Hello and welcome to the penultimate February FWD. With GDPR ever looming we look at how companies are gaining consumer consent (and in some cases not) to use their data. Facebook dominated headlines over the last week being on the receiving end of a user-privacy ruling in Germany, which they followed up – brazenly – with a marketing push of an in-app VPN and rounded off with a bold PR offensive (on Twitter no-less). Never a dull moment.
Facebook was not the only company that was put under the magnifying glass. Location based fitness tracking app Strava released an interactive “Global Heat Map” revealing sensitive information about the location and movements of servicemen and woman in Iraq, Syria and other conflict zones.
It ponders the question – how much information are you willing to share?
On that note if you see anything FWD worthy in the week ahead please share using #OMDFWD.
HEADLINES
- Something to consider while you’re wrangling your weekly reports: someone made a 3D game engine in Microsoft Excel using nothing but formulas.
- New Google Trends. With added real-time. Catch the wave.
- With ePrivacy set to follow hot on the heels of GDPR major German publishing groups and non-publisher partners are looking to login collectives to protect advertising revenue.
- Announced last June last Thursday was the day that Chrome starts removing ads from sites that do not follow the Better Ads Standards. Here’s how it works.
INSIGHTS
COOL
- With most manufacturers focusing on better hardware and title exclusivity in the never-ending console arms race Nintendo does the most Nintendo thing ever debuting a combination of cardboard, rubber bands, IKEA-esque DIY, and augmented reality titled LABO.
- Quite a few people are building a new internet. No, seriously.
- $2 million in treasure yet to be found. Here’s a link to the map and clues. Have at it.
DEEP READ
Hello and welcome to your weekly OMD FWD. This week, Facebook are using AI to be more helpful, watch your favourite shows live on YouTube, Android eats Windows lunch, US teens can’t get enough of mobile video, we introduce you to the Metaverse and more…
HEADLINES
INSIGHTS
COOL
DEEP READS
As always, please share anything you find interesting at #OMDFWD.
It isn’t news to anyone that technology is dramatically transforming both the marketing industry and the wider world – but that doesn’t mean that my mind isn’t constantly blown away by the opportunities this presents in every area of our lives. I recently attended a breakfast session hosted by office design agency Oktra about embracing technology in the workplace for brand enhancement, business collaboration and workflow. We were shown how technology is enabling flexible working and therefore spatial and economical efficiencies – Oktra has extremely cool offices where clever use of technology and space has meant they have cut their real estate costs dramatically – while their tech partner Inition showcased their ground-breaking futuristic technologies. I was particularly impressed by how they have adapted VR and AR for business purposes: their Riverlight system uses AR and a marker system to bring marketing to life – the example they used was a property developer showing potential buyers around a development: the book was a regular 2D publication but the marker system allowed the AR app to take the consumer on a 3D journey into the rooms and around the building. The most enthralling aspect for us as marketers is the data capture capability of the technology which allows the brand to gain a real understanding of what the user is interested in – we can use this data to retarget the user with a bespoke experience – and we all know that customised experiences are the holy grail of marketing today.
The presenters emphasised the importance of a real understanding of the technology you are using and not just using it for its own sake – it must be used in a manner that is authentic to the brand voice and provides consumers with an experience that they find enjoyable and engaging. Topshop’s virtual reality catwalk show allowed a wider audience to experience Topshop’s London Fashion Week show as it happened and for three days afterwards, and is a brilliant example of using technology in an meaningful, non-gratuitous way to create an immersive and memorable experience that deepened the brand’s bond with its audience.
Technology is all around us and offers brands incredible opportunities to engage more deeply with their audience – particularly if that audience is the curious, lucrative digital native millennial audience; however – as has always been the case, it must be used thoughtfully and with a real understanding of both the technology and the audience in order to be a success.
As the East Coast thaws from the worst blizzards on record, we warm up with 3D knitwear, a virtual walk around the Guggenheim and the buzz around VPAs.
As ever, share anything interesting you spot with #OMDFWD
HEADLINES
- Facebook are set to launch 3D touch functionality to its Timeline, taking advantage of the iPhone 6 & 6s ‘peek and pop’ offering.
- Google dominates the financial news for many reasons this week including a $1 billion pay out to Apple.
- Twitter follows YouTube’s ad format success by introducing a 30” skippable pre roll.
INSIGHTS
- Twitter UK’s view of the most engaging campaigns on their platform in 2016. Great to see a raft of our group clients in there.
- How the internet has changed how we deal with grief.
- Cost may be a barrier to mass adoption of the Internet of Things.
COOL
- Hot on the heels from last weeks personalised shoes, you can now 3D print your own.
- Jaguar pushes the boundaries of VR with a high octane, brilliant ‘actual reality’ experience.
- Become a desktop DJ with in browser sampling app Sampulator.
- Take a break from the snow with a cultural stroll around New York’s Guggenheim Museum in the latest Streetview release from Google Cultural Institute.
DEEP READS
- Is automated nostalgia an unwelcome addition? Facebook Memories can unearth the good and the bad of the past.
- We can never get enough trends. Here is Trendwatching’s take on what to watch out for in 2016.
- Is this the year of the VPA?