Category: General Content

Volkswagen Spins Off Ride-Sharing And Self-Driving Cars To New Company

Posted on by Lab Team

What Happened
Volkswagen is getting serious about building ride-hailing and autonomous vehicles as the German auto giant announced the launch of a spinoff company that focuses on “new mobility solutions.” The new standalone company, Moia, is based in Berlin and will soon start testing some of Volkswagen’s ride-sharing and car-sharing programs there. The company says it aims to generate “a significant share” of its sale revenue from the Moia services by 2025.

Why Brands Should Care
Besides Volkswagen, major automakers like Ford and General Motors have also been launching car-sharing services or partnering with Uber or Lyft to restructure its revenue streams, cash in on the rise of on-demand car services, and prepare for a not-too-distant future where consumers choose on-demand ride-sharing and carsharing services over private car ownerships. As development in this area ramps up, more and more consumers will soon become addressable as they ditch the steering wheels for the backseats, and brands will have to explore new partnerships and ad opportunities, such as Uber’s Trip Experiences, to capitalize on the consumer attention freed from driving.

 

Source: TechCrunch

Facebook To Target Streaming Viewers By Linking User Profiles With IP Addresses

Posted on by Lab Team

What Happened
Last month, Facebook announced a partnership with A+E and streaming startup Tubi TV to bring Facebook ads to OTT streaming devices like Roku and Apple TV. Now a Bloomberg report reveals that the social network has been testing personalized ad targeting in this new program by linking Facebook profiles tied to the IP addresses of the streaming set-top boxes. Facebook customizes commercials based on the user data and certain A&E shows they are watching, and it is testing ads for nonprofits or its own products along with a handful of name brands, according to a company spokesman.

What Brands Should Do
The update better illustrates Facebook’s ambition in expanding its ad product and reach into the living room and onto the streaming devices. As we noted when this OTT partnership was announced, Facebook’s venture into streaming ads should provide brand advertisers with better targeting capabilities to reach OTT viewers and cord-cutters by bringing the same audience data that powers the rest of its ad network to the set-top boxes. And that looks like exactly what they have been doing. With more and more viewers choosing on-demand streaming over linear TV, brands wishing to reach consumers at scale should start exploring the advertising opportunities on the ad-supported streaming services.

To read more on how brands can deal with TV’s shift toward streaming platforms, please check out the Appified TV section in our Outlook 2016.

 

Source: Bloomberg

Maybelline Sponsors Holiday Gift Guide On Snapchat To Reach Shoppers

Posted on by Lab Team

What Happened
Maybelline is sponsoring a two-day campaign on Snapchat to reach Millennial holiday shoppers. The company is partnering with Sweet, the Snapchat-only publication created by Hearst, to launch a pop-up holiday gift guide that will run for today and Saturday. The sponsored gift guide highlights a collection of holiday gifts on Sweet’s Discover channel, interspersed with ads from the makeup brand. According to Hearst, Sweet gets about 16 million unique views a month and about one million daily. Previously, the Snapchat publisher also run a five-part themed series called “The United States of Sweet” sponsored by GE this summer.

What Brands Should Do
Snapchat’s ad business is hitting its stride as the company behind the popular messaging app files for a confidential IPO and start selling its first hardware product Spectacles (which we have managed to get two pairs ready for demo here at the Lab). This sponsored campaign serves as a good example of brands using messaging apps as a marketing channel to connect with customers. As Snapchat continues to improve its ad products to match its rapid growth, brands need to consider getting on Snapchat to reach its growing number of users via not only standard video ads, but also more unconventional ad units such as custom Geofilters and branded selfie lenses.

For more information on how brands should leverage interesting branded content to win back the increasingly ad-avoidant consumers, check out the Ad Avoidance section of our Outlook 2016.

 

Source: AdWeek

Lead image courtesy of Sweet’s promotional image

Google Updates Android Auto With “OK Google” Voice Command

Posted on by Lab Team

What Happened
Android users will soon be able to activate their in-car infotainment system by saying “OK Google,” the same hot-word command used for Google Home and Pixel phones, as the search giant start rolling out voice command to Android Auto. With supported models, drivers will be able to get directions, check the weather, or change their music hands-free, which makes for a safer, more convenient driving experience. In addition, the updated Android Auto app also comes with a streamlined interface for driving and the options to have your incoming text messages read aloud and to respond to them using voice.

Why Brands Should Care
Compared to Apple, which added Siri support to its CarPlay in August 2015 and updated in-car Siri features this June, Google may seem a bit behind in introducing its digital assistant service into cars. Nevertheless, now with this Android Auto update, more car owners will get to interact with their in-car infotainment system in a conversational manner.

