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.
Now that CES is behind us for another year, we look beyond the Vegas Strip at tech news and developments from around the globe. First up, China’s leading messaging app ‘WeChat’ has released ‘mini programs’, embedded apps which require no download or install. By removing this step in the consumer experience, could this be the “app store” as we know it? We’ll just have to wait and see.
In the meantime, Facebook and Instagram’s Stories are increasing their ad usage. Whilst we’re seeing more and more ads, recent research has found the majority of Instagram users find their presence to be a seamless integration into the experience. Instagram demonstrates that branded content can work if done with thought and purpose. And finally, with a turbulent year behind us, check out this visual roundup of 2016 to change your perception. Go on…you might be surprised.
HEADLINES
INSIGHTS
COOL
- BMW have developed an AR ‘Product Visualiser’ – interestingly powered by Google’s Tango technology – that enables customers to get close to and customise selected BMWi models that appear before their eyes.
- Beautifully put together and mightily impressive: Kickstarter’s 2016.
- Uber Movement aims to help cities ‘grow in a way that works for everyone’.
DEEP READS
As ever, please read, learn and share away, #OMDFWD
Now that CES is behind us for another year, we look beyond the Vegas Strip at tech news and developments from around the globe. First up, China’s leading messaging app ‘WeChat’ has released ‘mini programs’, embedded apps which require no download or install. By removing this step in the consumer experience, could this be the “app store” as we know it? We’ll just have to wait and see.
In the meantime, Facebook and Instagram’s Stories are increasing their ad usage. Whilst we’re seeing more and more ads, recent research has found the majority of Instagram users find their presence to be a seamless integration into the experience. Instagram demonstrates that branded content can work if done with thought and purpose. And finally, with a turbulent year behind us, check out this visual roundup of 2016 to change your perception. Go on…you might be surprised.
HEADLINES
INSIGHTS
COOL
- BMW have developed an AR ‘Product Visualiser’ – interestingly powered by Google’s Tango technology – that enables customers to get close to and customise selected BMWi models that appear before their eyes.
- Beautifully put together and mightily impressive: Kickstarter’s 2016.
- Uber Movement aims to help cities ‘grow in a way that works for everyone’.
DEEP READS
As ever, please read, learn and share away, #OMDFWD
Amazon Go is a bricks-and-mortar grocery shop due to open to the public in 2017. The Seattle-based store will enable people with an Amazon Go app ‘just to walk’ out of the store without the need to wait in line to pay or check out. Amazon said that it started working on the concept four years ago by bringing together technologies found in self-driving cars (such as computer vision, sensor fusion and deep learning) to create a store. The technology used in-store is able to detect when products are taken or returned to the shelves, keeping a track of them in your virtual cart. After picking up what you want in the store, your Amazon account will automatically be charged and receive a receipt. Powered by artificial intelligence this is a huge development for the future of retail and in-store experiences, which have been struggling to compete with e-commerce. It will be interesting to see how other high street brands react to this development in 2017.
HEADLINES
INSIGHTS
COOL
DEEP READS
And finally, if you’re feeling ambitious but stuck for inspiration for Christmas…
As ever, please tag and share anything you spot with #OMDFWD.
This week’s OMD FWD looks even further into the future as we explore the exciting prospect of self-driving Uber cars, the growing opportunities for brands as smart home devices integrate into our lives and the pros and cons of some over-zealous ‘BS Detector’ plug-ins protecting us from the scourge of fake news. Do not fear, we haven’t looked past Christmas and have thrown in a few of the best Christmas ads so far. From Manning Gottlieb’s activation of John Lewis’ #BusterTheBoxer and Waitrose’s #HomeFor Christmas to Burberry, Macy’s and Tiffany’s, we are sure they will get you into the festive spirit.
HEADLINES
INSIGHTS
COOL
DEEP READS
As ever, please tag and share anything you spot with #OMDFWD.
Already spend a lot of time on Facebook? With the launch of Workplace by Facebook, this could potentially increase. As some people spend time on Facebook to distract themselves from work, what about using the social platform for work? With competitive pricing, Facebook is on a mission to prove this is a place for business and not just sharing comedic memes. “If you can use Facebook, you can use Facebook Workplace” says Ryan Holmes, CEO of Hootsuite. The advantage of this to Facebook is that their customers will need zero to little welcome training as they will already be familiar with most of the user interface and functionalities. The same cannot be said for other collaboration tools and systems. As social media platforms and pricing models evolve, we’ll have to wait and see how users respond to these recent developments in the workplace and what the impact will be for marketers.
