1) More and more clients are parceling up their business across multiple partners or areas of expertise. This project-based approach is making it harder to get truly integrated thinking produced seamlessly. I worry that in the long run it could damage brands if there isn’t someone dedicated to watching over all the moving pieces. The approach that we believe is most effective is when both the client and the brand strategy agency identify a core brand lead team that collectively provide oversight on all communication elements.
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3) We did some work recently for milk that was designed to be consumed by teens as entertainment, not advertising. We developed a cartoon web series called Snacktime that was served up on sites where we knew kids were consuming online entertainment at a time when we knew they were eating snacks. The episodes are designed to be fun reminders that milk goes well with your favorite foods and therefore spoke to our target in just the right moment. The work has been awarded several times for branded content and was shortlisted three times at Cannes.
4) Trend forecasts have recently shown that the sales of Amazon’s Echo with voice recognition has been following the same sales curve as the iPhone when it was first released. Many feel voice activation is only going to get better and better which could make it easier for many people to navigate information online. As voice recognition gets stronger, the ability to creatively leverage the technology will increase as well. The ideas that utilize this technology in a way that puts the consumer needs at the heart of the concept will do well for brands.
5) Obviously, creative uses of technology have become the norm but the ideas that win big are the ones where the tech is in support of a larger idea or brand purpose. When it is the other way around and the idea is only in support of the technology, we fail as marketers.
6) As an agency we are always investing in technology, equipment or software as it becomes available and relevant to advancing our team. Recently we’ve focused on investing in partnerships with content platforms, influencer platforms and media platforms that enable our team to create, curate and distribute our brands’ messages.
On a more personal note, my wife recently bought an iPad that allows me to sketch and save drawings easily but I have yet to try it out. It’s not that I don’t want to but my kids are so busy with it, they won’t let me have it.