Author: What if..?

Dispatch from an advertising future #54

https://www.campaignlive.co.uk/article/skills-going-demand-ad-industry-recovers/1680802 Helen. I disagree, I think she’s just what we need. You’re right to think of the team. Our studio has long been a creative hub. Remember that Champagne feature about our fussball table? Happy days. Our guys bantering, bouncing off each other. The pranks. Late nights. We never needed… Read the rest

Dispatch from an advertising future #53

https://www.warc.com/newsandopinion/news/during-covid-19-brand-purpose-demands-solutions/43431 The Doctor had a moment before it all began again to check messages. Before all this, she was used to drugs companies’ offers of all-expenses-paid trips. Messages from spin doctors wanting to set up photo-ops for politicians of all stripes. She’d felt good at how quickly she could diagnose… Read the rest

Dispatch from an advertising future #52

https://www.warc.com/newsandopinion/news/theageofthedigitalpitchishereandadagenciessaytheyreready/43448 Don shared his screen and began: “Technology is a glittering lure…” The other windows fell silent apart from the occasional toddler’s cry in the background. Across the city, laptop screens lit the faces of the men and women in corner ‘offices’ claimed from spouses and home schooling children. Slide… Read the rest

Dispatch from an advertising future #51

https://www.thedrum.com/news/2020/03/27/bbc-rejigs-thick-it-alan-partridge-and-mighty-boosh-clips-with-stay-home-message He’d never been the most popular person in the office, until now. A bit of a geek. He’d never been at the top of the email chain when it came to socialising. He was never sure whether they’d ever really noticed he was there, until he wasn’t and neither… Read the rest

Dispatch from an advertising future #50

https://www.thedrum.com/news/2020/03/20/even-better-the-real-thing-meet-the-virtual-influencers-taking-over-your-feeds He was glad the lockdown was still in place. It meant he couldn’t go out and so didn’t need to put on a disguise just to leave his flat. He could just sit at home and work. His face was more popular than ever as his followers whiled away… Read the rest

Dispatch from an advertising future #49

https://www.thedrum.com/opinion/2020/03/13/mental-wellbeing-within-agencies-flexibility-and-stability It popped up in the lower right corner. Two googly eyes on an animated clip. “Hello there!” Cheery chirruped, “just checking in.” It raised an animated eyebrow and nodded at the time. “Now you’ve finished with the client, let’s Cheerypause (™),” it said. She sighed. Since home had become… Read the rest

Dispatch from an advertising future #48

https://www.warc.com/newsandopinion/news/eurosportbuildsbiometricbenchmarks/43318 The good thing about a conference in a cinema was the seats. They’d been designed for comfort: blockbuster, popcorn comfort. Cup holder on the left, emotion panel on the right. She settled in for the first of her boss’ two appearances that year. She knew what she had to… Read the rest

Dispatch from an Advertising Future #47

https://www.technologyreview.com/s/615302/how-coronavirus-turned-the-dystopian-joke-of-faceid-masks-into-a-reality/ Life was more difficult since the outbreak. She’d had to reprogramme the phone security apps and the algorithms were taking some time to recognise her muffled speech. But where she really noticed it was when she was out. She’d got used to being recognised. Knowing her coffee would be… Read the rest

Dispatch from an Advertising Future #46

https://www.thedrum.com/news/2020/02/24/singapore-based-dark-kitchen-uses-ai-craft-menu-based-consumers-needshttps://adage.com/article/advertising/brands-line-respond-burger-kings-moldy-whopper-campaign/2238481 They called it a Dark Agency, but the screens and dataflows gave the container an eerie glow. When teams swapped shifts they blinked as their eyes adjusted. The Order came in on one screen. She turned to the Creative Intelligence (™) feed and read off datapoints. ‘Suggested’ CI (™)… Read the rest

Dispatch from an advertising future #45

https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2020/feb/16/ai-systems-claiming-to-read-emotions-pose-discrimination-risks It had been hard work. Maths wasn’t like that when she was at school… but then again, her parents hadn’t helped her with homework. They’d stared at the problem and asked the video assistant for help. Sam had tried to explain but she’d just scowled, like when Sam had… Read the rest