A Blockchain - Illustrated

You may wonder what's so different about a Blockchain, having already used so many peer-to-peer networks. The biggest hope is that it will bring transparency to connections in a supply chain. And each block player will have ownership of its own data - which will be cemented in time, unchanged once entered to the chain. The hype is its security - it is not, as evidenced by cryptocurrency crimes.

Illustration credit: Greg Kessler  

Content Will Always Be King

Artificial Intelligence... 5G...Blockchain... no matter what the buzz word du jour might be, content will always be the differentiation point. Yes we need smart distribution strategies but content is what holds the audience’s attention.

Do Your Next Pitch on 360 Video

Immersive experiences communicate deeper and help convert viewers into donors, shows the most recent study from Nielsen on potential VR adopters (paVRr). The study gauged attitudes of 1,000 paVRrs aged 18-54 about 134 charities. The group appeared to be advocates of technology and education in general, with 49% supporting increased technology access and 41% supporting universal primary education. 

To further measure the effectiveness of VR as a donation tool, Nielsen created an experiential setting in its Las Vegas research labs focusing on 14 pieces of charity VR content: about 100 US consumers viewed a 360 video in Samsung Gear, while another 100 viewed a piece of midroll (i.e.,digital ad that appears in the middle of a video) on a tablet as a comparison. The experiment showed that those who viewed the VR content were significantly more likely to recall the brand than those who viewed the midroll (84% vs. 53%). They were also more likely to seek additional info about the brand (48% vs. 37%).  Just as impressively, 48% of those who viewed the 360 video indicated they would donate to the viewed causes afterward vs. 38% of those who watched the midroll. 

The same efficacy in communication can be brought to any 'pitch' -- social or commercial. It's a tremendous opportunity for anyone looking to stand out of the crowd while asking for donations for a cause, seeking start up funding, or asking to be a brand's agency of record. 

Voice Technology Apps Face Return User Issues

The hopeful summary on voice technology from Digiday ends on a somewhat low note: It's hard to get return users on voice apps. In fact, only 3 percent of those who used Google home app skills in late December were actively using these skills in the second week. Holiday effect? Maybe. This trend signals a utility problem. Technologies take off because they help us save time, money. Or they entertain us. No matter what the creative wrap around a voice technology might be, it needs to do these things efficiently or it will not stick. 

Seeing is Believing: How VR Can Speed Time to Market For New Products

I am fascinated by VR and related technologies that can speed up time to market. Imagine if your brainstorm sessions were more fruitful, you could demo the ideas more effectively and sell more and quickly. VR programs such as Tilt Brush, Quill, A-Painter give users the tools to illustrate and collaborate on ideas. Powerpoint - move over! These programs help convey ideas in immersive settings and allow for ideas to flourish vs. forcing things into quadrants.

Once you draw up the ideas, then you can illustrate in fine detail with 3D modeling software. My colleagues Harry Brisson and Matt Price recommended I check out Blender 3D and Autodesk, maker of Maya and 3D Studio Max. There is also Unity -- an open source platform where majority of current VR/AR apps are created.

Majority of use cases for VR/AR/3D software are in entertainment (e.g., animation), education (e.g., training) and healthcare (e.g., doctors training on surgical procedures). They all underscore how we can create both efficient and higher quality storytelling/learning environments.

What if we were able to quantify how VR enabled groups to come up with more and better ideas, got agencies and clients to see eye to eye and overall just converted better? Any other ideas on which VR features or programs can be used in business?

How AI Seeps Into Everyday Life

If people can get emotional about content, why should we be surprised about emotional connections with robots that have life like features and voices? Hasbro's robotic cat that keeps Alzheimer patients company is a micro example of how AI can be social and part of everyday life. 

Here's my SIL's robot cat- whom she claims calms her down, doesn't come with vet bills and has a lifetime renewable by batteries. And here's another NYT journalist who agrees with her on the soothing qualities of robocats.

