1) In focusing on the positive, given so many negative ways to answer this question, I would say the excitement around AR with the wider adoption of mobile-based AR. When Apple released their development kit and news of web-based AR likely to be on the new iPhone, excitement just exploded. I love AR for its ability to apply to any vertical and think that, with advancements in live visual detection, we will see a new age of daily exploration.
2) I thought “Boost Your Voice” and “Evan” served as perfect examples of how to properly use marketing as a platform to affect positive change. For the sake of pure enjoyment, how can you not love what Droga did for MailChimp? On a completely unrelated note, I just saw how Kimbal Musk has beautifully disrupted agriculture using shipping containers – it blew me away.
3) This question is such a big one if you think about the last several years and insane if you consider it historically. I will say that the Red Bull Stratos project operated as a perfect blend of advertising and entertainment with incredibly effective creative. It was a perfect stunt with amazing technical achievement that had us on the edge of our seats and ultimately changed the thinking around the possible execution of branded content. Fearless Girl had impeccable timing and underlying strategy. I will say that I think it shortchanged the existing art, but it generated buzz for a reason and, for the most part, really made people smile. Rarely does an ad become so iconic so quickly — this one truly did hit the masses.
4) The overall climate right now seems grim in terms of political turmoil and division. As a result, I think we have seen more challenger ads and failed attempts to remain culturally relevant. I expect some creative campaigns to confront this climate head on with positive combat but, more so, anticipate seeing humor as a nice counter theme. After all, when everything is falling apart, nothing helps more than a good laugh. In terms of business climate, grab your popcorn and watch the Big Data + Machine Learning arms race move along.
5) I wouldn’t describe the theme of “for good” as new, but do think it will stay for a while. If you can materialize ideas that bring change to the world beyond just making us think, those concepts deserve awards and praise. I sincerely hope that this concept, which appears evident at every major awards show, continues to inspire marketers to play in this space. Even if winning awards remains their primary motivation, this approach has a societal benefit and impact, a byproduct we should all love.
6) I will have to have the new iPhone, despite an expected $1,100 price tag, given the web AR inclusion, OLED screen, and 3D camera. In terms of investment, I’d bank hard on audio synthesis, as I think the AI tools in this space will emerge in a way that revolutionizes music composition and helps humanize bots.
