Part 2: The Mobile & Wearable Web

PEOPLE’S INSIGHTS MONTHLY BRIEF: APRIL

Wearable tech is the buzz word of 2015, and rightly so.

The fairly new landscape of wearable technology is already dotted with promising

prospects. Emerging trends and innovations are paving the way for a more

connected, seamless and integrated world. Smartwatches, fitness trackers and

wristbands that monitor overall health are quite commonplace today, and are

increasingly becoming a part of people’s everyday lives.

One of the reasons wearables are rising in popularity and preference is their

association with mobile phones and the Internet of Things (IoT).

Most wearables, for optimal functionality, require a corresponding mobile app. This

close relationship with mobiles makes wearable tech much more accessible and

desirable to people. Wearables allow people to know themselves better – by

providing insights into their daily habits and activities.

In Part 2 of this two-part series on the rising mobile and wearable space, we explore

eight interesting initiatives - wearables and mobile applications that are changing

the lives of consumers as well as modern business. Click here to view Part 1: The

Mobile & Wearable Web.

Introduction

Photo: Studio Roosegaarde on Flickr

Why do we as communications

professionals need to be

abreast of the latest

developments in Wearables?

Adrian Rosenthal (@neurosenthal), Head

of Digital & Social - MSL Germany explains

how we can leverage wearable tech to

offer value to our clients. His article is

filled with key takeaways and insights

from the recent Mobile World Conference

(MWC) and South by Southwest (SXSW).

Wearables – Enhancing the Quality of Life

While wearables are still - to a large extent - looked at as personal style statements, they’re evolving to offer more

features and value. We’re noticing a gradual but definite shift to improve how people live, work and socialise, especially

as the wearable industry expands beyond fitness trackers and smartwatches.

1. Making Events Shareable: Insider BandThe Insider Band uses NFC technology in an innovative way to make social events (like music festivals) more

shareable. The wristband enables festival-goers to perform mobile activities like sharing photos and checking in to

events with a tap of the wrist - without the need for cell phone reception from service providers.

2. Making Travel Seamless: Sesame RingThe Sesame Ring could change how people use public transport. The ring tackles the challenge of having to spend

time fishing for travel cards in bags and wallets at subway stations. This invention embeds the RFID technology of

subway cards within the rings – making getting access to stations as easy as flashing the ring.

3. Bridging the Gap between Virtual & Reality: Oculus RiftVirtual Reality headset Oculus Rift is turning the world of virtual reality around with applications that go beyond

gaming - for use in healthcare, military training and more.

Wearables – Pushing the boundaries of Healthcare

Health and fitness-related wearables dominate the market today, and they’re predicted to grow.

The data collected by health-oriented wearables presents a huge opportunity for doctors and the healthcare community,

and enables them to glean better insights about their patients’ health. The healthcare industry is already using data

obtained from wearables to a certain extent: research firm IDC says that by 2020, 70% of healthcare organisations will be

using wearables for improved patient care.

4. Predicting Epilepsy Attacks: Embrace WristbandThe Embrace wristband by Empatica could significantly improve the quality of life for those suffering from epilepsy.

Combining motion data with stress levels detected from the wearer’s skin, Embrace alerts the wearers as well as

their friends, family members and doctor about a possible epilepsy attack.

5. Making Healthcare Safer: Smart BandaidJoining the fight against Ebola is the Smart Bandaid – a wearable that lets doctors and caregivers monitor patients’

health without having to be present next to them. This can bring down the risk of contracting Ebola for those

attending to the patients, leading to better quality of treatment and care.

6. Monitoring Health from Day 1: Smart DiapersPixie Scientific, a company that studies biological human data for insights, has created a range of diapers that

unobtrusively track urine from used diapers to detect potential irregularities that could point to the infant’s risk of

developing illnesses (like type 1 diabetes) and kidney ailments.