As we step into the post-real era, there are a growing number of industry reports on how artificial intelligence (AI) is poised to replace human labor. The Obama Administration's report on the topic noted a broad range (nine to 47 percent) of the US labor force can be threatened by AI -- especially if new jobs are not created at similar or higher rates than lost jobs. Spreading news of his latest AI-based initiative, Neuralink, Elon Musk even professes that digital super intelligence will surpass that of humans and take over. 

Ultimately institutions look for efficiency - AI will take over in cases where it's cheaper than the real life alternative. 

VR for Women's Empowerment: KAGIDER (Women Entrepreneurs Association of Turkey) Luncheon Speech

I had the honor and pleasure of attending a luncheon, hosted by Burcu Mirza, with board members of KAGIDER (Women Entrepreneurs Association of Turkey) who were in town for meetings at the UN. KAGIDER has an amazing mentorship program where they coach select young, low-income, high-potential women seeking employment and entrepreneurship. Their graduates change their (and their community's) destiny by either starting their own businesses or becoming successful at firms they join. KAGIDER leaders cited research pointing to millions of young women of employment age in emerging countries, who are neither able to pursue education, nor find employment. KAGIDER's work is to address this problem. Below is what I shared as my point of view on emerging technology and communication trends, which lead to a dynamic discussion on how these technologies can be used in educating and giving employment skills to young women.

Whatever the technology label might be, we have transcended into post-reality era.

A time when we believe what technology tells us more so than what we see in front of us. For instance, believing our GPS more than the traffic coming towards us on a one-lane street. Or, when children say good bye to Google Home when leaving the apartment.  

There are a few technologies that are driving our post-reality vision as ‘under currents’:

1.       With technologies such as VR and AR, this post-reality vision becomes more immersive and believable. And truth/experiences vary by each viewer not the director or the editor. Before we were told stories by movie directors, news anchors, journalists… Today viewers can look ever which way when immersed in a VR story. We choose the angle in which we’ll take that story – being our own editors.  

2.       Voice activation (e.g., Alexa, Echo, Siri, Adobe’s voice based photo editing technology) humanizes automation, IoT and other connected devices. They induce emotion and forge relations between humans and AI. (Students in a NY State University hacked Alexa to break up with it… some classmates who heard about the break up expressed concern. Post reality experience in this case is heightened by voice and emotion.)

Some companies are taking advantage of this technology in creative ways: eBay is offering VR experience in shops, Google is partnering with BMW and Gap on AR shopping experiences. Adobe is launching voice-based photo editing technology.

VR/AR are poised to generate significant dollars for technology and content makers. Deloitte called it the billion dollar niche in 2016. Some sources, such as Digi-Capital, make bolder predictions, forecasting over 100 billion dollars by 2020, disrupting mobile.

As these emerging technologies edge their way to become mainstream, gender and generational gaps appear. Nielsen study on VR technology (2016) shows a typical early adoption story on VR: Male and younger audiences are more likely to adopt. Women not as likely to be interested or aware! 

VR can fundamentally change the way we communicate in arts and politics. And if women are typically the storytellers, where does that put the female voice in arts, news, commerce and politics? If shopping is gamified in ways that suit men, will women – who are responsible for grand majority of household purchases-- buy more?

VR Headsets Go Beyond Gaming As The Latest Sales Tool

Back in December, I had published a marketoon by Greg Kessler on my LinkedIn account, suggesting we would be relying on VR headsets to paint a vision of the future. The idea behind this cartoon is the topic of a New York Times real estate section article this week. 'A New Dimension in Home Buying' by Jennifer Miller shows how Hallstead Realty is selling multi-million dollar properties by showing prospects a vision of what these condos will be through VR headsets. It's about evoking emotions and converting lookers to buyers when in the raw construction phase.

 

Hallstead's initiative is not only a clever gimmick, but hope that VR will have real commercial applications beyond gaming. Similar to real estate, VR headsets can be used in retail to show how to dress, cook, or experience a vacation. In auto, it can help drivers test their car in the wilderness, or through narrow streets of old European cities without leaving the dealer's showroom. If done right, VR stories can help propel new authors to best seller status by showing a preview of what those 300 pages hold.

 

As companies tie increasing profits to VR marketing, this type of storytelling will become mainstream (and with hopefully more attractive headsets)

 

My Goosebumps Podcast: How do you measure empathy?

