While the theme of festive dining traditionally features prominently in end-of-year magazines, it would be inaccurate to say that it always returns in the same way, unlike the best nursing homes ranking. This recurring theme is also a reflection of our times.

Since the menu for these tables seemed set in stone for eternity (oysters, foie gras, capon, Yule log), articles dedicated to them have long focused on their decoration. Can we dare to use mismatched plates on Christmas Eve? And why not a monochrome table? More recently, the focus has shifted to the contents of the plates, with veganism and new food trends taking centre stage, with the aim of helping to maintain family unity around the table. The festive menu is now torn between respect for tradition and the desire to keep up with the times. What can replace meat in a Christmas menu? Would it be acceptable to cook only vegetables on this occasion?

All these challenges to tradition and potential sources of conflict would only grow, given that today everything can be instantly called into question. So it’s no surprise that this year, in the press and on Instagram, the figure of the reactionary uncle has emerged as the catalyst for tension around the dinner table. This role was traditionally attributed to the grandfather, whose missteps were readily forgiven due to his advanced age, but he has been rejuvenated, proof that conservative ideas have spread to a new generation. Something to keep in mind.

To prevent family gatherings from turning into confrontations, recommendations reminiscent of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs abound: avoid controversial topics, do not respond to provocations, anticipate disagreements, know how to change the subject quickly, and if necessary, do not hesitate to leave the table under the pretext of fetching something from the kitchen. Once a place for aesthetics and gastronomy, the festive table has now become a source of controversy. An almost natural evolution in these digital times.

So many precautions before a family tradition—worrisome as to our ability to live together—confirm that the family meal is undoubtedly the last place where everyone can still experience otherness and contradiction, engulfed by social media dominated by cliques and converging points of view. An observation that some may find regrettable, as the clash of ideas can prove constructive.

Created by Intermarché, the story of a wolf who wants to become someone else, set to a tune by Claude François that we thought limited to karaoke, recently captured the attention of the entire planet. Quite unusual for what is merely an advert. Such media hype can be taken as a form of admiration, justified by the quality of the execution, which conveys an emotional accuracy that is difficult to resist. It can also be seen as a cry of relief: AI will not triumph anytime soon, and brands that think they can do without human talent may regret it.

While Intermarché’s images were praised, those produced by McDonald’s and Coca-Cola, created using AI, were immediately condemned. Using AI is like being caught at the Shein checkout on the fifth floor of the BHV department store. Thanks to its wolf, Intermarché reinforces the strength of its mission, as it is capable of adapting to everything from mini romantic comedies to social films and cartoons, without ever growing tiresome.

We all have good reasons to start eating better. For our own good and for the collective good, just as a wolf that gives up meat can change the atmosphere in the forest. This message is more unexpected than those constantly reminding us who is the cheapest. And it is more concrete than all the brand slogans full of words ending in ‘-or’: creator, initiator, activator, generator, accelerator…

Intermarché is also responding in an unprecedented way to today’s expectations for meaning. Like all manufactured products, images also derive their meaning from how they are produced: at a slow pace (eighteen months) and by a French studio run by representatives of Gen Z. A highly virtuous ‘Made in France’.

The success of this advert finally reminds us of the power of emotions in advertising, particularly regressive emotions that reveal a desire to feel protected. This is a lesson for all brands that favour supposedly informative rational arguments, interjections intended to create complicity, or celebrities, for lack of arguments. This year, even Cartier has abandoned them in favour of mischievous little panthers that look like stuffed toys.

While celebrities may inspire identification, animals always provoke emotions. And, in the end, it is the brand that wins.

What brand today doesn’t want to show itself in a new light by setting foot in markets it never imagined it could enter? While collaborations have become so commonplace that they struggle to attract attention, brands’ growing attempts to venture outside their home territory could well represent a new form of expansion.

For them, it is not a matter of finding new growth opportunities, but rather of surprising their regular customers and creating buzz by demonstrating their ability to reinvent themselves without losing momentum. While collaborations embody shared values and expertise, cross-sector extensions allow brands to showcase their ability to achieve the coveted status of ‘lifestyle’ brands. This is a response to consumers’ desire to express their identity through their purchases.

This temptation naturally affects luxury brands first and foremost, as their strong image allows them to be considered in every possible aspect of daily life. After investing heavily in the (highly profitable) eyewear and cosmetics sectors, they are now turning their attention to hotels, restaurants (Dior, Vuitton) and even food: in California, the fashion brand Von Dutch is already developing immersive coffee shops with its own range of spirits, soft drinks and coffees.

