A monthly snapshot of trends in marketing, storytelling and digital culture locally and abroad.

1. THETRENDSREPORT
September 2015
Proudly brought to you by NATIVE VML
THETRENDSREPORT
August 2015
Proudly brought to you by NATIVE VML

2. A MONTHLY SNAPSHOT OF TRENDS INMARKETING,
STORYTELLINGANDDIGITALCULTURELOCALLYANDABROAD.

3. AUGMENTATION

4. Advancements in technology have altered the
way people think about what constitutes a place
of work and learning. Virtual reality is ensuring
that consumers are connected and therefore
effective from anywhere; work and learning are
being decentralised for increased productivity.
Decentralizing space.

5. The NewAge Classroom.
Holography is a future teaching tool that allows
teachers to provide instructions through an electronic
multimedia device, and still give students a life-like
classroom experience from the comfort of their
homes. UNISA is already testing out the technology
among part-time students who have classes in the
evenings and on weekends.
READ MORE
Source: Timeslive

6. Virtual technology is being utilised by advertisers
to introduce new ways to market products, and
in so doing, display life-like experiences that
allow consumers to interact with brands from a
different angle.
Virtually enhanced
retail experiences.

7. Digitising stock
TheAudi City has a digital car showroom that uses state-of-the-art technology to digitise stock from the entireAudi line.
Customers can assemble their dream car with an elegant and intuitive touchscreen interface and finished models are
‘swiped’ to a wall where full-scale digital representations can be explored in a 360-degree digital environment.
Source:designit
READ MORE

8. A conceptual window display
The Window that Never Sleeps offers a 360 degree visualisation of a holographic suit at one of the busiest places in
London. It can be operated even after hours when the store—in this case, a conceptual Paul Smith facade—is
closed. Source:Vimeo
READ MORE

9. INNOVATION

10. There are new mobile innovations in Science
and Technology that are making it possible for
ordinary consumers to remotely access and
monitor their health, and this comes at a much
lower cost for people who cannot afford quality
healthcare.
Making healthcare
accessible.

11. X-Ray Pill
Cap Check is in the process of testing a new
capsule endoscope pill that gives doctors a less
invasive way of screening their patients for colon
cancer. It has a built-in camera able to scan the
interior of the organ and subsequently transmit
this data to a high-tech dermal patch once the
patient swallows it.
READ MORE
Source: Good Magazine

12. The Memory Keeping App
Samsung and dementia specialists at the
Praram9 Hospital developed a Memory
Recaller app that will help Alzheimer patients
with memory loss. It uses face recognition
technology to help jog their memories and
eliminate unnecessary repetition to vastly
improve the quality of patient’s lives.
Source: Engadget
READ MORE

13. Technology has made it easier and cheaper for
consumers to get the things they want and need
in one offering. The digital convergence trend is
making it possible for distinct industries like
fashion and medicine to merge and create
innovative products consumers can utilise in
their everyday lives. This is resulting in the
emergence of new industries that are proving to
be more effective in the long run.
The emergence of new
industries.

14. Designer Health
Design researcher Paulien Routs has developed
SOAK, a sweat-sensitive textile coating that
provides a warning of dehydration. When applied
to sportswear it changes colour while the wearer is
working out. The different colours provide a visual
cue, showing the composition of their sweat and
the condition of their internal health.
Source: Materia

15. .
Traditional marketing publishers are staying
current by innovating the platforms they use to
engage with their consumers, they are now
employing interactive measures to make users
feel more involved.
Innovating traditional
spaces.

16. Creating Active Consumers
Brazilian magazine Caras’ interactive ad to sell makeup removal allows consumers to wipe make-up off the face
on the cover. The experience not only proves the effectiveness of the product but connects consumers in an
unexpected and interactive way. Source: The Stable
READ MORE

17. Smart Posters
M&C Saatchi in the UK applied artificial intelligence
to create a self-regenerating smart poster series with
built-in Microsoft Kinect cameras. The cameras
gauge a person's mood and interest in the
advertisement as they walk by. The billboard is able
to use algorithms to re-create new layouts, copy,
fonts and images in the hopes of making a more
pleasing arrangement that will catch the attention of
someone walking by.
READ MORE
Source: Trends Hunter

18. MOBILE, DATA AND
SOCIAL

19. Artificially intelligent systems and robots are now
being programmed with intuitive abilities that
allow them to think like-and-for humans, they are
equipped with automated responses that ensure
that they can fully engage in personalised
interactions with humans.
Automated love
interests.

20. Intuitive Conditional lover
Microsoft introduced a Tinder-bot with the
ability to learn through mathematical
expressions into the Chinese market. It takes
cues from input data to find matches for users
based on extracted profile images and
suggested preferences.
A suspended camera connected to a
Smartphone evaluates the person in the
profile and cross-references the findings to
measure compatibility.
READ MORE
Source: Saurabh Datta

21. Automated Intimacy
Xiaoice is an artificially intelligent messaging
program with a personality that was
introduced in China for use on Smartphones.
It mimics the human brain through its ability to
store detailed ‘memories’ from exchanges with
users. It collects data on intimate details from
individuals to be more interactive and
engaging with users.
READ MORE
Source: Digital Trends

22. The kind of technology that gathers, sorts and
analyses data at a faster pace in order to
process and act on the insights, is now on trend.
The findings can be used in real-time by experts
to solve social issues in order to change and
make people’s lives easier and manageable.
Context identifying
technology.