Mobiles – Seamless Integration & Impactful Storytelling

With more and more of the world turning to mobile phones to do everything from placing a call to tracking heart beats, it

make sense for businesses and brands to integrate mobiles into the communications strategy and the product development

process to become more relevant to people.

7. Catering to the Mobile Generation: IKEA’S Wireless Charging FurnitureIKEA’s new range of furniture that charges mobile phones without the use of wires is a revolution in the furniture

industry. With its aesthetically designed furniture that caters to the mobile era, it almost treats mobiles as

extensions of our bodies.

8. Using Constraints to Create a Story: Nat Geo Wild on SnapchatContent on Snapchat self-destructs after 24 hours, making the channel a perfect fit for Nat Geo Wild’s campaign to

raise awareness about the declining population of big cats in the wild. Nat Geo Wild chose the Snapchat Story feature

to show its followers images of big cats – images which slowly faded away as users scrolled through them, never to be

seen again.

We hope you enjoy this issue. Let us know what you think at @PeoplesLab.

Nidhi Makhija-Chimnani

Director – Research and Insights, MSLGROUP @NidhiMakhija

Melanie Joe

Consultant – Research and Insights, MSLGROUP @melanie_joe

Wearables Galore –But

How Can We Leverage

Them in Our Daily

PR Work?

Adrian RosenthalHead of Digital & Social Media, MSL

Germany

@neurosenthal

Based in Berlin, Adrian is a self-

tracking enthusiast and owns a Nike

FuelBand as well as a Pebble

smartwatch.

Google Glass, Nike Fuelband or smart watches like Pebble – smart wearable

technologies are not just on everyone’s lips, but can also be found more and

more on wrists (or tips of noses for that matter). Although Marty McFly already

sported a smart jacket, we can’t go back to the future and are seemingly still

some light years away from wearables becoming a mass phenomenon. However,

they are already more than just a trend or passing fad being hyped by some tech

geeks. New products and innovations are regularly being discussed not only in

specialized blogs or dedicated tech websites, but also everywhere from the NYT

to CNN.

Wearables and other new connected technologies are more than just gadgets and

an extension of mobile communication: they are the epitomes of a megatrend

towards a smarter and connected lifestyle – smart mobile health, smart mobility,

etc. – via IoT (Internet of Things) technologies.

Thus, even though a majority of people still regard wearables as useless gadgets

for self-tracking geeks, there’s no denying that wearables technologies and smart

IoT devices are becoming more and more deeply entrenched in our lives.

We as communications experts naturally have to be on top of the developments -

we have to follow and analyze new trends to see how to incorporate them into

our work. That is why we attend MWC, SXSW or the IFA in Berlin - that is why we

have to be curious about new products and mingle with experts and developers

alike.

Top: Nike

Bottom: Pebble

Under the impression of both MWC and SXSW 2015, I have also pondered the

question on how we can already use wearable technologies – understood as both

the trend and actual products - in our daily work for clients. Here is my top ten

list:

1. We should be curious guides for our clients and

colleagues

As communicators with a focus on digital and tech, we need to maintain a

curious mind for new technologies. Like we did with Facebook, Twitter and other

social networks a couple of years ago, we need to look at how these new

technologies change the modes of communications and our lifestyles, test them,

work with them – and then share our insights and opinions with clients and

colleagues alike.

2. We need to tell innovative stories

Wearables certainly have not become a mainstream technology for most

consumers thus far. While some question the value, others voice concerns

regarding data privacy. Thus, our challenge is to communicate the benefits of

these new technologies via creative storytelling and contextualizing these

innovations as well as building trust through transparency.

Photo: Frits Ahlefeldt-Laurvig on Flickr

3. Big Data: Chances and challenges

The collection of personal data is obviously a hot topic and a communicative

challenge for brands and developers, but big data also offers chances, especially

when it comes to targeted marketing and advertising. Furthermore, analyzing

user data and usage patterns can lead to optimized and individualized products

and/or content.

