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.
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And finally, if you’re feeling ambitious but stuck for inspiration for Christmas…
As ever, please tag and share anything you spot with #OMDFWD.
Pokémon Go continues to top headlines as it expands into Japan and launches the game’s first sponsorship deal. In partnership with Pokémon, McDonald’s has turned 3,000 of their fast food branches into Pokémon Go “gyms”. With further deals in the U.S and Europe expected, it is likely that McDonald’s partnership with Pokémon could be an incredibly lucrative way to drive customers to the chain. In other news from APAC, Uber has announced they have reached their two billionth customer, just sixth months after hitting their first billion. CEO Travis Kalanick has said that 147 Uber rides started at exactly the same second in 16 countries to tie for the record-breaking billionth trip. The largest portion of those rides – 54 – happening in China, an indication of Uber’s growth in this country. With such tremendous growth and innovation being seen from both Pokémon and Uber we look forward to seeing what the next six months holds for these brands. As ever, please share anything you spot with #OMDFWD
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and finally…last one to check-in gets the middle seat
Almost overnight Nintendo’s Pokémon GO (PoGO) has taken augmented reality, a viable technology to create immersive and incredibly desirable customer experiences, from a niche market to a mass.
Pokémon GO is already outstripping Tinder on app installs. It has more daily active users than Twitter with people spending 43 minutes a day on average playing it, having a higher dwell time than WhatsApp, Instagram and Snapchat. Pokémon Go is seeing more than double the industry average retention rate with 7 out of 10 people who downloaded the app returning the next day.
It has already been dubbed ‘a cultural phenomenon’ and a saviour for Nintendo. The demand for Pokémon GO saw Nintendo’s shares surge by a quarter in value on Monday.
The tidal wave of participation has already inspired other businesses to become part of the show.
Entrepreneurs are building new revenue streams. Gamers are offering 1-4 hour ($20 per hour) shifts so the gameplay doesn’t have to stop while you are at work. If you are pressed for time, Pokémon Taxi services are at hand to take you to Pokémon stops and locations. Maybe we will see a UBER-Pokémon Go partnership.
Huge Cafe in Atlanta is across the street from two Pokémon Go ‘PokéStops’. They have paid $49 to buy in-game “coins” that can be traded in for 40 in-game “lures”. These can be ‘attached’ to PokéStops and work as smoke-signals to attract Pokémon and users. Each ‘lure’ works for 30 minutes and attracts rarer and more powerful Pokémon to the area, and in turn gamers.
Here are five reasons why you should start thinking about Pokémon Go brand opportunities:
[ctt template=”1″ link=”39g_7″ via=”yes” ]Total shares of ‘Pokemon Go’ online content rose by 535% in a 4 day period @OMD_EMEA[/ctt]
That means publishers and clients with relevant content have already captured some of the 11 million+ shares from consumers. Considering this looks set to be a consistent source of ongoing traffic, there is a massive opportunity that exists for brands!
[ctt template=”1″ link=”fT8Zr” via=”no” ]#PokémonGo on Facebook shows continuous growth– 21K players have shown interest in events & page likes have increased +131% over the weekend[/ctt]
Have you considered Facebook content around Pokémon to put your brand into the conversation?
[ctt template=”1″ link=”3DiRF” via=”no” ]#PokémonGo opens up a new world of location-based marketing – did you know 10,000+ people are interested in the ‘London massive lure party’? [/ctt]
A quick search on Eventbrite also shows everything from a Pokémon 5k run to bar crawls. The creative potential seems only constrained by our imagination and the time to start thinking about it is now.
[ctt template=”1″ link=”HB6UT” via=”yes” ]#PokémonGo appears to lend itself (if done well) to non-gaming topics like travel, dining and fashion @OMD_EMEA[/ctt]
For example, Pokemon Go fashion by Cosmopolitan reaches 70.6k shares & restaurants are also being impacted.
[ctt template=”1″ link=”9qOAb” via=”no” ]Google Trends monitors a breakout of search queries for ‘Pokemon Go Tips’ rising 140% in the first 24 hours to over 5,000% by the 5th day[/ctt] Could your brand fill the demand / supply content gap with something that speaks to your audience?
There’s plenty of traffic and social shares going on – #gottacatchemall!
What does this cultural phenomenon mean for your brand? Need more information or interested in exploring Pokémon branded opportunities – contact us at [email protected]
Since the last major sporting summer event, World Cup 2014, the creative possibilities on Twitter have evolved hugely. Last year Twitter announced that video views increased 150-fold year on year, with the emergence of Periscope bringing the power of live video to the fore. Emojis continue to redefine how people communicate online. In fact the “kissing” emoji alone was used 6.6 billion times on Twitter last year, taking on a language of its own. And new features such as Twitter Moments, Stickers, GIFS and polls have provided a new layer to how people and brands can express themselves in a tweet. To reflect this, Twitter’s Director of Brand Strategy, Laurent Buanece, has analysed some of the the biggest brand campaigns supported across Europe during #EURO2016 to determine a top five including, #OrangeSponsorsYou, Vauxhall’s #GETIN and Volkswagen’s real-time emoji updates. From tweets powering an Eiffel Tower light show to fixture downloads, Twitter now demonstrates the breadth of creativity and innovation now available on the platform. We look forward to seeing how brands continue to connect with consumers as the summer of sport moves towards #Rio2016. Read, learn and share away.
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Please do share anything interesting you spot on Twitter with #OMDFWD