It was a pleasure to do this podcast with Bryan Adams, founder and CEO of creative agency Ph. Creative, about word of mouth marketing. Goosebumps (co-authored by Bryan Adams and Dave Hazelhurst of Ph. Creative) is full of great tips and tools on digital marketing. We discussed how to:

• Create a hook to entice listeners and strike an emotional chord 
• Measure empathy, all the while looking at hard numbers such as sales
• Spot signs of viral content

It's also available on iTunes. Enjoy!

Millennials: One Size Does Not Fit All

Emerging Trend:  There is a growing understanding that not all millennials behave the same way.  

Implication:  Your millennial data is not flat. You may need to distinguish between lifestyles, life stages and other demographics.

Action:

1-      Get your millennial definition straight: Is it just adults, or do you need to include teens as well?

2-      Look into the differences between younger and older millennials. Those in college and those who are starting families will have distinct media and spending patterns.

3-      Measure values as well as attitudes. Are your millennials more likely to vote for green initiatives? Do they donate frequently?

Do you want to tune off?

Emerging Trend: We are increasingly expressing our desire to ‘tune-off’ in reaction to the flux of ‘big data’ in our lives.

Implications: Decline in app usage, email opens, click throughs, productivity and overall life quality. Increase in sensory sensitivity.

Action: Tune off! Or enable others to do so. Check out how Ikea helps customers design serene surroundings. See how JetBlue greets Web site visitors with Aruba get-away options. If you need more help, download the Dinner Mode app by Sloane Davidson to focus on your food and conversation at meal times.

 

 

Majority Multicultural Areas Are the Future of America…and Marketing

 

Emerging Trend: Culturally relevant content and products are appealing to non-Hispanic whites as well as multicultural audiences.

·         Non-Hispanic whites in majority multicultural areas, which Nielsen coins as Super Geos in its recent report, show similar purchase patterns as multicultural consumers.

·         Programs such as Black-ish and Fresh off the Boat are attracting diverse audiences, including non-Hispanic whites.

 Implication: Your targets are not what they seem. As populations shift in size and attitudes, marketers should not miss the opportunity to appeal to audiences based on cultural interest.

Action:

1-      Watch millennials and generation Z who are more accepting of cross-cultural experiences than older generations.

2-      Target based on lifestyle segments, not only demos.

3-      Pilot programs in super geo areas (e.g., NY, LA, SF, New Orleans, Nashville)

Would you manage your home by phone?

Emerging trend: Smartphones are becoming home data managers – capable of tracking and enabling habitants’ activities (music, shopping, cooking) and home settings (e.g., temperature, safety, lights).

Implication: Device and chip makers will compete with telecom players will gain a bigger share of home networking. They will want consumers to have their brands to be top of mind and trust them with more personal information.

Action:

1-      Seize the opportunity to re-brand, with new products and capabilities that go beyond communication.  

2-      Put permission marketing ahead of precision marketing when messaging consumers about their home.

3-      Communicate benefits such as convenience, time-saving and comfort when setting up a home network and assure consumers their information (e.g., lifestyle habits, address and app usage) will be kept safe.

Would you like to use your phone or a wearable device to manage your home-based activities? Or would you find it intrusive?

Special thanks to Zuzanna Skalska of 360inspiration who informed me of Samsung CEO’s keynote speech on future homes at the recent IFA conference and inspired this post.

Dark Social: How To Crack That Nut!

Emerging trend: Dark social, as in private social media conversations (e.g., SMS, email, Snapchat, Whatsapp, FB messenger), is significantly bigger in volume and impact more decisions than what we coin as word of mouth today. This trend was first brought to public attention by the Atlantic. And now according to a new study from Radium One cited in Media Post

·         91% of Americans regularly share information via dark social methods, and  

·         59% of all online sharing is via dark social

Implication: Critical opinions about family, health, politics, and religion will largely remain in private digital circles. Marketers will need to rely on self-reported data (e.g., surveys, interviews) and trusted relationships to gauge brand and other topic mentions in dark social.