4. Building a community

Many developers of wearable technologies also create communities with

gamification elements around their products. Users of activity trackers like Fitbit

or the Nike FuelBand don’t just want to collect their own data and keep quiet

about it, they want to share updates and compete in rankings with their friends

and peers. The creation of communities which enable users to engage with each

other not only creates a bond between users, but also between brand and its

users.

5. Brand love and brand ambassadors

In most cases, users of wearables will also become – voluntary as well

involuntary – brand ambassadors. They not only share data with

brand/companies, they also share status updates, activities, pictures, via

Twitter, Facebook or Instagram and thus create buzz for the products they wear

and applications they use. iWatch, Pebble and co. also tend to be lifestyle

products, which are talked about and also shown off by its owners.

Top: NEC Corporation of America on Flickr

6. “Piggybacking” and brand partnerships

Many of the wearables on the market have open APIs which can be used by other

companies. Fitbit for example has a multitude of existing partnerships with

companies ranging from Weight Watchers to Walgreens. Thus, even companies

who do not have their own wearables devices have the opportunity to benefit

from these by programming their own applications and integrating their own

services into existing wearable technologies. This is something we will likely see

a lot more of in the future.

7. Campaigns with a focus on wearables

Although the amount of users for may still somewhat limited, some brands have

already started PR and marketing campaigns revolving around wearables

technologies. Kenneth Cole for example called upon Google Glass users to

accomplish a set of actions and document them via Google Glass. Likewise, Nike

placed vending machines at certain spots in New York where runners could get

goodies by way of their accumulated fuel points. Thus, even though the initially

targeted group was limited: Using wearable technologies in a communications

campaign is still a newsworthy novelty factor. Once Mashable and the like pick

up a story, broad coverage is guaranteed.

Photo: Kārlis Dambrāns on Flickr

8. Communication on the run

Nike is not the only company which has started a context- and location-based

communication with fans and customers. Another example is the dog food brand

Granata: They put up advertising billboards which animated people walking their

dogs to check in via Foursquare to get some samples of the food right on the

spot. With the advent of the iWatch and other smart watches in combination

with new technologies such as iBeacons, we will likely see a lot more of context-

and location-based marketing and PR campaigns.

9. Wearables in internal communications

Various companies have already started implementing different wearable

technologies as part of their internal communications. Salesforce has started a

distinct developer program for smartwatches and Google Glass which has

resulted in applications supporting CRM or approval processes. Another example

is the corporate health app Keas, which aims at animating employees to be

mindful of their health and well-being at work by incorporating gamification

elements and incentives. Our role as social business consultants is to be strategic

advisors and recommend the right tools out of an ever-evolving wearable

toolbox.

Photo: Tayla Lyell on Flickr

10. Creation of own wearable technologies

The supreme discipline would of course be conceiving, designing and creating

your own wearable device, thus going beyond the programming of an app which

can be integrated with wearables. Disney for example is not a brand known for

producing hardware and thus being predestined to creating a wearable device,

but has ventured into this sphere by launching the MagicBand, which can be used

as a payment or reservation device among other functions in Disney Worlds

across the globe. Again, cooperation between brands are another possibility here

as Fitbit and Tory Burch have co-created and launched a set of wearable

accessories. We should be creative catalysts, nudging ideas and launching the

process of thinking about potentials and possibility for wearable technologies.

●●● Photo: General Physics Laboratory on Flickr

Wearables – Enhancing the Quality of Life

Insider Band

Sesame Ring

Oculus Rift

Wearables - Pushing the boundaries of Healthcare

Embrace Wristband

Smart Bandaid

Smart Diapers

Mobiles – Seamless Integration & Impactful Storytelling

IKEA’s Wireless Charging Furniture

Nat Geo Wild on Snapchat

Inside

16

18

21

25

27

29

32

34

Wearables – Enhancing the

Quality of Life

+ Insider Band

+ Sesame Ring

+ Oculus Rift

Photo: kris krüg on Flickr

Insider band

Photo: Mashable Video: The Insider Band

Being always connected, people have

developed the habit of sharing their most

memorable experiences with others in an

instant.

