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2017 MentorUp | Session #2

Session Outline | 60 minutes

Introduction | 2 minutes

Mentee’s Perspective | 4 minutes

News | 8 minutes

Work | 8 minutes

Technology | 8 minutes

Trend or Topic | 10 minutes

Dialogue | 10 minutes

Flex-Time | 10 minutes

Introduction | 2 minutes

Before we begin, I’d like to wish each and every one of you a big, “happy spring!” Whether you’re enjoying the extra hour of sunlight, finally getting on the golf course, or trading your big coat in for some welcomed short sleeves, this time of year is characterized by the energy of all that’s blooming and coming back to life and I hope you’re soaking it up!

Our gardens and clocks are not the only things buzzing. A festival you may or may not have heard of ;), SXSW happened leaving us wowed with brand activations to learn from and keynotes to deepen and broaden our thinking. Other notable happenings such as March Madness, the Gamer Developers Conference and Mobile World Congress all took place just to name a few. Amidst all this, brands and tech companies have stayed busy!

Don’t worry about being overwhelmed with the tizzy of information out there … I’ve curated the best of March for you right here. Put your focus caps on, it’s go time.

Mentee’s Perspective | 4 minutes

Before you begin your session, don’t forget to gain the valuable perspective of your mentee(s). Their mindset and perspective should be a guiding force in how you present this material.

For some starter questions on how to do this… here are a few.

1. What is going on with their clients and their client’s business?

2. What are the focuses right now?

3. Where are solutions needed?

4. What kind of ideas and programs are they looking for?

5. What are they currently curious about?

With their perspective in mind, let’s now embark on this month’s session!

News | 8 minutes

1. Samsung Galaxy 8 Reveal

Beginning in early March, there was a “steady trickle of leaked details” surrounding the new Samsung S8 phone, but Samsung has now officially unveiled their new (let’s hope explosion proof) smartphone that’ll go on sale April 28, 2017.

Now I know what you’re thinking… “Yikes, Samsung… wasn’t there some sort of scandal around the previous phone?” Well, yes, there was but there has been significant improvement in the way the phones are checked as well as a large amount of corporate enthusiasm and positivity focused on regaining trust and creating excitement around the new product. Samsung’s UK head, Conor Pierce recently said in an interview, “this is a great opportunity to breathe new life into the brand.”

Being officially unveiled at events in London and New York, Samsung also let other new technologies share the spotlight with the new phone - a new version of their VR headset and DeX, “a dock that allows the S8 to turn into a desktop computer” to name a few.

So what do you need to know about these new phones? Why are they the first spot on in our news column? Here are the feature highlights:

- Edge to edge display, meaning the screen stretches they entire horizontal surface of the phone top.

- No home button – similar to the iPhone 7.

- Retina unlock (yes, that means you can unlock your phone.. in the blink of an eye ;)

- Face unlock (yes, this is real people!)

- Smart assistant, Bixby (available on all Samsung devices moving forward)

o Note: In ITK last year, we noted that Samsung had bought Viv, an AI company. This is their usage of Viv and also their statement that they can play on the AI level. Can you think of a major tech player right now who doesn’t have an AI platform?

Apple, Samsung’s biggest competitor, has had some confirmed leaks recently, highlighting anticipated updates such as the “heavily curved OLED” display. What do you think will be the biggest update to the next iPhone? Remember, it’ll be its 10-year anniversary.

*Also note that Android was just named as the most popular operating system in the world.

It’s always good to be reminded of why we even go over things like phone updates. Although it may seem arbitrary, updates that are going to be in millions and millions of consumers’ hands will evolve their attitudes and expectations about technology. They will shape how consumers consume content and how they communicate, making them super relevant to what we do! #huzzah

Keep in mind these updates also reshape the interface between consumers and brands...curved OLED brings video ads to life more, etc.

2. AmazonFresh Pick-up:

People are showing up at your house in 45 minutes… you have the ice, you have the vodka, you even have your new Target copper mugs washed and ready to go… but you don’t have Ginger Beer. #argh

Enter Amazon Fresh Pick-up. Unlike Amazon Fresh delivery, this newly announced service doesn’t have a minimum $ amount or a wait time for delivery. You can simply order, drive to the pick-up location and Amazon will put the groceries in your trunk. Think a Sonic drive-in where you pull in and out comes a smiling Amazon Fresh employee with your groceries.