Besides Google and Apple, auto brands are also actively pursuing the potential of in-car conversational interfaces. For instance, Hyundai became the first auto brand to integrate with Amazon’s voice-based digital assistant service Alexa this summer. As more and more consumers become familiarized with the type of voice-based interfaces, brands will need to seize the initiative to navigate the emerging opportunities and challenges of the changing forms of digital interaction.

 

Source: The Verge

Expedia Launches Alexa Skill To Offer Travel Updates

Posted on by Lab Team

What Happened
Travel site Expedia has launched an Alexa skill that let Amazon Echo users ask for updates on flights, hotel bookings, and rental car reservations without lifting a finger. Expedia customers can use it to check their loyalty points balance. At launch, the skill does not support booking flights or hotels via Alexa directly, but Expedia says it is working to add the feature soon.

This is not the first time Expedia has seeked to connect with travellers via conversational interfaces. In June, the popular travel booking site launched a Facebook Messenger bot, which allows users to search for hotels via chats and can direct them to the Expedia site to complete booking once an option is selected. At the moment, Expedia and its competitor Kayak remain some of the few skills in the Alexa Skills Marketplace that can track flight information and plan a trip.

What Brands Should Do
This serves as the latest example of how voice-based assistant services may transform customer experiences in hospitality. As Amazon continues to improve Alexa’s functionality and expand the underlying deep learning technologies to more services, it is time for brands seeking to stay ahead of the digital curve to start exploring how incorporating conversational interfaces may help improve the customer experience.

The Lab has extensive experience with building Alexa skills for brands. If you’re interested in learning more about this or have a client opportunity, please reach out to our Client Services Director Samantha Holland ([email protected]) to schedule a visit to the Lab.

 

Source: VentureBeat

Shell Remakes Branded Music Video Into Interactive Vertical Video For Snapchat

Posted on by Lab Team

What Happened
Multinational energy giant Shell worked with six artists led by Jennifer Hudson and created a branded music video to promote its clean energy initiatives in October. Now, the company has retooled the video into a vertical format that is native to Snapchat, where it will run as Snap Ads throughout December. Shell also added some interactive elements to the music video, allowing viewers to swipe between the six artists as the video plays to create a personalized experience. They can also tap on the video to see additional animations explaining Shell’s #makethefuture energy ideas.

What Brands Should Do
This Shell’s campaign shows how brands can retool their existing branded content to better fit user behaviors on mobile platforms and therefore maximize engagement. As consumer attention shifts toward mobile and many driven to ad-blockers by the subpar digital ad experience, brands are finding it increasingly difficult to reach their desired audience via traditional media channels.Therefore, brands need to take a cue from this example and start to explore new forms of advertising, such as sponsored or branded content as well as native video ads, to circumvent consumers’ growing ad aversion and pique their interest.

For more information on how brands can leverage interesting branded content to earn consumer attention, check out the Ad Avoidance section of our Outlook 2016.

 

Source: AdWeek

Lingerie Brand Gets Intimate With Customers With A Holiday Campaign On WhatsApp

Posted on by Lab Team

What Happened
Lingerie brand Agent Provocateur has launched an innovative holiday campaign that leverages the private nature of messaging apps to connect with shoppers in an intimate way. Customers are invited to add Agent Provocateur’s number in WhatsApp and start a group chat with their partners and an Agent Provocateur agent, who will guide the couples through a conversation to help uncover their holiday wish list and recommend items from the Agent Provocateur Christmas collection that best suit their personality. As part of its “Naughty or Nice” holiday campaign, the brand also created a themed interactive video that showcases the dual styles of its products and lets viewers tap on the screen to switch between the dual perspectives.

What Brands Should Do
This campaign serves as a good example of brands using messaging apps as a marketing channel to connect with customers in an intimate environment. While Facebook still has only just started to make WhatsApp more brand-friendly, this campaign shows that brands can find a way to tap into the millions of users on the popular messaging app. Given the intimate nature of this campaign, it makes sense for Agent Provocateur to opt for a human agent rather than a chatbot. In most cases, however, chatbots present a much more viable and scalable solution for brands looking to reach customers on messaging apps that are popular among mobile users.

The Lab has extensive knowledge about reaching consumers on mobile messaging apps and building branded chatbots. The new NiroBot we build in collaboration with Ansible for Kia delivers comprehensive product information about the all-new Niro model via friendly chats. If you’re interested in reaching your audience on messaging apps and better serving them with a chatbot, please contact our Client Services Director Samantha Holland ([email protected]) for more information or to schedule a visit to the Lab.

