Trends and Topics in Print Media

Every Monday morning, a team of Access media mavens gathers to read the latest trends and topics covered in print media (yes, we still read print media!). The team shares these insights agency wide to ensure we’re all informed and equipped for the week ahead. Every week, we’ll share learnings from the consumer, business and tech spaces here on the Access Point.

This week, we learned about the downfall of bottled water and the gender gap in brain research.

• Bottled Water Backlash

Nestle, the world’s biggest bottled- water producer, is grappling with the rise of sparkling water and the anti-single-use plastic movement. So far this year, the company reported a 2.2 percent decline in bottled water volume. Not too long ago, the bottled water business was booming as consumers sought alternatives to sugary drinks. Now, products like La Croix and San Pellegrino are trending, and the environmental concern of bottled beverages outweighs the appeal. To evolve alongside industry shifts, Nestle announced it is restructuring its water arm to tackle concerns and competition. We see time and time again how brands are altering products to meet consumer demands, and the backlash received for those that don’t demonstrate core consumer values, such as environmental protection (Saabira Chaudhuri, The Wall Street Journal).

• Brain Health

According to Women’s Health, researchers have only regarded the human brain as malleable in the past 30 years. The inner workings of the human brain have historically only really been explored when there is dysfunction associated. Research over the past few decades has proven that our brain power can shift to become “sharper and speedier” over time. Even more so, women’s brain health still strays behind the pack. While women “are more than twice as likely as men to have an autoimmune disorder that affects the brain,” more likely to get migraines and more at risk for strokes, there is an obvious gap in female brain studies. While research is (finally!) ramping up, there are ways we can all take control of our brain health every day. Something as simple as training yourself to make quicker decisions over your lunch order will contribute to neuron strength (Women’s Health).