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Although delivery gets the most headlines and sounds flashy, a pick-up system like this still saves time and has less constraints (as well as costs).

The first location will of course be in Seattle, Washington – visitors welcome :)

3. Twitter’s Live-streaming API:

In an effort to further expand their live-streaming capability, Twitter has announced that a new API is available that will allow “everyday Twitter (and Periscope) users start live broadcasts from other apps and cameras.”

There is a slew of partners already working on the platform with Mevo being the only one with the first “non-smartphone camera to work on Facebook Live.” In December of last year, Twitter began “allowing 360-degree live-streaming on Periscope” which was due to the Insta360 camera (TMA Lab has a few of these!).

This this API could be game changer for broadcasting on social – whether a news source or an influencer. What are your thoughts on this? Do you follow anyone who currently broadcasts live?

Where do you feel like live-streaming has a place with the brand(s) you work on? Have you noticed an increase in live-streaming on your social channels?

Work | 8 minutes

*disclaimer, whether I was hungry while researching or March was simply a foodie month, we’ll never know… but you’ll see a yummy list of items below. Nom nom marketing.

1. CPG + Experiential

It’s always interesting to see how brands approach promoting a cpg product in an experiential activation/event. These two events that happened in March were unique and speak to an area of business that many of us touch.

a. Barilla Pasta + South Beach Wine and Food Festival:

As a title sponsor of the Miami Beach Wine and Food Festival, Barilla brought “a taste of the old country” by focusing on sharing meals with loved ones and the positive addition of pasta which has struggled in recent years due to paleo like diets and gluten allergies. The activation was two-fold, with education based demos during the day with Barilla’s executive chef, Lorenzo Boni and at night, transforming the Barilla tent into a “typical family set-up” (with the beautiful beach just outside, of course) where festival attendees could enjoy pasta dishes created right there by Boni. Each evening had a varying theme allowing festival goers to see the variety of options Barilla pasta allows.

A unique addition to their event presence was that real Barilla employees were included, making the Barilla brand very interact-able for those who stopped by.

b. Ben & Jerry’s Cereal Splash in NYC:

The beloved ice cream brand made a splash (literally) in early March as they activated a pop-up stunt in NYC’s Grand Central terminal. The goal was to gain awareness and promote their new cereal line of “Cereal Splashback” flavors (Fruit Loot, Frozen Flakes, and Cocoa Loco… sounds pretty awesome right?! They accomplished this by creating a huge cereal bowl ball pit where those passing by could “jump, splash, and wade” through the pit. With cameras set up strategically to capture candid in air moments, consumers who made the jump received a video for the opportunity to share on social. Additional activities at the pop-up were green screen photo opportunities, a live DJ, and of course… free ice cream.

This quote sums up the event perfectly, “At the root of it, we are really just trying to have some fun with our fans with compelling content for people to share,” says Justin Gural, marketing manager at Ben & Jerry’s. “We definitely have metrics set aside for this—impressions, samples, how many people came through, but it’s less about tracking. It’s equally about making sure the experience on-site is authentic to the brand, it’s engaging for our fans and compelling enough to share.”

2. Volvo + UberEats:

I think we can all agree that progressive dinners (a dinner that has multiple courses at different locations) are divine. There is a journey that naturally occurs throughout the dinner as well as time for the previous course to settle while in transit to the next location. Also, the variety of chefs and styles of cuisine one gets to experience in one night cannot be matched.

Volvo and UberEats have partnered to create the ultimate progressive dinner in Japan where the restaurant continually changes throughout the evening but the point of experience is consistently a luxury Volvo SUV.

How does it work? Two people get in the car for an evening of cuisine experience while the driver then takes them on a journey of Tokyo, driving down the most scenic and dynamic of streets. Throughout the evening drive, the car will stop to be greeted by Uber Eats staff with the couple’s next course. By identifying the most sought after dishes in Tokyo, the couple doesn’t have to pick just one, but can experience 3-5 in one night.