 

Source: Mobile Marketing Magazine

Amazon Launches Bot Framework Lex To Extend Deep Learning To Developers

Posted on by Lab Team

What Happened
Earlier today at its re:Invent developer event, Amazon announced a series of updates to its  Amazon Web Services (AWS), the biggest public cloud infrastructure provider at the moment. Most notably, the Seattle-based company also introduced Amazon Lex, a bot framework akin to the one Microsoft debuted earlier this year, to extend the deep learning technologies that power Alexa to developers. With Lex’s deep learning functionalities of automatic speech recognition (ASR) and natural language understanding (NLU),  brands can work with developers to build sophisticated conversational interfaces into any application using voice and text.

What Brands Should Do
What truly sets Amazon Lex apart from the existing bot-building frameworks is that it allows developers to tap into the deep learning technologies powering Alexa, Amazon’s leading voice-based personal assistant service. The ecommerce giant has reportedly sold more than 5 million Alexa-enabled Echo smart speakers since launch, and as the company continues to make strong pushes for its hardware products, more and more mainstream consumers will soon become reachable via Alexa. By leveraging Lex, brands will be able to build advanced applications with highly engaging user experiences and lifelike conversational interactions.

The Lab has extensive experience with building chatbots and Alexa skills for brands. The new Messenger bot we build in collaboration with Ansible for Kia delivers comprehensive product information about the all-new Niro model via friendly chats. We are very excited to explore the new possibilities that Amazon Lex is set to unleash and work with our clients to navigate the new realities that conversational interfaces are set to bring. If you’re interested in learning more about this or have a client opportunity, please reach out to our Client Services Director Samantha Holland ([email protected]) to schedule a visit to the Lab.

 

Source: VentureBeat

Blippar Transforms London’s Covent Garden Into An AR-Enhanced Shopping Destination

Posted on by Lab Team

What Happened
London-based augmented reality startup Blippar has transformed the city’s popular shopping destination Covent Garden into the site for an AR-enhanced physical retail experience. Partnered with over 140 stores and restaurants in Covent Garden, Blippar created an interactive map of Covent Garden that shoppers can use to navigate the shopping district to unlock various discounts and rewards from retailers, see the tags on select items in-store, and receive contextual fashion and beauty tips from Hearst Magazine’s fashion editors.

In addition to an interactive shopping experience, Blippar will be also hosting AR-powered special holiday events to draw in shoppers. Planned events include a digital hunt to find eight hidden reindeer for a daily prize, an AR Christmas tree and Santa experience that unlocks exclusive rewards, and Blippable stickers on restaurant and shop windows that reveal special offers.

What Brands Should Do
This initiative is a great showcase of the immense potential that AR technologies can transform brick-and-mortar retail. In a similar manner, French department store chain Galeries Lafayette is using mobile-powered AR to create a unique in-store narrative to lure in holiday shoppers. With more and more consumers now shopping with their smartphones, brick-and-mortar retailers need to start exploring ways to use augmented reality to create a next-level shopping experience. Beyond retail, AR can be a great way for customers to envision your products in their lives and to launch interactive digital experiences from signage or product packaging.

The Lab has extensive experience working with retail, beauty, and CPG clients to create and implement digitally-enhanced experiences for their stores. Our recent work with NYX Cosmetics incorporated the brand’s social assets into its in-store experience and offered an innovative take on sampling with a digital beauty bar. Please contact our Client Services Director Samantha Holland ([email protected]) if you’d like to learn more about how to develop a mobile-driven retail strategy that bridges the gap between physical and digital shopping experience.

 

Source: PSFK

Lead image courtesy of promotional images from Blippar

How QSR Brands Are Using Livestreaming To Connect With Customers

Posted on by Lab Team

What Happened
Several quick-service restaurants (QSRs) have been early-adopters of livestreaming, as marketers from Dunkin’ Donuts, Wendy’s, and Taco Bells shared some of their insights in using live video as a marketing channel with Digiday. The three QSR brands agree that livestreaming is a great way to connect with fans and boost online engagement in real time. While Dunkin’ Donuts and Taco Bells leveraged livestreaming to show customers some behind-the-scene peeks into their operations with kitchen tours and special events, Wendy’s partnered with social influencer Cody Johns this summer to promote its Baconator burger by making one live on air.

What Brands Should Do
Brand marketers looking to enter the livestreaming arena should take a cue from what these QSR brands are doing and learn from the insights and strategies they developed, from the necessity of fast and reliable internet connection in order to ensure the stream quality to letting the social media personalities take the center stage to avoid overt product promotion. In addition, it is also important for brands conducting live video sessions to remain nimble and open-minded to interact with the live audience and offer appropriate responses so as to maximize engagement.

 

Source: Digiday