HEADLINES
INSIGHTS
COOL
DEEP READS
Share anything you see through the week with the hashtag #OMDFWD
Google has launched an artificial intelligence app called Allo, rejoining the messaging app war. While Apple (iMessage) and Facebook (WhatsApp and Messenger) have massive head starts, Nick Fox, Google’s VP of Communication Products isn’t stressing about Google rejoining the race. Fox said that “while messaging has been around for a while, smart messaging is much newer”. Google’s AI assistant and search functionality are built into Allo, offering a new level of service which other messaging apps do not offer. For example, if you are making dinner plans, Allo will scan nearby restaurants and cinema timings, helping you plan your night. You can even find out football scores and directions to your destination so you won’t be late. While Google+ or Hangouts may not have dented the messaging or social media scene, Allo represents Google’s persistence and commitment to foray back into mobile communication.
HEADLINES
INSIGHTS
COOL
DEEP READS
Share anything interesting you spot with the hashtag #OMDFWD
Mobile phone carriers will not be able to deploy network-level ad blocking to their services after the EU published it’s long-awaited net neutrality guidelines. The purpose of this report is to clarify how the data is handled and passed from service providers to their networks. Carriers have been testing their ad blocking techniques on customer apps and the internet through their data centers. As pointed out by The Financial Times, this outlaw will essentially prevent Internet Service Providers from doing this. However, this does not prevent customers from downloading adblocking software themselves, it’s just the local carriers who will not be able to implement it on behalf of customers. An Israel-based tech company called Shine argues that ads eat into as much as 50% of the users’ data plans and that “European citizens have a right to protect themselves from being tracked, profiled and targeted by ad tech”. As Business Insider points out, the UK will have to wait post Brexit from the EU to progress further with mobile adblocking. As always, please share anything you find interesting with #OMDFWD
HEADLINES
- EU has moved to block mobile networks ad-blocking ambitions
- All out of Nerf? Amazon launches Dash, the press-to-order product buttons in Europe
- Samsung recalls its latest smartphone due to concerns about the Lithium battery explosions
- Taking on Snapchat? How instant video messaging is now open to Facebook Messenger users
INSIGHTS
- Google will find the insights for you after injecting machine learning into their app analytics
- How to make the most of Instagram’s new zoom feature
- What to speculatively expect from Apple’s conference this Wednesday
COOL
- Nintendo aims to tap into gaming nostalgia by bringing back the cartridge for its new console
- Image recognition software Deepmask and Sharpmask (owned by Facebook) are being opened sourced
- Take yourself off Facebook? You can only find Snapchat on Snapchat moving forward
DEEP READS
Snapchat could soon be planning your nights out with the recent purchase of mobile search app Vurb for $110m+. Vurb is doing what traditional search engines cannot yet manage, which is bundle leisure activities together from reviewing movies, booking tickets and making restaurant reservations. Not only this, but you can do this collaboratively with friends and even pass the invitations on. Vurb is collaborating with partners such as Yelp and Rotten Tomatoes to pull information into its card-based interface. The app even deep-links you into Uber and Google Maps, providing all you need to make that night happen. Whilst Vurb’s plans are unclear, we can be sure the commercial and marketing opportunity is exciting. Especially as Snapchat becomes a source of an ‘information digest’ throughout the day. Whether that be your own friends, current news or sponsored content. As always please do share anything interesting you spot with #OMDFWD
HEADLINES
INSIGHTS
COOL
DEEP READS
85% of Italian businesses are family-run; however, families working and living in close proximity can cause disagreements and ultimately put the business at risk. Thanks to their range of commercial vehicles, Renault has a wealth of experience with family enterprises and wanted to come to the rescue with an innovative solution that would help improve internal management. In partnership with Google For Work, Renault developed a dedicated app allowing fathers and sons to work together at a distance. The app provides a set of digital tools, such as folders, memo documents, delivery schedules, etc., to help them share their work, without sharing a physical workspace. The Renault Business Booster allows dads and their sons to have space from each other during the working day and to come back together in their spare time, saving their businesses and relationships.
https://youtu.be/D0bBDVaJizM
To demonstrate the power of the Renault Business Booster in real-life situations and stay true to the client’s positioning of ‘success boosters’, OMD targeted craftsmen, small entrepreneurs and the owners of family enterprises. We selected channels and content with high affinity to this group, adopting a seamless approach where media channels and content merged. A direct affiliation campaign drove app downloads, while a partnership with Mediamond allowed us to produce a TV show to bring real family business stories to life. ‘SOS Family Business’, a four-part series, aired on Mediaset channels in prime time and was supported by online video on popular sport websites, stories about fathers and sons in a major local magazine and content on Renault and Mediamond’s social channels.
The final chapter of this fully integrated story was the launch of a roadshow which took Renault’s new range of commercial vehicles to 100 Italian cities. Consumers were given the chance to participate in events, interact with the app and sit behind the wheel of one of the new vehicles with exclusive test drives.
Results
- 79,000 app downloads
- Over 29,000 digital media impressions (+45% impression delivery)
- 5m interactive video views
- 2m TV reach
- 41%+ of Twitter followers
- 11,391 new sales leads
- 40%+ commercial vehicles sold vs. 2014
- 1 importer of commercial vehicles in Italy in 2015