If you’re thinking, “how does it not spill?” or “is that even comfortable to eat in the car?” – check out the video below to see how Volvo created a backseat restaurant.

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How does this example inspire you to pack “more” into an experience with consumers? What strategic partnerships do you think your clients could explore to get this same type of mutually beneficial experience?

3. Brands + April Fools

It’s only fitting that since this is April’s session that we take a look at what brands have done for April fools. Here are our favorites!

a) Cheetos spray tan

b) Papa John’s Garlic Gallon

c) Pop Tarts Just the Crust

d) Virgin Atlantic “flapenergy”

e) Everything Google did. :)

*for your session, pick a few of these if you’re concerned of having time to go through them all. Use the filter of knowing your mentees’ role in the agency to choose.

Technology | 8 minutes

1. Visa’s Payment Sunglasses:

Could sunglasses innovation be the next trend? First Snap Spectacles and now Visa has a snazzy set of shades that’ll as visa is saying, “work as a contactless payment method.” Beginning as a pilot program at the Visa sponsored World Surf League’s 2017 Quicksilver and Roxy Pro Gold Coast competition (that’s a mouth full!), the sunglasses will debut as a way of payment.

Being on the beach, in and out of the water, isn’t the best time to carry a wallet, ergo, why Visa thinks this could make sense. However, the sunglasses have to come off one’s face in order to use them as payment and I’m sure “what if I lose them?” is coming to mind.

Information such as cost, availability, and distribution have not yet been released, but the question for deeper thinking is – what services can brands attach to normal everyday items such as sunglasses? How does this improve quality of life or save time for the consumer – in a sense, how is it useful to the consumer?

If you’re now thinking of Spectacles potential to add additional features – such as payments or others. Check out this thoughtful review of the product.

Also, we can’t mention Visa’s payment enabled sunglasses without giving a shout out to Amazon Cash. Just this week, Amazon has announced Amazon Cash, a service that allows people without bank cards (credit and debit) to still be able to shop on their site. By displaying a barcode at participating retailer locations (CSV, Family Fare Supermarket…etc.), cash can be deposited directly to that individual’s Amazon account. Almost 7% of US consumers do not have bank cards, so this is an effort to make online shopping an option for them.

2. New Adobe Voice & Digital Double:

There has been a sneaky and oddly silent upgrade to a few technologies in the last year that have grabbed my attention due to a fascinating conversation with our chief technology officer, Ahmad Al’Assad… which I think we all need a dose of every now and then :) As updates like the two below gain speed, they have the opportunity to completely re- shape our industry.

The first is Adobe voice. Way back in 1990, Adobe released a program you may have heard of…Photoshop, which allowed images for the first time to be altered and changed. I think it’s safe to say that Photoshop has changed the world. Now at Adobe’s annual conference last year, the “company premiered VoCo; an audio editing suite that will allow users to make people say whatever they want just by typing.”

Minds blown yet? The technology after 20 minutes of listening to any voice, can then say anything you wish in that voice by someone simply typing the words. If you want to leave a voicemail on your friends phone in Chuck Norris’ voice, that can happen. Have a recording of Ellen Dejeneres giving you a personal pep talk? Yes, that too can happen.

The goal was to support podcasters and audio book editors in their ventures, but as you can imagine this technology, as it gets more elegant, has the potential to re-shape communication, entertainment, and content.

Being able to copy and create recordings of someone else’s voice is not the only way to recreate content – it now can be done in the movies.

Think back to watching Rogue One over the holidays when this stern face below appeared on the screen. To the casual Star Wars fan, this was no big deal – however, to the die-hard fan, it was an absolute miracle because this actor, Peter Cushing has been dead for over 20 years.

How is this done? Another actor performs the scene while special effects engineers then replace the face with the desired face. New technology, called Light Stage, is how the actor can perfectly appear within a scene. “Surrounded by more than 10,000 LEDs, the subject is photographed with about 20 high-quality DSLR cameras, producing a series of high-resolution photos from different angles to reconstruct a 3-D model of the subject’s face.”

Actors such as Angelina Jolie, Tom Cruise, Brad Pitt, Sigourney Weaver and Duane Johnson have all been photographed into Light Stage and “once an actor has been scanned into the Light Stage, engineers can digitally insert him or her into scenes.” How did Paul Walker appear in The Fast and Furious 7? Light Stage.