Meanwhile, hospitality companies are showing an interest in fashion, with the Ritz now offering a line of cashmere clothing and chic sports accessories. Luxury car manufacturers are no exception. Bentley is investing in real estate projects bearing its name, while Porsche is targeting everyday life through its recent partnership with Italian appliance manufacturer Smeg to offer a retro-style refrigerator with a handle identical to that of an old 911, as well as a coffee machine, toaster, kettle and blender in its iconic colour palette.

To think that there was a time when marketing experts only talked about DNA when it came to expanding territory… DNA is something that brands need to break free from as quickly as possible if they don’t want to find themselves trapped and ultimately die from an inability to create surprise. Time for disruption, shifting and amazement.

Not long ago, in the heart of the Haut-Marais (where else?), the beauty brand Make Up For Ever teamed up with the mini chain of Instagrammable coffee shops Café Nuances to offer a unique event over a long weekend at its fifth location in the capital. In this neighbourhood, as in all those that attract overtourism, coffee shops are so numerous that they have outnumbered the traditional bars that have contributed to the capital’s image. A side effect of globalisation.

Never far from each other, sometimes directly opposite one another, coffee shops engage in fierce competition using similar tactics, which is not that common. Not all of them will emerge unscathed. To meet the need to attract attention, entertainment takes on a strategic role. The aim here is to convey the idea that coffee shops are not simply places to consume but opportunities to meet and interact. This is an added emotional value that goes beyond their aesthetics.

The event organised by Make Up For Ever at Café Nuances is, from this point of view, entirely relevant. It is an experience that is both indulgent and visual, providing the brand with an opportunity to showcase the caffeine-inspired shades of its iconic products, such as the Artist Colour Pencil lip liner, through exclusive ‘signature drinks’ with evocative names: Anywhere Caffeine, Wherever Walnut and Limitless Brown. Naming should never be overlooked in a social media campaign. Finally, the icing on the latte was that throughout the weekend, the first 50 visitors of the day were given a full-size Super Boost Lip Gloss. Hard to resist.

Feminine, young, connected, narcissistic… and enthusiastic, coffee shop customers are a dream for all brands. Provided they satisfy their appetite for exclusivity and uniqueness. Limited-time promotions to encourage people to visit, rewards for the most motivated to create competition, and stories specific to each point of sale to give value to each location: coffee shops are reinventing retail networks.

Yesterday it was based on repeating codes to establish a universe, tomorrow it could be defined by difference to promote the local environment. ‘One shop, one story’ rather than ‘One story, many shops’.

The Fooding guide is celebrating its 25th anniversary. How time flies! Tomorrow’s historians will say that in France, there was a before and after Fooding. Before, there were Le Guide Vert and Michelin guide, and culinary television programmes hosted by unique chefs chosen for their regional accents. With the Fooding guide, coolness triumphed. A concept that was still little known at the beginning of the century, it would become a lifestyle that even found its way onto our plates.

Coolness is the primacy of brotherly horizontality over paternal verticality, the revenge of the small local player over the international giant, the consecration of gesture and know-how in the face of industrialisation, intention as proof of sincerity. An ideal society made of humanity and kindness. Time for small plates, small producers and still wines.

The Fooding was initially a matter of vocabulary and grammar. New, invented words, rich in imagery and, above all, capable of rendering obsolete those we had known for too long. A way of demonstrating one’s difference. Dining in a bristroquet does not have the same flavour as dining in the local bistro. A natural or artisan wine does not tell the same story as a cépage.

It also marked an aesthetic break with tradition. Destructured, deconstructed, fusion dishes gradually became the norm. Graphic, airy, photogenic and then Instagrammable, they revolutionised presentation and expectations, allowing a generation to make its mark by pushing the boundaries.

The Fooding guide now counts many Boomers among its readers, raising the question of where the next generation of diners is. Faced with a restaurant sector that is struggling to remain attractive (high prices, fierce competition leading to standardisation of codes and offerings, ‘photocopied’ storytelling), the vitality of coffee shops, alcohol-free or low-alcohol wines and fermented drinks is striking.

Unprecedented shapes and colours, insider vocabulary, new ways of consuming, refined and renewed aesthetics, ethical discourse: promises of exclusivity that are reminiscent of the origins of the Fooding. Except that today, the movement is no longer in the hands of specialised journalists but passionate influencers who are not looking to do better, but differently. Proof that our relationship with food is primarily generational.