23. Addressing the World
Many people across the world still live in
unaddressed remote areas, but the
What3words app automatically assigns a
three-word address to any 3m x 3m square,
on a grid of 57 trillion squares across
the globe to people without addresses.
Context Identification
READ MORE
Source: What 3 Words

24. Using mobile for safety
Forsman & Bodenfors have created a safety
mobile app that switches to a child’s voice near
schools, day care centres and any areas where
children are likely to be present. The satellite
connected app warns drivers to slow down and
be on the lookout for kids crossing or walking-by.
READ MORE
Source: Adweek

25. MARKETING
ATTHE SPEED OF
CULTURE

26. Brands are now playing with the idea of hijacking
competitor’s ideas without stealing or
plagiarising their concepts. It’s a creative
technique being explored by global brands to
market and reach consumers.
Interceptive marketing
techniques.

27. Humanised Campaign
During the Superbowl in the USA Volvo and
their agency GREY decided to reach out to
consumers on Twitter, instead of doing a
commercial. To stand a chance to win a new
Volvo, people had to use the Volvo handle to
hash-tag the name of the person they would
give the car to, whenever a competitor’s
commercial was on TV. While other car
companies were showing consumers what
matters to their brand, Volvo wanted to know
who inspired, moved and mattered most to the
consumers.
READ MORE
Source: eYeka

28. .
Fast food places are now having to compete for
customers with restaurants that offer healthier
options, since more people are changing their
eating habits. The heavy competition forces fast
food providers to find new ways to lure
customers to their establishment. They have to
offer consumers an experience that goes beyond
eating, just for something extra. Gorilla
marketing lets them retain some market share in
a competitive industry.
Innovative marketing
for fast foods.

29. Layered dining experience
Pizza Hut has a new cardboard blockbuster
pizza box that turns into a working movie
projector for your Smartphone. It comes with a
lens which can be inserted into the side of the
box after you punch out the perforated hole.
The consumers buy pizza but instead get an
entire movie experience which will now be
associated with Pizza Hut.
.
Source: Business insider

30. Immersive musical experience
The “KFC Sound Bite” is a campaign that saw
the installation of digital audio tables inside
their stores. Local artists created the branded
digital touch tables where the customers could
play songs and initiate distribution of their
music through social sharing without
interrupting other customers.
READ MORE
Source: Best ads on TV

31. STORYTELLING

32. Just simply creating video content to market a
brand is not enough to attract and captivate
consumers anymore. Video has taken on a new
life that taps into virtual reality and 3d tools.
Content creators have been pioneering and
experimenting with digital techniques that
enhance how they share their stories without
jeopardising their message.
Virtual musical
experience.

33. Experimentalist Video Content
Björk released a mind-bending 360-degree
video for her song, “Stonemilker”. The
technique used in the video allows users to
view the Icelandic art-pop experimentalist
from different angles whilst she sings on a
wind-swept beach outside of Reykjavik. With
the appropriate browser technology fans can
navigate the visuals by pulling the screen with
their mouse.
READ MORE
Source: Stereogum

34. In Motion
Standard Bank created an engaging and beautifully crafted TV ad that used visual effects to suspend action in
time. Through a seamless combination of frozen moments and in motion, it took the viewer through three bustling
working environments to explore what a bank should be to its customers.
Source: Between 10 and 5
Automated Love
Interests.
READ MORE

35. Brands have been moved into a unique space
that allows them to produce purpose-driven work
that rewards consumers for their loyalty, and still
get to ensure brand awareness to attract new
followers. Marketers are now sourcing for deeper
insights to create branded products that attempt
to speak to basic human truths, and in so doing,
establish brands with a greater purpose that
speaks to people’s needs.
Greater brand purpose.

36. Exploring unique stories
Nokia partnered with an agency to create a
campaign that targets Filipino workers living in
the UAE, and don’t often get to see their
families. They invited them to tell their unique
stories of homesickness in front of cameras,
and five of the most touching were put into Tek
cards (a popular storytelling medium the target
audience grew up using). Nokia made them
feel closer to home and offered a return flight
back to the Philippines to visit their families.
Source: Gulf Marketing Review

37. Consumers relate to brands that inspire them
and stand for something that goes beyond a
product or service. When the message carries
some psychological insights into the mind of the
consumer it increases the chances of success.
Brands that are conscious of their customer’s
needs seem more empathetic, and therefore, are
able to establish emotional connections.
Customer-conscious
storytelling.

38. Redefine strength
Nike took a deeper look into what it takes
(physical strength aside) to train and compete
among the world’s greatest via their Inner
Strength campaign. They tell a unique story that
redefines athleticisms from the perspective of a
disabled Olympian, with the brand now being
associated with the strong role it plays in
athletics, fitness and changing perceptions.
READ MORE
Source: psfk.com

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