Now the question to pose with these two technologies, is how long will it be before someone tries to pass a virtual clone as content that is reality? What do you think is the effect this could have on brands? What do you think about culture?

Speaking of culture, let’s dive into our hot topic for this month!

Hot Topic | 10 minutes

Cultural Literacy

A few weeks ago, TMA greatly benefitted from the wisdom and knowledge of our Chief Music Strategist, Young Guru, in an agency wide Q&A. There were so many nuggets to take away and learn from, but one that was particularly inspiring was when he stressed the importance of being well-versed in cultural trends and applying them to brand work.

In today’s world, cultural trends are moving so quickly that it’s increasingly difficult to keep up, and that’s just the well-developed trends! What about quick culture moments that a brand could speak to, work with, and of course monetize on? As we’re striving to continually be as Ray says “the greatest agency on earth,” we’re tasked with not only knowing and staying on top cultural trends but also then sharing that knowledge with our clients and of course infusing it into our ideas.

All this cultural trend and relevance talk got me thinking about cultural literacy. We know what a general literacy is, but what about really understanding culture and being relevant with what you know about it for 2017… essentially, how well do you know culture right now (as it’s constantly changing!)?

In a world that’s quickly becoming more about JOMO that FOMO (see last month’s trend for reference), staying up to date can be increasingly difficult.

This month, we’re going to look at 10 cultural trends/moments. The material we’re using? A cultural glossary for 2017!

[An acquaintance of mine that I met with at Sparks & Honey at the end of 2016 sent me their 2017 Cultural Glossary after our meeting. I strongly encourage you to download it here for the full report!]

Out of the 100 cultural literacy signals spotted/mapped by Sparks & Honey for 2017 that are included in the Cultural Glossary, here are 10 that have been chosen to quickly walk through and discuss with your mentee(s).

*Important Mentor Note: There are a variety of ways to present this section, you can simply walk through it, do a quiz format, or some other creative way you think up. Don’t feel pressure to change how it is formatted currently, but if you feel there is a way your mentee would like to hear about it, go for it! I have included 7 examples I feel are relevant to each practice here at TMA, but since our time is only 10 minutes for the section, please choose 5 that are best suited for your mentee(s) and proceed with those. You can simply delete 2 examples from the deck. Please reach out if you have questions. Thanks!

1) Added Sugar (p.6)

a. Description: “Sugar, the villain of a healthy lifestyle. In 2016, anti-sugar sentiment led to sugar being taxed, new laws for sweet-advertising and a increased vigilance by consumers over corporations – propelled by the resulting scandal from the sugar industry manipulating research to hide its effects on health. Our grip on sugar will tighten in 2017, along with other substances that are less than good for us.”

b. Insight: 50% of consumers rated chemicals in food as the most important food safety concern

c. Question: How does this affect our business? What about our messaging with CPG clients? Can you think of a product you consume that has recently taken a harmful ingredient out?

2) Brand-Built World (p.17)

a. Description: “Brands are stepping in to provide public space and infrastructure for people to socialize, learn, and explore – a role formerly associated with governments. Facebook built a giant internet drone to provide internet access, Microsoft’s authenticated video-calling program aims to facilitate communication with local authorities and New Balance cleans the running paths during Boston winters. We expect more brands to expand their definition of experiential marketing and build lasting connections with consumers by providing services that meet basic needs.”

b. Insight: There is the increasing belief that companies have a responsibility to make everything better.- Tim Maleeny, CSO of Havas Worldwide

c. Question: How could a brand you work with be apart of this trend? Do you find yourself agreeing with this? How do you think this will evolve in the next 5 years?

3) Broadcast Social Media (p.19)

a. Description: “TV is meeting its interactive audience on social platforms, transforming both its production and the audience experience. Livestreaming on Facebook, finance-focused network Cheddar is embracing a much more informal tone. The NFL broadcast the 2016 Football season on Twitter – because that’s where the conversation is. 2017 will see a merging of TV and social media, as more formats are adapted to mobile streaming.”

b. Insight: The need to see sporting events in real time is one of the reasons networks have been immune to the changes timeshifting technologies – streaming, on demand or DVR – have wrought on network schedules of scripted programs.- Amanda Lotz, Professor of Communication Studies and Screen Arts & Cultures at the University of Michigan

c. Question: We talked a little bit about this earlier with Twitter’s new API… what do you think is the next place this will go? How will it effect your client? What about your clients’ consumers?

