THE TRENDS REPORT

Proudly brought to you by NATIVE VML

A MONTHLY SNAPSHOT OF TRENDS IN MARKETING, STORYTELLING AND DIGITAL

CULTURE LOCALLY AND ABROAD.

AUGMENTATION

Many brands and retailers are still

adjusting to the way people consume

content on their phones. The introduction

of smart watches and wearable tech adds

to the challenge of understanding content

consumption. Google is already looking at

advancing smaller screen devices beyond

the notification and alert system functions

to create content that is engaging and

interactive.

Human interactions with

digital interfaces.

Making the body its own self-

contained interface control

Google’s Project Soli is focussed on the

development of a new interaction sensor

that is powered by radar technology. The

sensor tracks micro movements or

twitches of the human hand. The ability to

track such movement in such minute

detail and with great accuracy, means

that it could possibly be used to interact

with smart watches, smartphones, and

tablets without touching the screen. The

sensor fitted into a chip can easily be

inserted into wearable tech and other

devices.

Creating smart textiles

The Google Project Jacquard aims to add

the functionality of smartphone screens to

everyday fabrics. The structures of

Jacquard yarn combine thin, metallic

alloys with natural and synthetic yarns like

cotton, polyester, or silk. When woven into

the fabric, it creates an interactive surface

that is sensitive to touch and gestures.

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Advances in bionics.

For many, bionic technology blurs the

boundary between man and machine.

Innovations in medical science are

providing procedures that propel the

human body far into the future.

Thought-controlled prosthetic limbs.

Using a neuro-prosthetic device

implanted in the brain, scientists have

been able to decode cerebral intentions of

a quadriplegic patient. By sending

electrical impulses to the nerves in the

limb, the patient is able to control a

robotic limb using their thoughts.

READ MORE

Bionic lenses that give super vision.

The Ocumetics Bionic Lens is three times

better than having 20/20 vision. It is

designed to be implanted on a fully

developed eye in an 8 minute procedure

identical to cataract surgery. The lenses

correct the eye beyond what we

understand as perfect vision today, and

because they never degrade, the lenses

could replace the natural lenses in the

eye.

INNOVATION

The proliferation of digital music has now

completely disrupted the music industry.

And while artists, record labels and

streaming services may not see eye-to-

eye, it can be agreed that the future of

the music industry requires diverse and

far more equitable business models.

The music industry in the

digital age.

Vying for the #1 music streaming

spot.

Spotify, the biggest brand in music

streaming constantly need to add

subscribers at a higher rate to cover their

revenue gap. As a result they are now also

looking at diversifying their offering. The

brand announced a number of key

changes including time and context

specific playlists as well as podcast and

video streaming services.

The Beats-powered Apple Music service

will combine the existing Apple iTunes

infrastructure and also boast a social

feature that allows artists to share notes

and photos with fans directly in the app.

Stock exchange for independent

musicians.

The Mutrs platform enables independent

musicians to sell shares in their music via

a digital exchange market. Artists release

an IMO (initial music offer) that comes

with a set amount of associated shares,

each valued at a base rate. By buying

their favourite music, consumers buy

shares in that product which they can

later trade on the Mutrs Independent

Music Exchange.

Digital technology allows people to move

beyond physical, social and cultural

constraints. There are a growing number

of unique apps and digital initiatives that

aim to make life easier by providing

assistance to those who need it most.

Digitised Accessibility.

App that allows you to share your

sight.

Be My Eyes is a crowdsourced video chat

service that connects someone visually

impaired with someone able to see and

willing to help. Users who sign up as a

helper receive a notification to be

someone's eyes. The app is designed to

be used in short bursts at particularly

difficult moments, such as reading an

expiration date or reading signs in an

unfamiliar location.

Teaching English through pizza

orders.