Action:
1- Improve email targeting
2- Make your content hyper relevant to your target audience. 
3- Invest in social CRM team and infrastructure to keep close connections with customers who will take the information to their friends and family, and give you feedback.

Mobile Transaction Success

There are many exciting developments in mobile space with beacons remembering consumer preferences, Apple watch and smart cars. However, two out of three attempted transactions on smartphones fail due to poor user experience!

Here are some tips on how companies can close the loop with customers across the decision journey by providing in-app support: Feel free to click on the link to webinar with ZineOne, featuring Nielsen insights.

Monetizing Mobile Moments: The Three Principles of In-App Support

I was honored to co-author the whitepaper Monetizing Mobile Moments: The Three Principles of In-App Support with Debjani Deb and Sona Sharma of ZineOne. The whitepaper delves into emerging trends such as mobile-first companies, chips that make our devices context-smart and the growing demand for in-app support from millennials. It underscores the need for companies to address mobile customer needs proactively, by being context aware and responding in real-time. You can download the paper here: 

http://zineone.com/downloads/MonetizingMobileMoments.pdf

Home Networking Means We'll Have More Than TV and Online Data Per Zipcode

Emerging Trend:  With the advent of Internet-connected home networking systems and devices, marketers will need to have a holistic look at home-related data – ranging from the living room, into the kitchen and garage.

Implication: We will have the ability to map out consumer behaviors and needs at a very granular level and serve ads in a highly tailored and effective manner.

Action: Follow Google, Apple and Microsoft partnerships with Samsung, Phillips Lighting, Dell, Qualcomm, Intel, as well as auto makers. These companies are working to activate household devices and meters with Internet-connected chips.

What Apple's Acquisition of Dr. Dre's Beats Means

Emerging trend: Apple is bringing location-based targeting to music audiences, moving to buy Dr. Dre’s Beats electronics business.

Implication: Apple will extend its ad network and iBeacon service to Beats streaming service to Beats streaming service, which predicts what type of music users may like based on their location.

Action: Line up to target heavy data users who will pay extra for streaming music and other entertainment content.

Info-Currents Weekly

Emerging Trend: Apple's iBeacon service, an opt-in geo-location system, will win over NFC (near field communication) technology with its ability to map locations in detail.

Implication: This represents an opportunity for OOH (out-of-home) marketers who are looking to bring their targets into stores. For instance, a retailer such as Best Buy will be able to push offers to those shoppers listening to music in the park and invite them to the nearest location to check out the latest digital music players.

Action: Build or partner with apps that leverage iBeacon technology. Target iPhone and other iDevice users.

Info-Currents December '13/January '14 Issue: Ramifications of Wearable Technologies

Emerging Trend: Photo editing apps let users create new stories while enhancing images. Snaps app allows users to add icons to existing photos. Light bomber captures and highlights the long exposure rays around an image.

Implication: App developers are looking to leverage surging consumer interest in image-focused sites such as Instagram, Pinterest, Tumblr among others. Those who will find ways to partner with brands will increase their reach and enjoy commercial success. 

Actions: Photos are highly sticky pieces of social content. If your audience responds to such visual communication (e.g., moms, young adults, travelers), explore ways to white-label the apps, avoid development cost and drive engagement.

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Emerging Trend: Wearable technologies will match personal information with facial recognition (i.e., faces matched with social media profiles).

Implication: To protect privacy and to curb inappropriate behavior, companies and public venues (e.g., movie theatres, museums, restaurants, etc.) will need to devise guidelines on how to use wearable technologies such as Google glasses.

Actions: Get ready to supplement employee and communication guidelines. Make sure the added items do not curb innovative thinking.

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Emerging Trend: People will be able to send a ‘touch’ or a ‘tickle’ to their loved ones through wireless bracelets. (Download PSFK’s wearable technologies report here.)

Implication: Working moms will be able to stay connected with their children through the day. Long distance romantic relationships will get support.

Actions: If ‘touch’ is essential to your brand (e.g., skincare, textile), then consider using these devices at events to communicate the value of this sense and connectivity. If moms are an important audience to your brand, explore ways to integrate these technologies to your product line.