The first session of the new year is packed with content! We held another “Poached Egg” session this month to share the latest trends! From book-related trends to the hot topic of the potato shortage, we’ve got plenty to introduce♪

Hello! I’m Nakano, and I joined the President’s Office Public Relations Group Social Good Promotion Office this year.

I participated in “Poached Egg” for the first time—a regularly held session where we share interesting news and the latest trends! Anything new or interesting to you is welcome.

This time, in addition to myself, we had members who had just joined mid-career and members who had never participated before, making it an enjoyable time that stimulated our minds. I’d like to introduce some of what we discussed!

Bookshelves as Interior Design?! Two Trending Spots Decoded Through the Keyword “Bookshelf”

With the rise of bookstores where you can stay overnight and the “Bookshelf Theater” where YOASOBI performed passionately, it feels like spaces with “bookshelves” as a concept are increasing. Here are some exciting spots related to “bookshelves”!

VERMICULAR HOUSE (Daikanyama)

https://hanako.tokyo/news/report/277825/
Image source: Hanako.tokyo

The famous stylish enamel pot brand “Vermicular” opened an experiential complex facility in December last year, expressing their unique worldview! The restaurant where you can experience dishes made with Vermicular is attractive, and the library space with approximately 1,500 cookbooks is also one of the highlights.

With rich content from the first basement floor to the second floor, you could easily spend hours there.

Shibuya ○○ Bookstore (Shibuya)

https://www.shibukei.com/headline/16187/
Image source: Shibuya Keizai Shimbun

A new type of bookstore where anyone can become a shelf owner. The bookstore rents out “shelves” to individuals, and shelf owners can fill them with books reflecting their personal interests—a “passion bookstore” that book lovers can’t resist.

Since you can set the prices yourself, favorite books are sometimes priced so high that no one can purchase them… (laughs)

A Gen Z member mentioned that the image of “bookstores = relaxing places” seems to be popular among young people lately. In an increasingly digital world, we all agreed that “books will never disappear.”

The Technology Festival “CES 2022 Innovation Award”—This Year’s New Category Is the Talk of the Town!

https://global.kfc.com/
Image source: KFC

At “CES 2022,” held in-person in Las Vegas in early January for the first time in two years, “Food Tech” appeared as a new category this year!

While soybeans are familiar as “alternative protein” in Japan, overseas the trend is to avoid using soybeans altogether due to concerns about GMOs. The ingredient gaining attention in recent years is “peas.”

Kentucky Fried Chicken in the U.S. also launched “plant-based fried chicken” this year, attracting attention. With this, you might be able to enjoy fried chicken to your heart’s content without guilt…?

A Map App That Pinpoints Locations with Three Words?! The Commercial That Left People Confused!

https://what3words.com/ja/about
Image source: what3words official website

A member traveling on a business trip quickly shared this app with us. It’s a service that divides the entire world into 3m × 3m squares and assigns three words to each location so you can share it with others… When I first heard about it, my brain couldn’t keep up.

For example, “tsuzuki.hokoru.shuuri” becomes “the perfect spot to see Mount Fuji.” Instead of an address, you can assign three words to a 3m × 3m space.

There are many uses, such as specifying a location within a large park or meeting at a building with multiple entrances…!

There seems to be demand for communicating your location during disasters, so we can look forward to its future expansion in Japan.

Ranking of Brands That Grew Rapidly in 2021! The Glorious First Place Goes to…?

https://www.facebook.com/MorningConsult/photos/a.619900834688462/6838772849467865/?type=3
Image source: Morning Consult official Facebook page

The U.S. research firm “Morning Consult” announced “20 Brands That Grew Rapidly in America in 2021.” Brands were selected based on changes in consumer awareness, such as wanting to try their products.

What’s interesting here is that when looking at Gen Z, many food-related brands appear in the ranking. “Wendy’s” ranked 4th, “Chipotle Mexican Grill” 6th, and “Snickers” 16th.

Brands that implemented many Gen Z-focused promotions, such as sustainable content and featuring food in movies and games, clearly resonated with young people.

The first-place brand was “Paramount Plus,” a video streaming service launched just last March! It appears to be supported across a wide range of generations, and video streaming during the pandemic has become an inseparable part of our lives.

By the way, the most popular video streaming service in Japan right now is Disney+. Having exclusive content is a strong advantage.

McDonald’s Visual Ad That Makes You Want to Take Out at First Glance!

https://predge.jp/218469/
Image source: PREDGE

A new member who just joined this year also introduced an interesting advertisement!

This Canadian advertisement released at the end of last year recommends takeout during the pandemic. Everyone resonated with the message: “Sitting in this chair in this magnificent scenery and munching on fries must feel amazing.” We can’t buy large fries right now (laughs), but it makes you want to get takeout and enjoy it leisurely.

Here, another member shared that “Freshness Burger” is conversely running a 25% potato increase campaign. The fact that they can do this because they use domestic Hokkaido potatoes, and the speed of their PR turning this situation into an opportunity, is also interesting!

The warm atmosphere where everyone listened with interest to each member’s contributions was impressive! We’ll be holding this again next month and beyond, so we’ll continue to introduce updates regularly. Stay tuned♪