The Curiosity Stop is a monthly snackable report of all things innovative, aimed to interest, inform, and above all, inspire.

1. CURIOSITY STOP
November 2015

2. WE ARE SOCIAL
We Are Social is a global agency with offices in five continents
(Antarctica is a little too chilly for our liking).
We deliver world-class creative ideas with forward-thinking brands, and have fun doing it. Our
clients include adidas, Google and Netflix.
As an international team of 550+, our passion is people. Our mission is to put social thinking at
the centre of marketing.

3. Curiosity Stop >
Introduction
One of the most exciting things about today's digital age is the
incredible pace of change. Every day, we have the chance to discover
amazing new developments: from new ways to stay in touch and
share things with the people we care about, to more efficient and
effective ways of getting things done, to an array of quirky novelties
that cater to our more 'subjective' needs.
Staying up to date with all of these developments can be quite
daunting though, especially when we're talking about the more
eclectic products and services that probably wouldn't make the
evening news (or a BuzzFeed article, for you under-30s). Fortunately,
We Are Social's Curiosity Stop does all the hard work for you, carefully
selecting the most intriguing innovations we've spotted on our
journeys across the interwebs in the past 4 weeks, and pairing them
with our finest insights to help you see how they might change your
life, the lives of your audiences, and maybe even the course of
humanity. Or at least your lunchtime conversations. Enjoy - and
be sure to send us your thoughts on Twitter too: @wearesocial.
Simon Kemp - Regional Managing Partner, Asia

4. 1. Craft 3. Friendship
4. Money
5. Transport
6.Relationships
7. Technology
8. Sex
9. Pets
10.
Community
11. Protecting
the Planet
12. Accessibility
CONTENTS
Stop
Curiosity 2. Life
Hacks

5. Move over instant messaging,
@PunkpostCo is here to make
handwritten cards cool again.
Craft >
Punkpost
What’s it all about?
Sending a birthday card to a loved one? Up ‘til now,
you had three options: a) Write ‘HB 2 U’ on their
Facebook wall b) Hunt down a card shop, before
realising you’re out of stamps c) Send an impersonal,
printed card online.
Welcome to option D, friend! With Punkpost, you can
choose from dozens of creative cards. When you’ve
picked one, an artist will handwrite a message for
you.
The bigger picture
The more we are bombarded with brand
propaganda, the more we cherish a personal
message. How can your brand cut through the noise
with personalisation?
CLICK TO TWEET:

6. b
Wish you could stalk your ex on
Instagram without the fear of
accidentally double-tapping? Enter,
@Instasnoopapp.
Life Hacks >
Instasnoop
What’s it all about?
There is no dread quite like the dread of accidentally
double-tapping your ex’s Instagram pic from 2013.
Instasnoop is an app doesn’t let you ‘like’ anything on
Instagram, so you’re free to browse your old
roommate’s sister’s hot uncle’s snaps without the
fear setting in. You can also set up your own
Snooplist, which gives you easy access to
“acquaintances’” pictures, without actually following
them.
The bigger picture
Voyeurism 2.0 is a trend we keep coming back to in
the Curiosity Stop. Brands should take note of how
startups like Instasnoop (terrible name) are making it
easy to satisfy our desire to spy on the neighbours.
CLICK TO TWEET:

7. Friendship >
Gemio
What’s it all about?
This one's for all you Gen Zedders reading along…
anyone? No? Well listen up, older people!
Give a Gemio bracelet to your bestie and pop your
own on. Whenever your pal is nearby, your bracelet
will light up, so you can hook up for a chinwag. Do a
cool fist-pump/high-five/arm gesture with them, and
both your bracelets will flash. They may be garish and
slightly useless, but I totally want one.
The bigger picture
This is a great example of the ‘Wearable Social’ trend,
which is seeing innovators trying to work out how
social and wearables will work together.
How is your brand getting ready for the next phase of
social on wearable devices?
CLICK TO TWEET:
Gemio friendship bracelets light up
when your BFF is near. In which case,
are Gemio enemy bracelets available?

8. Need to get a plumber in? Teach
someone to sew first. @timerepublik
lets you exchange skills for time credits.
Money >
TimeRepublik
What’s it all about?
On TimeRepublik, for every hour you give to
someone, you earn an hour of someone else’s time.
So if I spent an hour teaching you Spanish (I’m
rubbish, just FYI), I could get an electrician in for an
hour. You’ve learnt some new words, I’ve got my
lights fixed, and absolutely zero money has changed
hands. Nifty.
Time is money, my friend. And boy does
TimeRepublik know it.
The bigger picture
When people get together - via social - to work
towards a common financial goal, we call this trend
“Community Commerce”. Time Republik shows that
we’re starting to get more savvy about what we can
achieve financially together. How is your brand
helping your customers do this for themselves?
CLICK TO TWEET:

9. .@Wheeliz_fr offers peer-to-peer
wheelchair adapted car rental, without
ripping you off.
Transport >
Wheeliz
What’s it all about?
Wheeliz is Uber for people with disabilities. Kind of.
The website pairs owners of adapted cars with
disabled people in need of a ride.
Founder Charlotte de Vilmorin realised that
wheelchair users like herself found it hard to find a
suitable mode of transport that didn’t cost the earth.
Wheeliz offers reasonable day rates on adapted cars,
so getting from A to B doesn’t have to be a mission
planned out months in advance.
The bigger picture
This is another great example of Community
Commerce, where the demand of a niche community
has resulted in the supply of a service at a decent
price.
CLICK TO TWEET:

10. Want to know what other people
REALLY think of you? Head straight to
Peeple, where humans review other
humans.
Relationships >
Peeple
What’s it all about?
Ever wondered what other people think of you? Most
definitely. Ever wanted to see a public review of
yourself, written by past lovers, bosses and exes? No?
Well, this is awkward.
Peeple is designed to be a positivity app, where users
can rate and search humans in the same way we do
restaurants. The only problem with this idea?
Humans.
The bigger picture
Your customers want an unfiltered view of each
other, so that they can make their own choices based
on the facts.
If they demand this of their peers, what are they
going to expect from your brand?
CLICK TO TWEET:

11. The Kibo app lets you hide messages
within other messages. So you’ll never
know what this tweet really said.
Technology >
Kibo
What’s it all about?
Kibo is here to save you from mortal embarrassment.
It’s a keyboard which straddles messaging apps like
Whatsapp and Facebook Messenger. Using the app,
you type a generic coded message, like ‘What’s for
tea?’ You then press the padlock and type your
sexy/personal message, like… well, use your
imagination.
The innocent message will pop on the receiver’s
phone, but they can reveal the hidden message in the
privacy of the toilets. On second thoughts, I’m not so
sure about this app...
The bigger picture
We live in a post-Snowden world, where privacy and
security are a sought-after luxury. Smart brands will
help their customers’ secrets remain so.
CLICK TO TWEET:

12. Introducing @Flirtmoji, a startup
offering sexting emoji. Because the
aubergine can only take us so far.
Sex >
Flirtmoji
What’s it all about?
When texting that special someone, ever find that the
Apple emoji don’t quite convey the message you’re
trying to get across…? No? Then you might as well
skip on to the next slide.
Flirtmoji have introduced sexy emoji, including 15
(fifteen!) different vaginas, and a couple that I’m not
sure I’m old enough to understand. You’ll never feel
lost for words (or droopy penis emoji) again...
The bigger picture
Brands need to get their own vagina emoji - now! Not
really. What is important is to understand that the
nuances of language will change to suit the needs of
its users.
Brands, it’s time to embrace the emoji era.
CLICK TO TWEET:

13. Pop a TailTalk device on your pup’s tail,
and you’ll be privy to its innermost
thoughts. Use at your own peril...
Pets >
TailTalk
What’s it all about?
Let’s face it, we all wish we could talk to our pets.
TailTalk is a smart device which translates dogs’
emotions. Dog doesn’t like the new brand of pet food
you’re using? TailTalk will tell you about it.
The device is clipped onto your dog’s tail, and
monitors wag frequency and directionality. It’ll then
inform you, via smartphone (of course), exactly how
your pup is feeling.
The bigger picture
The Internet of Dogs has arrived, or maybe this trend
could be called Little Data. Brands should understand
that if you can get close to customers’ passions, they’
ll love you for it. CLICK TO TWEET:

14. Biscoitos ZeZe is encouraging
connections between pedestrians, by
helping them pay each other
compliments.
Community >
Compliments at the Traffic Light
What’s it all about?
Brazilian brand Biscoitos ZeZe is well known for
bringing the community together, and it's done it
again with the creatively-named Compliments at the
Traffic Light.
The brand set up stickers at both sides of a
pedestrian crossing, with six possible compliments.
You are encouraged to place a magnet on the
compliment you’d like to give, so the person opposite
can see it when they make it to the other side.
Why did the chicken cross the road? To feed his ego.
Sorry.
The bigger picture
This disruptive take on the humdrum task of crossing
the road shows the impact brands can have when
they drop their guard and embrace their
inner child.
CLICK TO TWEET:

15. Twitter’s not just useful for stalking 1D.
Now the US Geological Survey are using
it to monitor earthquakes.
Protecting the Planet >
USGS x Twitter
What’s it all about?
When news breaks in 2015, it breaks on Twitter.
Likewise, if someone believes they are experiencing
an earthquake, they tweet about it. The USGS
earthquake information centre only has 2,000
earthquake sensors across the world, so it now uses
Twitter to monitor earthquakes.
Tweeters who are experiencing an earthquake often
use seven words or less (and no links), so the USGS
hones in on these tweets for a more accurate view.
The bigger picture
It’s not just seismologists but smart brands who are
using Twitter data for insights into what people are
saying about them. The even smarter brands are
creating changes in their marketing and products, in
response to customer tremors on Twitter.
CLICK TO TWEET:

16. Facebook is working on a tool to help
blind people ‘see’ images on Facebook.
Accessibility >
Facebook for the blind
What’s it all about?
The job of Facebook’s accessibility team is to make
sure people with disabilities have a seamless
experience on Facebook. That’s why it’s currently
working on a object recognition tool which will help
blind people to ‘see’ Facebook images.
The tool will be able to recognise objects within a
photo, and describe them to the user, e.g. ‘this image
may contain: computers, one or more people. Adult.’
I dread to think what it’ll say about photos from my
Ultimate Frisbee clubbing days.
The bigger picture
Is this Facebook spin, or is the big daddy of the
networks motivated by actually helping people? You
decide.
CLICK TO TWEET:

17. CRAFT
Punkpost
LIFE HACKS
Instasnoop
FRIENDSHIP
Gemio
MONEY
TimeRepublik
TRANSPORT
Wheeliz
RELATIONSHIPS
Peeple
TECHNOLOGY
Kibo
SEX
Flirtmoji
PETS
TailTalk
COMMUNITY
Compliments at the Traffic Light
PROTECTING THE PLANET
USGS x Twitter
ACCESSIBILITY
Facebook for the blind

18. talktous@wearesocial.net

19. WHAT DO YOU THINK?
Take our survey here.