4) Brunchification (p.20)

a. Description: “The rest of the world is discovering the beauty of pancakes and avocado toast: Brunch is amazing. Starbucks is testing out brunch options, Jack in the Box has trademarked “brunchfast,” and there’s brunch-flavored candy corn. Breakfast is becoming a flavor, rather than an occasion. Brunchification describes how breakfast items are going to alter menus across the country in 2017.”

b. Insight: 5% Breakfast occasions, in- and away-from-home, are forecast to grow by 5 percent through 2019, ahead of the expected population growth of 4 percent.- NPD Group

c. Questions: Breakfast is having a moment people – this is one of those cultural moments where almost every single brand can tap into. How can your client brunch?

5) Digital Sampling (p.32)

a. Description: “Despite skyrocketing ecommerce growth, shoppers struggle with the inability to try on products when they shop online. That’s now starting to change, with L’Oréal upgrading their Makeup Genius app, and the debut of services such as Urban Decay’s Vice Lipstick app, so you can sample 100 shades of lipstick on your face. In 2017, expect to see similar digital sampling move from niche to industry norm.”

b. Insight: “Virtual makeover apps are another take on existing strategies retailers use to push customers to try new things, like free samples and subscription services.” - Diana Smith, senior research analyst, Mintel

c. Questions: How could digital sampling touch the brand(s) you work with? Have you ever experienced this with another brand? Does this sound appealing to you as a consumer?

6) Empathy Tech (p.39)

a. Description: “Technology is typically associated with precision and science, and not feelings. But technologies such as VR evoke both visceral emotional responses and allow us to see the world from a different perspective. The UN is using VR to build empathy with refugees, while psychologists are experimenting with VR to treat people with post-traumatic stress disorder. In 2017, growing numbers of NGOs will turn to tech to foster empathy in their campaigns.”

b. Insight: “I think that’s where VR has been really terrific, because it bridges the gap that numbers and statistics make just guilt-tripping. This is the first time they can actually feel like they can go into that person’s space.” – Gabo Arora, founder and president, LightShed

c. Questions: Do you have any technology that can respond empathetically? Perhaps an AI device? Think to the Aqua VR program that TMA just finished, that encompasses this trend perfectly. How does this affect your client?

7) Sleep Economy (p86)

a. Description: “Sleep deprivation used to be a badge of honor, but now sleep is seen as a human right. The sleep industry has awakened and is transforming how we sleep. YeloSpa, a sleep salon, lets customer nap for a $1 a minute; luxury hotels are offering sleep retreats; and even mattress company Casper is investing millions to disrupt the market. Prepare to revamp your sleeping behavior in 2017.”

b. Insight: $63.2 is the total amount that lack of sleep costs firms in the US each year.

c. Questions: Sleep is a big topic right now – in wellness and in tech. How can your client tap into this? Have you seen a brand not directly related to sleep tap into this trend?

Conclusion: Choosing merely 5 from a 100 was so tough, but did it get your mind going on how culturally relevant you are? You most likely were feeling or noticing these cultural trends/signals but to directly call them out and then apply them to our clients/brands that we work on… that’s a powerful force!

I strongly encourage you to download the full Cultural Glossary here, and read through it.

Before we finish up our session, is there another cultural trend/signal that you or your mentee(s) have noticed? Discuss amongst yourselves.

App of the Month:

Memoji app:

“Facetune has long been known for beautifying even our worst selfies, but now it wants to try something new: emojifying them. A new app from the selfie editor takes photos of your face and gives them emoji expressions — laughing, crying, blowing kisses, getting sick, etc. They can be still images or turned into GIFs and videos, often with surprising (and frightening) results.”

Content Highlight:

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Conclusion:

Session #2 is complete! If you have any resulting questions, don’t hesitate to send a note my way!

[email protected]

Thanks!

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