The evolution of commerce often drives the evolution of cities. Yesterday, city centres were deserted following the establishment of out-of-town shopping centres; today, fast food chains are multiplying in city centres, to the detriment of convenience stores. A third chapter is now being written: that of community shops frequented by the same type of consumers.

They may be tourists, from here or elsewhere, foodies and enthusiasts for a particular lifestyle, or influencers lost in the real world, searching for a physical home base. Some neighbourhoods are now characterised by an excessive presence of coffee shops, Instagrammable neo-bakeries, shop windows displaying signs in English (sorry we are closed), establishments offering breakfast all day long, cafés with facades covered in plastic flowers and fake Bouillons with carefully crafted storytelling. Conversely, certain long-established establishments may suddenly find themselves on the map of desirability (the ‘secret’ addresses), causing new tensions with residents whose habits are being disrupted.

Among the new figures in community-oriented urban commerce, we can also mention pop-up shops, always associated with the promise of unique experiences, shops that are merely storefronts for e-commerce sites, and stores that target only a wealthy international clientele, at home anywhere in the world but indifferent to local realities. Finally, let’s not forget ethical brands, which sell citizenship, and those entirely devoted to low prices, end-of-line items, drop sales, clearances, second-hand goods, knock-offs and fast fashion, which are becoming increasingly numerous and ultimately constitute a parallel world where everyone experiences the exhilarating feeling of having been smarter than everyone else.

A new snapshot of commerce is forming before our eyes and shaping our future. Some will see it as a sign of its vitality and its ability to constantly invent new codes and new fantasies, far from the uniformity of the flagship stores that futurologists had predicted. Others will regret the impenetrability of each of these forms, which leave little room for mixing, discovery and encounters, which are the very essence of commerce.

According to a study conducted in 50 countries, for the first time in over twenty years, the amount of time spent on social media by users is declining. Between 2022 and 2024, it decreased by 10%, from 2 hours and 27 minutes per day to 2 hours and 20 minutes. This trend is mainly driven by younger people, who are tired of an experience that has become too uniform and dominated by the impression of endless, impersonal, algorithmic content. What was supposed to bring people together has ended up isolating them. For You pages and feeds have mutated into advertising storefronts or dumping grounds for AI-generated videos, leaving little room for spontaneity.

According to the same study, the proportion of users logging on to ‘keep in touch’ or ‘express themselves’ has fallen by more than 25% since 2014 among younger people. Scrolling has become automatic, rarely a source of pleasure. Faced with this weariness, practices are changing. Communication is shifting towards more intimate formats, such as private messaging, newsletters and podcasts: smaller spaces that give an impression of authenticity and control, far removed from the viral logic imposed by the major networks. According to experts, this is more a matter of rebalancing than disenchantment, as those who use these spaces are regaining control over their attention.

For digital giants and brands, this is a clear signal: they must prepare to attract customers in a different way. Through the quality of their interactions rather than the quantity of their content. After luxury fatigue, also driven by younger consumers, we now have digital fatigue. A pause after the hysteria of recent years. Who could complain?

The press (The Guardian, The Standard, The Times) recently revealed that the most popular booking slot for young people going to restaurants is now between 6pm and 7pm. More accessible, fewer people, less waiting. An efficient choice that is not surprising from a generation that constantly measures, evaluates and compares everything. Dining early means having time, once home, to settle down on the couch, watch a series or start a game of Uno, 7 Wonders or Werewolves. Today, there are 150 board game publishers, compared to around 15 fifteen years ago. Infusions seem to have a brighter future than effusions…

We thought we had exhausted the possibilities of Care, but that was without counting on its power of regeneration. Today, it is appearing where we least expected it: in the worlds of sleep and fashion.

At Dodo, a bedding specialist, their R&D­­—in association with a specialised laboratory—has developed a patented process that allows its new range of duvets and pillows to be infused with tea tree essential oil microcapsules, which release their contents as you move during the night. This naturally stimulates the body’s production of melatonin, an essential hormone for sleep. A clever idea.  

During last Fashion Week, the designer duo behind the brand Coperni introduced C+, a clothing line called Carewear: a fusion of cosmetics and textiles comprising a regenerative bodysuit, top and leggings, whose unique feature is that they care for the skin without you even noticing. A patented blend combining probiotics and prebiotics are encapsulated in the fabric, which can rebalance the skin’s microbiome, strengthen its natural barrier and stimulate its self-repair mechanisms. Its effects, including skin hydration, comfort and natural radiance, are said to be visible after just eight hours of wear and can last for up to 40 washes.

