International round-up: Budweiser’s military-themed bottles, Samsung uses VR to help the deaf

Budweiser launches military-themed beer bottles in US

Budweiser has launched a limited-edition aluminum beer bottle that’s got a camouflage design as it looks to tap into a wave of patriotism in the US this Summer.

The beer giant says the bottle is a tribute to war veterans and military personnel, with the bottle design incorporating messages such as “We declare our gratitude” and lyrics from national anthem Star Spangled Banner.

“Our goal is to remind Budweiser drinkers of the courage and sacrifice made by all American service men and women who protect our nation and our freedoms,” says Ricardo Marques, VP of Budweiser.

Last year, there was criticism for Budweiser, whose owner Anheuser-Busch is based in Belgium, when it decided to roll out packaging that replaced its brand name with the word “America”. However, alongside the new camouflage designs, Budweiser says it is also bringing back the America bottles this summer.

READ MORE: Drink or Salute? Bud Makes Patriotic Play With Camo Bottles

Samsung uses VR to make theater more accessible for deaf people

Utilising its Gear VR headset, Samsung has created a special app for the Brazilian market that captures the words spoken during a theater play and instantly translates them into accurate subtitles.

Fully experiencing the theater is tough for deaf people due to a lack of interpreters, and Samsung hopes the VR app can provide a long-term solution.

It has been testing the app in beta since April, where a performance took place at the Paulo Eiro Theater in Sao Paulo. The tech brand says the app, which was created by Leo Burnett Tailor Made, is being trialed in two other theaters in Brazil.

Samsung’s Gear dominated the VR market in Q1 2017, shipping 782,000 headsets. According to market intelligence firm SuperData Research, Samung more than doubled the quarterly shipments of its second-placed rival the PlayStation VR, which shipped just 375,000 headsets.

READ MORE: Samsung Is Using Virtual Reality to Make Live Theater Possible for Deaf People

Pink Ribbon finds an artistic way to spread breast cancer awareness

Breast cancer charity Pink Ribbon’s Chinese division has found a clever way to spread breast cancer awareness; by using high art.

Aware that it’s impossible to show shots of breast scars on real women in its ads, it has instead picked out 52 famous pieces of nude feminine art.

Agency Havas Worldwide China has altered the art so the subjects have breast scars proudly on display to illustrate the post-treatment reality of many breast cancer survivors. The altered paintings appeared in a short exhibition in Shangai last month.

READ MORE: Campaign against breast cancer goes beyond displaying a pink ribbon

Libresse pokes fun at the way TV advertising treats periods

Ever watched a Tampax ad where a woman is bouncing around with a huge smile on her face and thought it seemed a tad unrealistic?

Well, Swedish female healthcare brand Libresse has released a campaign mocking these ‘happy’ female body care stereotypes.

Teaming up with BBDO Malaysia, the brand has released a 90-second online ad that pokes fun at familiar sights such as women wearing unstained white trousers. It is part of a wider campaign looking to provoke debate about the way society deals with periods.

“We realised that they are all selling a false reality: the women are always really happy and they are wearing white trousers. There was an opportunity to be more honest,” says BBDO Malaysia’s executive creative director VJ Anand on the inspiration behind the campaign.

The Times to launch a daily newspaper in Ireland

News Ireland has announce that an edition of the Irish version of The Times will be available in both digital and print formats from Saturday, 3 June.

The Irish edition of The Times was launched as a digital-only format in September 2015, providing readers with access to The Times and The Sunday Times content seven days a week.

The launch of a daily newspaper is particularly interesting given the decline of print ad revenues and circulations. However, after building a “loyal digital audience” the move looks to make sense.

Richard Oakley, editor of the Irish edition of The Times, explains: “We have built a loyal digital audience for the Ireland edition of The Times and we are now delighted to expand what we offer to include more Irish news, business, sport, opinion and analysis in print as well.”

READ MORE: Ireland edition of The Times debuts Saturday, June 3