Music festivals see some of the most

social and tech-savvy millennials in the

world as attendees. Unfortunately for

music festival lovers who want to share

live updates with the world, the venues

for such events are almost always non-

conducive to proper connectivity.

This is why the Insider Band was

introduced to the hugely popular Outside

Lands music festival in San Francisco. It

works on NFC technology (near field

communication).

Auto insurance company Esurance, in a

collaboration with ClearHart, installed

eight 14-foot towers with NFC-enabled

Nexus 7 tablets mounted on each of

them, around the venue. Attendees could

tap their Insider Bands to the tablets to

share their festival updates with friends,

in real-time.

Read: Why do people share their lives

online?

#ExperientialWearables

Photo: Mashable

A Tap to Stay Connected

Attendees to the festival could register online for an Insider Band prior to the

festival and connect it to their Facebook profiles. After collecting the band from

the venue on the day of the festival, they could tap the activated bands on the

towers to check in on Facebook, find friends at the venue and message them,

and also win goodies to exclusive events – all without having to rely on their

service providers’ network reception.

As per ClearHart’s data, during the three-day festival, 8,060 registered users

tapped 29,753 times and uploaded 4,780 photos. That’s a lot of tapping!

Revisiting Existing Technology with Creative Ideas

The idea worked because of an intelligent approach to the existing NFC

technology – which enables connected devices to establish radio connection with

each other by touching them together or being in close proximity. It gave people

the opportunity to tell their story in a fun and interactive manner, without

having to compromise on the quality of their experience – which is what happens

when festival-goers struggle to establish connections on their cell phones. Users

could check in and post photos to Facebook, which would also later be available

in an online memory bank.

Being relatively new, the full potential of NFC technology is still to be realised. It

also is an idea that’s scalable because it brings together, in a fun manner, what

the millennial generation is most familiar with – experiential events and

wearable tech.

●●●

Infographic: How to Use NFC technology in Your Marketing Strategy

Sesame ring

Photo: ringtheory.com Video: Learn more about the Sesame Ring

The Sesame Ring, designed and developed

by MIT students and the Singapore

University of Technology and Design, is an

interesting invention that aims to

introduce smart travel to public transport

systems.

What is the Sesame Ring?

A unisex ring that passengers can easily

slide on to their fingers, The Sesame Ring

is designed to work as a replacement for

the CharlieCards that are required to gain

access to the trains and buses in Boston.

“Having missed the train many times

while fishing for our CharlieCards…we

looked for a solution in wearable

technology”, say the founders of the ring.

It’s interesting how the rings are made –

through 3D printing, which gives the

makers the opportunity to produce larger

quantities of the ring quickly and easily, if

the idea becomes popular.

#SmartTravel

Photo: Sesame Ring on Kickstarter

The rings are equivalent to other fare cards and can be used on any T machine

that accepts a CharlieCard. These rings are embedded with the same tap-and-go

technology used in CharlieCards issued by the MBTA (Massachusetts Bay

Transportation Authority), the fourth busiest public transportation system in the

US. Similar to CharlieCards, the rings – with an RFID chip inside each one – can be

recharged at the several designated kiosks across train stations.

Kick-starting hassle-free and efficient travel

Born as a Kickstarter project, the idea received several backers on the website,

and also caught the attention of the MBTA itself, whose approval was

instrumental in lifting the project off the ground.

The ring has already become popular, with more than 1,000 rings shipped out

after the initial testing. They’re available in several bright colours at the

moment, and the makers have promised to make it customisable. The rings are

also resistant to natural elements – a feature that makes sense for a product

that’s susceptible to significant wear and tear from daily use, in a city notorious

for snow storms and strong winds.