CNA Language School’s innovative

Hello Pizza campaign intercepts calls from

customers in the U.S. and asks them to

spend a few minutes speaking to Brazilian

students in English, in exchange for a

discount on their pizza. Calls are

transferred and students find themselves

immersed in real-time conversations, that

improve their grasp of the language.READ MORE

MOBILE, DATA AND SOCIAL

Citizen science projects that use the

efforts of volunteers to help scientists

collect valuable data are becoming

increasingly popular. Not only does it help

researchers deal with the flood of data

that confronts them - in some cases it

allows scientists to gather research in

areas difficult to reach.

Crowd sourced science.

Turning surfers into citizen scientists.

The near-shore zone is the hardest area of

the ocean to collect data from and any

equipment used is rendered useless when

left in the turbulent water. The Smartphin

enables surfers to collect vital information

about the changing condition of the

ocean’s near-shore zone. Integrated into

the board is a chip that collects data on

the pH, salinity, temperature and

directional wave spectra. This is all done

in real-time.

Smart beehives that gather data.

Open Source Beehives is a platform that

combines natural beekeeping, open

source hardware and smart devices to

combat Colony Collapse Disorder. Through

their printable beehives and an open

source sensor kit that monitors the

condition of the colonies; citizen

scientists, hobbyist beekeepers, and data

scientists can share important data

needed to prevent the CCD phenomenon.

READ MORE

MARKETING AT THE SPEED OF CULTURE

Kidult, describes the phenomenon of

adults acting like kids and embracing

entertainment, food and fashion that are

typically geared towards children. There’s

a growing trend among marketers

encouraging adults to indulge in analogue

activities that awaken their inner child.

Bringing out the kidult in all

of us.

The rise of adult colouring books.

Published in 2013, Scottish illustrator Johanna Basford's Secret Garden continues to float among Amazon’s best-selling books. The books feature patterns and designs that are intricate and sophisticated enough to appeal to adults while not too intimidating to try.

Playing in the subway.

Working off the insight that people spend too much time sitting and not enough time exercising, Reebok Pump Fusion created the Subway Pump Battle . The subway game chooses two opponents (seemingly without their knowledge) to see who can press the highest amount of pump buttons in a given time.

As one of the fastest growing social

networks, Instagram presents huge

marketing and branding opportunities.

Innovative marketers are looking to move

outside the platform’s ad offering with

well-crafted and compelling content.

Moving outside social media ad

offering.

Bringing Whisky to digital.

Ballantine created whisky magazine hosted exclusively on Instagram. @w_issueone employs traditional print thinking and design to create a unique and dynamic reading experience. Tuned into the cultural zeitgeist, the first issue explores women changing the face of modern whisky; the rise of bitter drinks; and asks whether Sims introduced the masses to mixology.

STORYTELLING

The notion of ‘beauty fatigue’ describes

the dissatisfaction with the unrealistic

representations of women and is gaining

momentum among audiences. In an

industry that’s all about ROI, marketers

looking to attract this consumer face a

daunting task. This is often the case

because campaigns that aim to confront

fears and shift stereotypes, often present

metrics that are difficult to measure.

Beauty Fatigue.

Presenting the unapologetic woman.

In its most expansive women’s campaign

to date, I WILL WHAT I WANT, fitness

apparel brand Under Amour has

partnered with model, Gisele Bündchen.

The campaign was revealed in an

interactive web experience that filmed

Gisele in a workout, working up a sweat as

she responded to both positive and

negative real-time social commentary

streaming in from all over the web.

Digital offers endless novelty, and while

online interactions are just one part of the

overall buying experience, albeit a key

one, connected consumers are looking to

curate and create unique and memorable

brand experiences.

Novel digital experiences.

Fusing AI with test drives

For the online activation for the new

BMW i3 electric car, NATIVE VML built

Artificial Intelligence (AI) into a microsite.

Once in the site, the BMW i3 will answer

any question you have about ‘her’ various

features; her voice guiding you through

the embedded content. The digital

experience humanises the innovative

technology in an interactive way and

makes the case for buying an electric car

a lot more exciting.

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