumer engagement and commercial value by unpacking consumer sentiment and barriers to adoption around generative AI, ChatGPT, and related emerging technologies and identifying the key themes and cultural territories shaping the Gen AI landscape.

sparks & honey is pleased to welcome DigDeep Founder and CEO, George McGraw, for a fireside chat on Tuesday, October 3rd to discuss DigDeep’s US water access research, how for-profit brands are supporting DigDeep's work in innovative ways, and what purpose-driven leadership looks like in 2023.

The luxury category can tell us a lot about the state of the economy and consumer spending. As inflation and interest rates increase the cost of living, we dive into the forces shaping the aspirational markets for everything from fashion to spirits, travel to beauty, and what brands in and around those categories need to be doing to retain their cultural value amid economic headwinds.

In April, 2020, Sally Hubbard, a director at the Open Markets Institute and a former assistant attorney general in New York's antitrust bureau, said that Amazon has "essentially become infrastructure” during the COVID age – articulating how our reliance on retail companies made it so. The same “infrastructure” framing can be applied to a handful of industries and organizations, from healthcare to heavy equipment to aerospace, illustrating the tightening relationship between essential public infrastructure and private sector outputs. It is essential to understand and contextualize this relationship, resulting opportunities, and big societal issues – from AI to climate change – impacting this dynamic in the future.

This year’s Hispanic Heritage Month focuses on the impact of the Hispanic community as key drivers of America’s progress. The theme “Latinos: Driving Prosperity, Power, and Progress in America” is both a celebration and a call to action, recognizing the significant achievements of our community in the cultural, social, and economic growth of the US, as well as the significant potential for leaders in business and government who can anticipate and harness the energy that is yet to come as demographic and cultural shifts continue to materialize.

sparks & honey’s 3-part Beauty Briefing Series will demonstrate the power of cultural intelligence as a tool for marketers and innovators to navigate a rapidly shifting landscape and drive relevance with current and future beauty consumers.

Beginning with Cosmetics, s&h strategists will unpack changing habits, lifestyles and preferences that can drive more relevant marketing today, and detect emerging human problems, needs and wants to inspire future innovation and M&A potential.

Culture moves quickly, and if you’re not fully tapped into the current, you may lose sight of important cultural horizons. s&h is here to help you navigate! In our Weekly Culturecast briefing, the s&h team discusses the most important cultural happenings of the week to provide the strategy, insights, and POV needed to chart a course toward the future.

Culture moves quickly, and if you’re not fully tapped into the current, you may lose sight of important cultural horizons. s&h is here to help you navigate! In our Weekly Culturecast briefing, the s&h team discusses the most important cultural happenings of the week to provide the strategy, insights, and POV needed to chart a course toward the future.

As marketers gear up for ‘the most wonderful time of the year,’ the sparks and honey strategists sit down to discuss key behavioral changes and crucial cultural shifts brands will need to track inorder to find success this holiday season. Topics explored will include: the retail impact of Chat GPT, winning return strategies, selective splurging, economic uncertainty, and the impact of the resale market.

As we get into deep planning season this year, the world of business continues to face new challenges, opportunities, and complexities which make transformation efforts more difficult and urgent at the same time. Marketing leaders are transforming their systems, teams, and technology to continue to reach consumer at the right place and right time amid rising new platforms and shifting media behaviors. Generative AI is now playing a role at multiple steps of the creative process and with that, it is raising ethical and legal challenges. Marketers must also formulate a strategy to counter misinformation, deep fakes, and other reality manipulation schemes. In short, marketing has never been as exciting or challenging, depending on how prepared you are.

Join us to explore these topics and more in an intimate conversation with Anthem Award-Winning CMO Advisor & Inclusive Marketing Strategist Lola Bakare, and Chief Transformation Officer of OPMG, Matt McNeany, moderated by our Chief Innovation Officer, Camilo La Cruz.

Culture moves quickly, and if you’re not fully tapped into the current, you may lose sight of important cultural horizons. s&h is here to help you navigate! In our Weekly Culturecast briefing, the s&h team discusses the most important cultural happenings of the week to provide the strategy, insights, and POV needed to chart a course toward the future.

The gaming world is big, diverse, and complex, making way for a lot of innovations even as some legacy game makers take notable hits. From indie hardware to cloud game libraries, we'll be taking a look at what gamers are asking for, and even making themselves.

Culture moves quickly, and if you’re not fully tapped into the current, you may lose sight of important cultural horizons. s&h is here to help you navigate! In our Weekly Culturecast briefing, the s&h team discusses the most important cultural happenings of the week to provide the strategy, insights, and POV needed to chart a course toward the future.

From contactless check-in systems to fully autonomous bots and AI-powered customer experiences, the automation of retail and hospitality services is well underway and recent advancements in generative AI are putting this transformation in overdrive. While frictionless experiences have defined service design innovations in the recent years, this new wave of automation is sparking controversy on the role of “friction” and humans in general in providing satisfying experiences. Join the sparks & honey crew and a team of experts in a moderated discussion around the trends and signals shaping all these changes and the potential futures we can influence in the here and now.

Culture moves quickly, and if you’re not fully tapped into the current, you may lose sight of important cultural horizons. s&h is here to help you navigate! In our Weekly Culturecast briefing, the s&h team discusses the most important cultural happenings of the week to provide the strategy, insights, and POV needed to chart a course toward the future.

The exponential growth in AI capability is only matched by the 10X increase in AI-related insights and pundits. This panel discussion is aimed at those who seek to cut through the noise and get practical about how to bring AI into the organization. From governance to risk assessment, consumer impacts, and more, our panel of experts will debate best practices and help newcomers formulate a tangible roadmap to play in this exciting new world.