Tag: yahoo

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

• Google introduces Trips – a one-stop shop app for the modern traveller and Allo – its machine learning messenger app
• Twitter seem poised for a sale, with Salesforce and Alphabet the front runners, here’s a look at what awaits the new owners
• Snapchat launches Specs – Snapchat unveils £100 Google-glass style spectacles: here is how they work
• Yahoo’s data breach, what you need to know,  and how it may affect the future of tech mergers and acquisitions

 INSIGHTS

• YouTube living room watch time doubled in the past year, and more nuggets from this Q&A
• People want text conversations with brands but this is rarely supported
• What you need to know about using Twitter’s new character count

COOL

• Copa 90 and Bleacher Report are creating a live TV series on Snapchat Discover
• The ice cubes that tell the bar when you are ready for your next drink
• You can now buy an NFL jersey with an emoji

DEEP READS

• Quartz profiles the companies rewriting the rules of business to find the Perfect Company
• Inside Apple and IBM’s app making machines
• A bit of food for thought on digital ‘distraction sickness’

Share anything interesting you spot with the hashtag #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

HEADLINES

• Verizon buying Yahoo’s core assets for $4.83bn
• Pokémon Go launches first official brand partnership with McDonald’s in Japan
• Unilever buys 4-year-old e-commerce and subscription business, Dollar Shave Club for $1bn

 INSIGHTS

• 5 things to know about AR and VR
• How the world’s biggest eSports promoter uses Facebook Live
• Uber’s growth is still rapidly accelerating

COOL

• Three ways Pokémon Go is doing a lot of good
• Birchbox testing Snapchat for customer service
• Macy’s piloting in-store Artificial Intelligence to help with your shopping

DEEP READS

• 11 video game trends that will change the future of industry
• How VR will be used to drive empathy
• How Dollar Shave Club built a $1bn e-commerce and Subscription brand in 4 yrs

and finally…last one to check-in gets the middle seat

Until recently Robyn Ewing was a writer in Hollywood, developing TV scripts and pitching pilots to film studios. Now Robyn is applying her creative talents towards building the personality of a different type of character- a virtual assistant animated by artificial intelligence, that interacts with sick patients and sends the data straight to a real doctor. As the creation of virtual assistants increases, Silicon Valley is being inundated with poets, comedians and fiction writers who are charged with engineering the personalities for a fast-growing crop of artificial intelligence tools. Share anything interesting you spot with #OMDFWD.

HEADLINES

• Several companies emerge as front-runners to buy Yahoo
• Amazon changes the model, adding standalone subscription options and taking aim at the competition
• Vine’s new Watch button takes the platform in a new direction
• Ticketmaster to start selling tickets on Facebook

 INSIGHTS

• A journey into the lives of ‘The Minecraft Generation’
• Early insights into the performance of Chatbots suggests they have a way to go, and to succeed they must take advantage of the messenger environment, rather than just ‘acting’ like bots
• US teens rate Snapchat as their number one social channel, edging ahead of Instagram

COOL

• Meet Facebook’s new slick 360 degree camera
• With this list of labels, it doesn’t get any cooler than connected clothes!
• Game of Thrones new season launches with a 360 degree interactive credit sequence

DEEP READS

• What the decline of personal sharing on Facebook means for brands
• How creatives are now being brought in to assist with the development of AI
• Interesting opinions from the NYT on the business of monetising publisher content

Getting someone to put down the remote control (or smartphone) and pay attention to TV adverts is harder than ever. In the digital age, viewers have limited attention spans, more distractions and countless ways to skip ads. A recent study has found that only 35% of the average paid TV break is actively viewed, instead 19% of people are channel surfing, 18% are looking at other devices and 13% are distracted by food, pets and the TV guide. As always, share what you find interesting with #OMDFWD

HEADLINES

• The owner of the Daily Mail rumoured to be considering a bid for Yahoo
• Hotel group Accor are buying OneFineStay, a high-end equivalent of AirBnB
• Facebook adding a section to their Mobile App dedicated solely to Video

INSIGHTS

• Mobile now 65% of all Digital Media time spent in the US
• Are as many people watching your TV ad as you think?
• Our Social Media posting habits are changing due to the increased number of Social Media apps we’re using 

COOL

• How to do a Mobile First creative execution properly.  Watch this Mobile First pop video on your phone
• Domino’s launches an app that lets you order your pizza with ‘zero clicks’
• Did you know you have a secret Facebook message inbox?

DEEP READS

• Companies raising millions to build bots
• The challenges that Publishers are facing with video content
• Unboxing experience of the HTC Vive that gives a really good idea of what a VR experience is actually going to be like

And finally….First there was Snapchat…prepare yourself for Rapchat…