Tag: Instgram

Technology is affecting in dramatic fashion how we live, work, eat, socialise and play. 2016 saw the rise and rise of virtual reality, with virtual assistants moving out of our phones and into our homes and smart home technologies finally breaking into the mainstream. Undoubtedly 2017 will see a plethora of new technological breakthroughs and the Digital Trends piece below details five of the most revolutionary – including the Internet of Things based on interoperability, artificial intelligence, the rise of synthetic food, augmented reality and 3D printing for all. Will Christmas 2017 see us eating man-made turkey and asking our artificial assistants to wrap the latest 3D printer to go under the tree? 

HEADLINES

• Facebook launches Live Audio to help publishers tell stories with words instead of video
• Twitter launches 360-degree video live streaming
• CES – the world’s largest tech expo – launches this Thursday, so here’s what to expect (a CES wrap-up will follow next week)

 INSIGHTS

• Adding 100 million in the last 6 months alone, Instagram ended 2016 by hitting the 600 million user mark
• Ad tech funding decreased by 17% in 2016 due to the dominance of Google and Facebook
• Boxing Day footfall saw a 7% decline due to Brexit fears and users opting to shop online

 COOL

• Amazon files patent for ‘flying warehouses’
• Watch Honda’s VR sleigh ride experience that took hospitalised children out into a winter wonderland
• Ensure you achieve your New Year resolutions by using these helpful apps

DEEP READS

• Music streaming is heralded as the industry’s saviour as record labels see biggest revenue growth for a decade
• One app to rule them all: how China’s WeChat app became the country’s most valuable company
• 5 key tech trends that will change your life in 2017

As ever, please read, learn and share away, #OMDFWD. Happy new year to all!

Climbing partners Cory Richards and Adrian Ballinger have Snapchatted their month-long journey to Mount Everest’s summit, posting photos and videos daily to their shared account EverestNoFilter. The two experienced mountaineers wanted to share the magic of the world’s tallest mountain with people around the world who probably won’t climb it in their lifetime. There were of course some logistical issues linked to sending a snap from a remote outpost like Everest. Getting signal from the 29,035 foot summit was one major challenge in itself! Richards is only one of about 200 people that have successfully climbed Everest without the use of extra oxygen, but the fact his phone couldn’t make it is a good reminder that Mother Nature still imposes limits. As always, share anything interesting you spot with #OMDFWD

 HEADLINES

• Twitter set to drop their Buy button, 8 months after its launch
• Google is now the largest media owner in the world, controlling 12% of all global media spend
• Spotify is allowing brands to sponsor the most popular playlists
• Google turns to Google Maps as its latest source of ad revenue

Insights

• Find out how the recent Instagram changes affect your marketing
• Publishers’ Facebook videos are shared 7 times more than links
• Why changing your app’s logo can make an impact on engagement

Cool

• This is how you Snapchat while climbing Mount Everest
• Get your household Robot for the price of a new Smartphone
• How Intel provide 360 replays for the NBA

Deep reads

• What does the future hold for wearable tech?
• Microsoft and Facebook want to create a new transatlantic internet cable
• Apple’s route to Virtual Reality

And finally, Chewbacca replies to Chewbacca Mom

With ad blocking, ad fraud, mobilegeddon, messaging, chat bots, app overload, fragmented attention spans, et al, the landscape is changing beyond all recognition. And this represents a huge opportunity for brands and agencies to reinvent the future, to drive greater innovation around fostering more meaningful customer engagement, experiences and relationships. Please do share anything interesting you spot on Twitter with #OMDFWD

HEADLINES

• Facebook alter their algorithm to give preference to dwell times over clicks – is this the end of click baiting?
• Apple demands that all new Apple watch apps be native
• Google has launched a new start-up incubator called Area 120 for their employees
• Snapchat includes competition winners in special Tribeca Discover channel

INSIGHTS

• There has been a rapid rise of users who use mobile only to go online, and 70% of over 55s using social media daily. These and other nuggets from the UK OFCOM media use report
• 8 ways tech early adopters use Twitter
• An interesting read on Facebook’s different ventures – are they on a path to world domination?

COOL

• STRATA is a multisensory ‘book’ for the digital age (view on mobile)
• Persol is creating a graphic novel in real-time in Instagram
• Find your ‘Game of Thrones’ kindred spirit based on your Spotify music tastes

DEEP READS

• Digital Darwinism has created a market of digital narcissists
• A look at the history and the future of VR
• Have we reached ‘peak smartphone’?