1) We’ve seen vertical video, virtual reality, augmented reality and AI go mainstream this year. And with the continued rise of vertical video platforms like Snapchat and Vine, there’s been a drastic increase in content being created specifically for mobile. Which means marketers need to work out ways to create content that’s native to the platform, which has impacted the way we execute content generation.
As for VR and AR, we’re just scratching the surface of what’s happening. In the next year, we’re going to see more VR and AR experiences change the game, much like Pokemon Go. They for sure are going to get better, especially as it continues to interact with the real world.
2) The work we did for Target, creating the first-ever live music video with Gwen Stefani at the Grammys has been by far one of the best moments at the agency this year. It’s also one of the most exciting projects I’ve worked on in my career—everything from the choreography to the pressure of it being live forced us to take creative risks. What we ended up with was both a first for the agency and for the industry.
3) I think Beyonce’s “Formation” video made a massive impact this year because it strategically spoke to social issues that are happening today. This video showed how entertainment can make a statement on real world issues and gave Beyonce a creative platform to take a stand. It won the inaugural Grand Prix Entertainment Lion for Music at Cannes this year and was also named the BET Video of the Year. Amazing piece for her and her collaboration partners at PRETTYBIRD.
5) With Cannes introducing an entertainment category this year, it’s evident that the lines between entertainment and advertising continue to blur. We’re seeing a resurgence on episodic content in the entertainment world.
The moment of one-offs are fading away. People are looking for more developed characters and themes and we’re seeing that in long running campaigns again. Episodic series like House of Cards have forced episodic TV to have its comeback, and the industry has to be in lockstep.
6) We’re building out our in-house production company, Steelhead, across the street, which will be open later this year. Inside, it will have all of the state-of-the-art production equipment on the market, recording studio, audio mix rooms, edit, VFX and motion graphics and 8,000 sq. ft. cyc stage where we can shoot everything.
With content generation happening at such a rapid pace now and client demands increasing everyday, we saw an opportunity to invest, better enabling us to turn around quality content quickly. The new space will give us the ability to scale up and grow for future businesses.