In the beginning, only products from pharmacies could legitimately claim to protect us, then came the era of cosmetics and food products which, through the careful selection of ingredients, offered to care for us in turn. More recently, connected devices such as watches, bracelets and rings have been added to the list, promising to monitor our heart rate or the quality of our sleep. Cars have not escaped this trend either, as exemplified by the brand new Clio 6, equipped with 29 safety and driver assistance systems. Reassuring.

Some will see in this rise of Care the desire of brands to appear ever more empathetic and close to their buyers. Others, the consequence of their discourse: by constantly problematising our daily lives to better capture our attention and multiplying the injunctions to “let go” to experience ultimate hedonistic experiences, how can we be surprised that brands now all offer to protect us? The marketing version of the arsonist firefighter.

There has been quite a commotion since the BHV’s surprise announcement of the arrival (this week) within the walls of the department store of the most reviled brand of the moment: Shein, the Mephistophelian embodiment of fast fashion. Au Bonheur des Dames (The Ladies’ Delight), but make it fast fashion. The shock.

First lesson: it is the flow, not the loyal customers, that now makes the strength of a brand. In the world before, we talked about “passing trade” but “flow” certainly sounds more techno… The BHV, suffering both from an ageing clientele and a kind of emptiness within, hopes to find in Shein something to both attract the crowds and rejuvenate its customers. The customer flow is a bit like big game fishing: among the transhumant crowd thus captured, there is hope for a few good catches from which the entire store could benefit. Who knows?

The flow is the moment that becomes the purchase decision and the unplanned bargain that seals the deal. It is also, very often, purchases with friends or one’s tribe, who will then rush to share the experience on social media. Sounds like a great gateway for phygital… Isn’t it to capture this magical flow that fashion brands are all tempted today to open a café in their stores when they are not whipping up an immersive event that will generate buzz?

Second lesson: ethics is not just a belief or a stance. It is also a catalyst for activities. Proof: all the anti-Shein brands that have set up shop opposite the BHV in a pop-up store. The resistance did not take long to organise. Solidarity and communication campaigns around a common value: a sisterhood of marketing. The 200 square meters ephemeral store (until spring 2027…) named L’Appartement Français in reference to the first shop of its initiators located nearby, could just as well have been called The Other Bazaar since it will host more than 3,000 Made in France items (decoration, home linen, clothes, toys) supposed to prove that it is possible to consume French products without breaking the bank. A challenge.

Here, we may buy less quickly than over there, but what we buy will be produced here and not over there. These are two models that are about to oppose each other in the Marais. Consumers are called to vote. With their conscience or with their wallet.

Since the pandemic, people are once again fantasising about country houses. Easier to reach than a holiday home, more often surrounded by nature than located by the sea, the country house tells a story that is just waiting to meet ours. They promise rejuvenation, inspiration, reconnection and a slower pace of life. Who could resist?

As a result, rural tourism is booming, new options are appearing, and the Perche region is establishing itself as a local alternative to the Luberon. Old residences, mansions, farmhouses, hunting lodges and extravagances that had become too expensive to maintain are being reinvented as country houses to rent or share, kid-friendly and decorated with cool, iconic vintage finds, perfect for cosy moments by the fire. These collections of ‘ready-to-live-in houses less than two hours from Paris’ are available for short stays with the option of a babysitter, a fridge full of regional products, a barbecue and ready-made picnic baskets for unforgettable lunches. These new guest houses allow you to live like in a Sautet film and play at happiness without worrying about the material side of things. No wonder they are so appealing.

The phenomenon is also affecting the corporate world, where secondary residences are unexpectedly reprogrammed for employees, especially those in their thirties, who can use them to work remotely, brainstorm, polish their slides in an aspirational, Instagrammable setting, but also escape to go hiking, meditate, hug trees and, when evening comes, return to let loose at extended aperitifs or improvised DJ sets that no neighbour will complain about. What better way to bond project teams and restore the desirability of the employer brand?

The success of these two models of neo-country homes, which no one would have bet on in the 1990s and which are now attracting investors of all kinds, is no coincidence. It confirms a renewed interest in the countryside and provides insight into the three major drivers of consumption, those capable of triggering the much-hoped-for desire to buy: the rejuvenating elsewhere, the protective community and the rewarding aesthetic. The winning combination of the moment.