speculations

Dispatch from an advertisng future #81

https://interestingengineering.com/google-lens-announces-new-homework-filter-solves-math-problems-with-photo “Learning moments” had changed recently. As the “new normal” was imposed on the schools, and the new National Curriculum and assessment framework had been rolled out, teachers had been programmed to stress STEM skills but, as the remaining industries demanded a creative workforce, there’d been a new emphasis on… Read the rest

Dispatch from an advertising future #80

https://www.gizmodo.co.uk/2020/08/the-bbcs-new-drama-uses-all-your-device-speakers-for-extra-immersion/ They were short stories. Fragments. “Dispatches” the author called them. Like reports from the frontline they were imagist miniatures. They’d drop day-by-day in her feed forming a patchwork of pictures. But now, like the eyes in a renaissance portrait, they followed her. The bedroom speaker woke her with a… Read the rest

Dispatch from an advertising future #79

https://www.adweek.com/brand-marketing/airbnb-is-renting-out-blockbusters-last-location-for-a-heavy-dose-of-90s-nostalgia/ They still called it Main Street but it had not been the main thing since The Before. Artist and activist pop-ups had retail-squatted the smaller units but the rest were boarded up, holograms pushing the new online malls and experiences. The streets were deserted apart from the delivery drones,… Read the rest

Dispatch from an advertising future #78

https://www.warc.com/newsandopinion/news/content-led-marketing-strategies-are-more-effective-than-ever-for-brands/43959 “An opportunity”: that’s what she’d said as she wearily handed out another redundancy notice. Unlike most hearing that platitude, he’d not got angry; he’d dreamed. At last the chance to write. He looked at the others. Some in their fifties like him. Some just kids, All had their dreams:… Read the rest

Dispatch from an advertising future #77

https://www.thedrum.com/opinion/2020/08/10/defending-the-right-advertise-response-the-ad-association-ipa-and-isba He was prepared. They had a WhatsApp group and code words. He’d not bothered with a burner phone but some had. He’d got supplies in his Kanken, for if they were kettled. He’d swapped his normal facemask for a”‘teargas-ready” one. And he had his placard. Competition was fierce. The… Read the rest

Dispatch from an advertising future #76

https://www.adweek.com/digital/facebook-to-lease-all-730000-square-feet-of-office-space-in-the-farley-building/ I’m old enough to remember long lunches and longer nights of client ‘entertainment’. I remember Christmas parties and summer picnics on my island. Our business has changed. Since we moved from headsets to glasses, we’ve had a home on our network. We’ve delivered work and we’ve entertained clients thanks… Read the rest

Dispatch from an advertising future #75

https://newatlas.com/robotics/origami-inspired-microbots-change-shape-heat/ They were everywhere. Almost invisible until they unfolded. Children tried to catch them like falling leaves, Some tried to swat them like midges as they settled on a watch or glasses and laid their message. The Adblockerz had seen off the first robots through vandalism. They’d hacked the holobots’… Read the rest

Dispatch from an advertising future #74

https://www.adweek.com/agencies/after-coronavirus-tweets-tom-goodwin-is-out-at-publicis-groupe/ Are you an iconoclast? Is your brand contrary? If so, you need WalkTheLine (™). We help you navigate the fine line between standing out and being kicked out. We monitor your client or employers’ positions on current issues as they shift. We also watch your competitor pundit’s postings and… Read the rest

Dispatch from an advertising future #73

https://voicebot.ai/2020/07/31/this-fashion-tech-pioneer-is-animating-face-masks-with-voice-responsive-leds/ The rich had ad-free masks, the poor were hacking them and running #notonmyface slogans. Even those campaigns that were running weren’t effective. Evidence showed people had rediscovered eye contact. The Public Private Health Partnerships programme had ensured universal access to masks but the Department was worried as the agency… Read the rest