While the rings can only be used in Boston now, the founders’ goal is to make it

available for use in public transport systems across the world, and eventually

replace smart cards altogether.

Disruption in Travel

The Sesame Ring makes for a telling

example of how wearable tech is

gradually but surely blending seamlessly

with various aspects of our daily life.

It’s a product with potential for success

because it blends utility – which is no

longer looked at as an advantage, rather

as a necessity in wearables- with style.

Experimentation to transfer this

technology to more products like

keychains, smartphone covers and

personal accessories like bracelets is

already on.

Could we soon see a future where access

to public transport – made possible with

train tickets, subway passes, etc. – will be

granted with our wearables?

●●●

Photo: Sesame Ring on Kickstarter

Oculus rift

Photo: Oculus Video: Founder Palmer Luckey on the Oculus Rift

Virtual Reality (VR) – the simulation of

real-world physical sensations while

involved in an activity like playing video

games – is a concept that’s been around

for decades.

One company that’s made waves in this

space is Oculus, with its groundbreaking

virtual reality headset, the Oculus Rift.

Designed to provide a fully immersive

virtual experience to gamers, the headset

boasts of cutting-edge technology that’s

changing the face of gaming, and more.

How does virtual reality tie in with

social communication?

Social giants are realising the potential of

virtual reality – which Facebook’s

acquisition of Oculus Rift in 2014 clearly

shows. Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg is

one of the most vocal advocates of the

Oculus Rift.

“Oculus has the potential to be the most

social platform ever,” he says. “Imagine

sharing not just moments with your

friends online, but entire experiences and

adventures.”

#VirtualReality

Photo: Sergey Galyonkin on Flickr

With features to match its futuristic looks, the Oculus Rift has been creating a

buzz in the gaming industry since the company unveiled the product. Though still

available only in developer versions – it’s slated to be launched for commercial

sale in 2016 – the wearable has piqued the interests of individuals and

corporations alike.

Not Just A Game Anymore

Customised tracking technology in the headset allows for subtle head movements

of the user to create corresponding movements in the game, making it as close

to reality as any gaming experience has ever been. The combination of

stereoscopic 3-D viewing with wide field view makes it possible for the headset

to provide a seamless experience that has the power to evoke real-world

emotions in the virtual space.

Though created primarily for taking the gaming experience to the next level,

Oculus Rift has the potential to make an impact beyond only gaming. It has

already started sharing its technology in development kits with a number of

industries for testing and use.

Virtual reality the likes of which Oculus Rift headsets make possible could be

used in conducting training via simulation for high-risk industrial jobs, providing

more efficient customer service, and even in healthcare. Doctors note how

simulation therapy can help trauma patients strengthen and rebuild their

neurological pathways. It can also be extremely useful in education – especially

for remote learners who don’t always have access to classrooms.

5 Amazing Non-Gaming Ways People Are Using Oculus Rift

Virtual Reality Vs. Augmented Reality. Click here

Virtual Reality – Potential

game-changer in

communication?

Heightened social experiences through

virtual reality will change how people

interact with technology and the world

around them. It can in the very near

future become a part of people’s

everyday lives.

This also means newer and more exciting

opportunities for brands to connect with

their audience. Experiential virtual

activations with a focus on creating value

for the consumer – through innovative

and creative storytelling – can strengthen

the brand-consumer relationship.

It’s not too early for brands to start

evaluating the relevance of VR technology

for their communication. Virtual reality

may just only have made a serious splash,

but it helps to be prepared with a

strategy in place for leveraging existing

messages through this new and very

promising medium.

●●●

Examples of brands already using

Oculus Rift in their promotions

Photo: Sesame Ring on Kickstarter

Wearables – Pushing the

boundaries of Healthcare

+ Embrace Wrist Band

+ Smart Bandaid

+ Smart Diapers

Photo: Charlie Llewellin on Flickr

EMBRACE WRISTBAND

Photo: Embrace on YouTube Video: How Embrace Works

Wearable technology has permeated the

health and fitness space - there are more

health-related wearables today than in

any other area.

