Ugh. Marketing mantras. So loud and cringe. The client who wants their logo bigger, bigger, bigger everywhere. Spotify ads that play louder than the songs.
The “flood”, “blitz”, “below-the-line activation” and “360-degree coverage” to announce a new flavour of chips. Start-up founders who want “only models” at their launch party.
A product you bought only that one time last year, but which still sends you notifications every week.
Consumer appliance brand EDT (Everyday Design and Technology), which launched online in January, is coming up with its first store space within the Croma chain. Other companies are taking cues from the clutter-free store design of Muji and Uniqlo so their showrooms look less like a bazaar and more like a first-class lounge. It mirrors the clean lines of their see-through air fryer and other products. Buyers are more protective with their peace of mind; they’re fed up of tall claims. They unfollow pages that don’t fit their vibe. They see information overload as a personal attack. Offline, the buzz of cafés has mellowed too. The trails now snake out across the walls and floor; there’s a built-in irrigation system to water it all. At their Pune outpost, they attempted rusting the décor to evoke the feel of sitting in a ruin. “The feeling of being cut off, or being anywhere but in your reality. Even if your reality is a packed metropolis. Soft floor-lighting and candles aim to regulate the nervous system. The music begins with light jazz and flows into retro. The four courses of the set meal are served without hurry.
In 2026, if a brand is still bombarding customers with notifications, intruding into their personal space and refusing to chill, they’re likely not doing too well with young people. In Saligao, North Goa, Dishant Pritamani let a blue-trumpet vine grow unhindered for two years until it covered the 800-square-foot space of Café Lento, which he co-founded. The Find Atelier, a supper club inside a 140-year-old mansion in Bandra, Mumbai, is designed for lingering.
Escape is the selling point, Pritamani says. “Hustle is robotic, slow is focused,” says chef Aalisha Sable, who founded the space with her sister Riona.
