AR/VR & WTF New Tech
I’m bullish about AR/VR technology for certain use cases – mostly around place-based interpretation and gaming. But it’s hard not to be skeptical (or snarky) when you read of some of the new use cases that are being explored. Disney is now bringing their version of VR (called VW = Virtual World) to the one place that needs no extra stimulation – Disney World. In hardware, the creator of the OG AR device – Google Glass – is creating a smart device for the one place that needs no extra equipment – your mouth (See Smart Retainer).
Odd new tech was also unveiled during CES, including clothing that physically responds to digital interactions (“hits and hugs”). BMW also introduced a new mobile app that changes the colour of your vehicle. These are the problems we’re trying to solve in 2022? If you feel like drinking more AR Kool-Aid, see PWC’s latest report here.
WEB 3: The Good, Bad & Ugly
What happens when the media culture of ‘hot takes’ meets a buzzworthy topic that no one can clearly define? A bunch of arguing about Web3 is what happens. See articles with titles including ‘The Metaverse is a Giant Overhyped Nothing Burger with No Future’ and ‘Web3 is Bullshit’. Scott Galloway has a clear and convincing takedown of the Web3 buzz here, and Packy McCormick has responded with a comprehensive rebuttal. Confusing stuff, which I suppose is why a marketing community popped up on Discord to learn more about the topic.
Until there is a shared definition of Web3, I find it more useful to focus on the component parts bundled under this mushy umbrella term. I also find it useful to think more about ‘what is changing’ and less about ‘what it is’; below are a few visuals that attempt to do this (I unfortunately don’t know the sources).
Benedict Evans is brilliant at explaining emerging technology concepts and the resulting implications. He touches on the Web3 topic in his excellent year end presentation Three Steps to the Future, as well as his most recent essay Tech Questions for 2022.
Audio Content, Context & Community
As tech giants duke it out to build VR googles and metaverse environments, I’m still keen on the future of plain old audio. The size of the Apple AirPods business is quietly larger than Uber, Spotify, and Twitter (by revenue). Podcast listening continues to grow, and the audience base is starting to diversify. Social audio continues to gain traction as Clubhouse fights off competitors, and Twitter Spaces is gaining momentum. For marketers, Spotify is now evolving its platform to be more interactive (vs. just passive listening) to attract more advertising dollars – here is an interesting overview of what they now offer.
What’s also interesting is as audio is taking off, smart speaker growth is stagnant. Amazon’s Alexa business is forecasted to only grow at 1-2% per year, and up to 25% of first time buyers stop using the device after the first week. Perhaps the future of audio is both social and personal – but for your ears only.
Fresh Trend Decks
The Future 100 (Wunderman Thompson): This is a fun one to skim and worth the download, like a PDF coffee table book (in the best way possible).
12 Graphic Design Trends for 2022 (99 Designs): Another fun one to skim, especially for a non-designer like me. Helps to put language to design trends and impress Creative Directors.
Journalism, Media, Tech Trends (Reuters): An excellent annual study focused on trends happening from the media side of things. It covers new models, and how subscriptions are now a higher priority than digital advertising for publishers.
Fresh Research Decks
Shopify Future of Commerce: “Social commerce sales are set to triple by 2025 and 40% of consumers say they plan to pay with cryptocurrency next year.”
State of Mobile (App Annie): The best report on mobile app trends around: “7 out of 10 minutes on mobile was spent in social and photo/video apps in 2021.”
And finally, some Canadian content eh!
The HumanKind Study (Leo Burnett): Interesting new research on the attitudes of Canadians across ‘human’ areas (health, finances, government), and the implications / opportunities for brands.
Reader’s Digital Trusted Brand Winners: Wondering if your brand is trusted by Canadian Reader’s Digest readers? The wait is over. Check out the list and see where you fall (congrats to the big winner, Tylenol).