Category: Other

How will we emerge from the Coronavirus crisis?

https://youtu.be/Nw5KQMXDiM4

This video is very telling of a few trends that will sustain and grow as we emerge from quarantined lives.

1. We will be kinder towards Mother Nature

2. And to each other – donations to non-profits and new non-profits will increase

3. If we don’t have it, we’ll hack it. This will apply to entrepreneurs as well as the general public, shifting buying cycles but also bringing forth new ideas

4. We will relish in experiences more so than ‘things’ … travel, food, family time

5. Socially conscientious shopping will surge, where consumers will choose to buy local to support small businesses

Gen Z Values Will Shift Commerce and Media

At the turn of every year, our inclination is to make a list of top trends to watch. Yet, there are some trends that are undercurrents and reveal over time. They are value-based shifts which yield cultural changes and affect business as we know it. No need to wait for December 2019 — earmark Gen Z values as signals of change.

Here’s an A.T. Kearney report noting that Gen Z is turning away from social media and in fact stepping into brick and mortar stores. According to this study, 81% of Gen Z prefers to shop in stores, and 73% like to discover new products in stores. A Gartner study provides further support suggesting that marketers look for Gen Z in second tier social media networks. They don’t like branded, crowded digital spaces.

Gen Z is picking up the baton from millennials and raising the bar. This is more than a preference for conscientious shopping from green brands. It’s a firm ‘no’ to pushy, canned marketing. Earning Gen Z’s trust and loyalty will take more than banner ads. Marketers will need to rely on the fundamentals: good product/service, positive experiences and a pledge to do the right thing.

How Institutions Are Enabling A Movement

The activist movement on climate change continues. Every day, I continue to read articles and posts about Greta and her piercing speeches. But I’d also like to point to a subtlety that’s making a difference here, at least in NY circles. This is the message parents with children in public schools received prior to the school strike. Department of Education, along with public schools, enabled parents and teachers who wanted to teach their children about advocacy. Not only you could be excused from school, but some schools even coordinated transportation and pick up. Yes, there is a lot to be said and admired about the power of ‘one’ in the protest events where Gen Z students walked out following Greta. But support from key institutions is what brings about trues change and catapults movements to new heights.

Creative Trends According to shutterstock

The royalty-free image site shutterstock has done something really clever by combing through their site data and seeing what photos, videos and music visitors from around the world have been digging up on their site. The insights are depicted here There are some macro highlights: We are moving forward with everyday futurism, getting familiar with VR, AR, wearable tech. We are bringing retro to the future: neon and 80’s are fashionable again. Though global differences are most intriguing: Brazilians are into romantic images, Argentineans into fish, Turks into geometry.

Inclusive Design

Inclusive will be the defining word of 2019. Inclusive therapies, inclusive work places, and finally inclusive design. The word acknowledges diversity and encapsulates acceptance. The way our world should be and the way technologies should help bring us together. Call it a rise of mindfulness, call it a reaction to the reappearance of social fissures we all thought were long gone and sealed. It’s good. Here’s a clip of Microsoft’s Satya Nadella explaining how inclusion should be a preliminary step of product design as opposed to an after thought or add on. Right on!  

(Video credit: LinkedIn)


A Female Super Hero from Anatolia: Puduhepa

Word of mouth marketing expert Renan Tan Tavukcuoglu started an amazing campaign to introduce a strong female figure to young girls, starting from Turkey spreading globally. This is the story of Puduhepa, a Hittite queen who lived in Anatolia 3,000 plus years ago. The project not only weaves a beautiful story, but the sales of the Puduhepa dolls and story book contribute towards young girls’ education.

Here’s Baris Ozcan’s great video with subtitles in English.

MSFT: Removing Barriers to AI

As underscored in Axios’s Login newsletter today, Microsoft is gearing up for a series of AI initiatives. One of them is the acquisition of Lobe that enables organizations to build AI apps and interfaces without needing to know how to code. Imagine how many departments’ ideas can now come to life more easily — from employee training, customer service communication to patient monitoring. Watch this trend as AI becomes the underlying technology in b-to-c and b-to-b service.

How AI Seeps Into Everyday Life

If people can get emotional about content, why should we be surprised about emotional connections with robots that have life like features and voices? Hasbro’s robotic cat that keeps Alzheimer patients company is a micro example of how AI can be social and part of everyday life.

Here’s my SIL’s robot cat– whom she claims calms her down, doesn’t come with vet bills and has a lifetime renewable by batteries. And here’s another NYT journalist who agrees with her on the soothing qualities of robocats.

As we step into the post-real era, there are a growing number of industry reports on how artificial intelligence (AI) is poised to replace human labor. The Obama Administration’s report on the topic noted a broad range (nine to 47 percent) of the US labor force can be threatened by AI — especially if new jobs are not created at similar or higher rates than lost jobs. Spreading news of his latest AI-based initiative, Neuralink, Elon Musk even professes that digital super intelligence will surpass that of humans and take over. 

Ultimately institutions look for efficiency – AI will take over in cases where it’s cheaper than the real life alternative.

Info-Currents December ’13/January ’14 Issue: Ramifications of Wearable Technologies

Emerging Trend:Photo editing apps let users create new stories while enhancing images. Snaps app allows users to add icons to existing photos. Light bombercaptures and highlights the long exposure rays around an image.

Implication: App developers are looking to leverage surging consumer interest in image-focused sites such as Instagram, Pinterest, Tumblr among others. Those who will find ways to partner with brands will increase their reach and enjoy commercial success. 

Actions: Photos are highly sticky pieces of social content. If your audience responds to such visual communication (e.g., moms, young adults, travelers), explore ways to white-label the apps, avoid development cost and drive engagement.

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Emerging Trend:Wearable technologies will match personal information with facial recognition (i.e., faces matched with social media profiles).

Implication: To protect privacy and to curb inappropriate behavior, companies and public venues (e.g., movie theatres, museums, restaurants, etc.) will need to devise guidelines on how to use wearable technologies such as Google glasses.

Actions: Get ready to supplement employee and communication guidelines. Make sure the added items do not curb innovative thinking.

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Emerging Trend: People will be able to send a ‘touch’ or a ‘tickle’ to their loved ones through wireless bracelets. (Download PSFK’s wearable technologies report here.)
Implication: Working moms will be able to stay connected with their children through the day. Long distance romantic relationships will get support.
Actions: If ‘touch’ is essential to your brand (e.g., skincare, textile), then consider using these devices at events to communicate the value of this sense and connectivity. If moms are an important audience to your brand, explore ways to integrate these technologies to your product line.