Wristbands that track physical activity are

the most common, since they are the

easiest to use.

Empatica, a company which builds

wearables to measure and study the

relation between biological signals and

emotions, has developed the Embrace

wristband to detect seizures in epileptic

patients.

A crowdfunded initiative, the idea for

Embrace was launched on Indiegogo, and

has raised close to $700,000 in support.

While it also tracks fitness and sleep

patterns like other wristbands, most of

the technology is dedicated towards

measuring both movement and

physiological signs to detect and alert

patient about seizures, before they occur.

#PredictiveHealthcare

Photo: Indiegogo

How Embrace Can Save Lives

Embrace picks up motion data from the from the band’s accelerometer and

gyroscope and combines it with conductance data from the wearer’s skin. This

enables the device to accurately predict the onset of epileptic attacks based on

stress levels.

On detecting a possible attack, the band sends a minor vibration to the user,

which they can turn off if it’s a false alarm. In the event of no response from the

user, the band alerts the user’s friends, family members and doctor – through an

accompanying mobile app.

Users can also set the band to track their stress levels and alert them whenever

they cross the levels that are suitable for their bodies.

Wearables – The New Face of Health

Medical-quality wearables like the Embrace could lead the way in health

technology – the data these devices collect could give patients, their caregivers

and doctors highly personalised insights into the individual patient behaviours

that trigger certain ailments. By keeping patients up-to-date about the factors

that have the most potential to trigger an attack, it also can help improve the

quality of life of those suffering from epilepsy.

This is one avenue where we will see wearable technology will veer towards

eventually – moving beyond tracking to making an impact.

●●●

Read: Wearable Tech – Your Doctor’s New Assistant

Smart bandaid

Photo: Ebola Rising

The recent outbreak of Ebola and the

fight against it has been a complex and

taxing one for the human race.

With no vaccine or medicines developed

yet, the fatality rates have been as high

as 90%, and more cases are being

reported every day.

The ones most at risk are the doctors and

caregivers who work at dangerously close

proximities to the patients. One of the

challenges the international health

community faces is safeguarding the

health of the caregivers of Ebola-stricken

individuals.

As of April 2015, as many as 864

caregivers have been infected in the

African countries, with 503 deaths.

This challenge may just have a solution

soon.

At South by Southwest (SXSW) this year,

The U.S. Agency for International

Development (USAID) unveiled a

Multisense Memory wearable – one that

can help doctors monitor Ebola patients

from a safe distance.

#SafeHealthcare

Photo: Next Billion

Dubbed the ‘Smart Bandaid’, this wearable could be a game-changer in the

treatment of Ebola.

While working with Ebola-affected patients, doctors note that using medical

tools like stethoscopes becomes a challenge, because they bring caregivers in

closer proximity to the patients.

Caring with Safety

A flexible, sensor-rich rubber patch, the Smart Bandaid can be attached to a

patient’s sternum to take a baseline vital rating of heart rate, temperature and

oxygen levels, and makes it possible for doctors to eliminate the use of a

stethoscope.

This helps caregivers to track patient progress and even administer treatment,

all from outside the area of risk. At the moment, the beta version uses a USB

cable to transmit data, but the final version is slated to be Bluetooth-

compatible. The readings can then be done on a screen in a room that’s at a safe

distance from the affected patients.

In addition to the specially-constructed suits that Ebola caregivers use, this

invention can significantly improve safety of the caregivers. Eliminating the risk

of infection puts doctors and other caregivers in a better position to fighting the

disease in the long run.

The Smart Bandaid is a testament to how far wearable technology has come –

from personal style statements to being aides in fighting deadly diseases that

plague mankind. And this, is only the beginning.

●●●

Smart diapers

Photo: Pixie Scientific on YouTube Video: What Smart Diapers is all about

The talk around usually revolves around

devices like fitness trackers and smart

watches.

Contenders in the race for the most

innovative technology in quantified self

don’t usually involve diapers.

Until now.

Pixie Scientific, a startup from New York,

is redefining the wearable market with its

‘Smart Diapers’ – which rely on data to

monitor and detect health irregularities.

The data that these wearables measure is

one of the most reliable when it comes to

studying human health – urine. The

technology is designed to analyse the

urine from used diapers and scan it to

detect possibilities of infections, kidney

problems and even type 1 diabetes in

infants.

Could this be the product that could

establish predictive infant care?

#SmartDiapers

Photos: Pixie Scientific on YouTube

While it looks like any other disposable diaper, the Smart Diaper has several non-

toxic square panels on the outside of the diaper, which when wet, react to

leukocytes, nitrates and other agents in the child’s urine that are useful in

detecting the health of the child. The reaction causes the panels to change

colour, and parents can use the accompanying mobile app to scan the QR code on

the panel.

The app collects daily readings and over a period of time and checks for

emerging patterns that may point to health anomalies. If it detects a problem, it

alerts the parents to visit their paediatrician.

Smart Diapers – New Best Friend for Parents and

Peadiatricians?

Due to its feature of daily tracking and storing of data from the child’s urine, the

Smart Diaper can alert parents and doctors before any serious illness actually

sets in. Pre-empting an illness based on data can go a long way in improving child

care at the day-to-day level.

Though under testing now, once it is launched for sale, the Smart Diaper can play

a significant role in providing better care in NICUs and peaditricians’ offices –

which see the most number of infants who are in need of constant health

monitoring.

The Smart Diaper is interesting in how it turns something as simple as a diaper

into a device that brings together wearable tech and human data to create

superior services in healthcare – a direction the wearable tech market will

increasingly take in the near future.

●●●

Mobiles – Seamless Integration &

Impactful Storytelling

+ IKEA’s Wireless Charging Furniture

+ Nat Geo Wild on Snapchat

Photo: Helen Capstick on Flickr

Ikea’s wireless charging furniture

Photo: IKEA Video: How does wireless charging work?

Mobile phones have not only taken over

most aspects of our lives, they’re also

changing how the world innovates –

innovation to make the usage of mobile

phones more seamless and integrated into

our daily lives.

This is no more evident than in IKEA’s

latest range of furniture with wireless

charging. They do exactly what the name

suggests – charge your phone without the

need for external wires or cables.

With a range of tables, lamps, desks and

standalone charging pads, this new series

is IKEA’s attempt at creating perhaps the

ultimate connected home.

What IKEA offers

Made with inbuilt wireless charging spots,

each of the items in the range have a plus

sign onto which the mobile phone can be

placed for charging. The furniture still

needs to be connected to a wall socket

and isn’t completely wireless in the true

sense, but it does eliminate the need for

clunky cables for the mobile phones

themselves.

#WirelessCharging

Photo: IKEA

The mobile phones need to be compatible with the Qi wireless charging standard

to be able to make use of the charging pads. Most smartphones these days come

with an inbuilt compatibility to this technology.

Integrating Aesthetics With Technology

While IKEA isn’t the first company to make wireless charging products, its entry

into the segment may change how the concept of wireless charging is viewed.

With its globally acclaimed sense of design and powerful reach, IKEA could

leverage this technology to make it a fixture in homes worldwide.

It could also come in handy in commercial settings – malls, coffee shops,

restaurants – which look to increasing the quality of customer service.

Although there’s lots of room for this technology to develop, it’s a step towards

making the mobile experience more seamless than it is now. People love staying

connected to their devices, and furniture that blends with mobile phones to offer

effortless connectivity could prove to be popular.

●●●

Different Types of Wireless Charging

Nat geo wild on snapchat

Photo: Nat Geo Wild on Shorty Awards

More and more brands are waking up to

the importance of reaching their audience

directly on the mobile – this includes

innovating ways of distributing content as

well as newer platforms to feature them

on.

Snapchat is a unique social network for

brands to explore. Its feature of limited

content storage could help in pushing

marketers to be more innovative in their

content approach than they might be

otherwise.

A good example of leveraging this

Snapchat feature is Nat Geo Wild’s

awareness and teaser campaign for Big

Cat Week, their annual week-long event

on the channel.

For five days leading up to Big Cat Week,

Nat Geo Wild created a Snapchat Story – a

series of images – for each day. The

images were of big cats in the wild, and

as users scrolled through the story, the

images would fade – a hard-hitting

symbolic representation of the declining

numbers of these animals in the wild.

#SnapchatStory

As each story ended, the screen faded to a black background with a statistic

about the falling numbers in the wild. Five different big cats were featured, with

a different statistic each day.

The message that Nat Geo Wild wanted to convey – that of the alarming rate

with which these animals are perishing – was made all the more real by the fact

that all stories on Snapchat are auto deleted after 24 hours.

The campaign was impactful, with 91% of the users viewing the story to its

entirety. Nat Geo Wild received positive feedback as well, both on Snapchat and

Twitter, where the campaign was cross-promoted.

Using Creative Constraints to Storytelling Advantage

Snapchat has more than a few times been at the receiving end of criticism about

the kind of content that gets circulated on the network. It also isn’t looked at as

a platform with the power to make a lasting social impact.

With this campaign, one can see how even Snapchat – where content is

permanently deleted – can be used to create powerful, riveting content that

makes people sit up and take notice. It also is an example of how it’s important

to leverage a platform the new mobile generation understands and is

comfortable with.

Nat Geo Wild demonstrated how with the right idea and execution, storytelling

can be intelligent, concise and relevant.

●●●

Read about how constraints can actually be aides to creativity, in our report

The Future of Creativity.

Photos: Nat Geo Wild on Shorty Awards

People’s Insights is a collection of inspiring initiatives, insights and foresights

shared by MSLGROUP’s SPRINTers – our global team of 100+ strategic

planners, researchers and insights experts.

People’s Insights covers the latest trends in engagement on both consumer

and corporate sides.

We feature the best of these initiatives as People’s Insights monthly briefs,

and original insights and foresights – from our SPRINTers and other MSLGROUP

experts - in our People’s Insights reports. We share these on our social

platforms and distribute freely to inspire more engaging campaigns.

Check out our latest report, The Future of Creativity:15 drivers for engaging

creatively in 2015.

*

People’s Insights is available as a blog, powerpoint decks, infographics, white

papers and magazines, a Kindle eBook and even an iPad app.

Follow us on Twitter at @PeoplesLab or subscribe to our newsletter to

receive our monthly briefs and quarterly magazines.

People’s Insights – The Voice of SPRINT

People’s Lab is MSLGROUP’s proprietary crowdsourcing platform and

approach that helps organizations tap into people’s insights for innovation,

storytelling and change.

People’s Lab helps organizations build and nurture public or private, web or

mobile, hosted or white label communities around four pre-configured

application areas:

1. Expertise Request Network

2. Innovation Challenge Network

3. Research & Insights Network

4. Contest & Activation Network

Our community and gaming features encourage people to share rich content,

vote/ comment on other people’s content and collaborate to find innovative

solutions.

People’s Lab forms the core of our insights and foresight approach, which

consists of four elements: organic conversation analysis, MSLGROUP’s own

insight communities, client specific insights communities, and ethnographic

deep dives into these communities. The People’s Insights reports showcase

our capability in crowdsourcing and analyzing insights from conversations and

communities.

People’s Lab

Thank You!

For more, visit: peopleslab.mslgroup.com/peoplesinsights