1.
COPYRIGHT © 2015
5 BIG IDEAS for
THE FUTURESIGNALS FROM SXSW

2.
2
Brailling the SXSW Culture
Faith Popcorn
Founder & CEO, Faith Popcorn’s BrainReserve
Marc Kozlow
Futurist
Megan Routh
Futurist
Our Futurists, Marc Kozlow & Megan Routh,
immersed themselves in Austin, looking through the
lenses of our 17 proprietary Trends. Here’s where
they saw the future leaking into the present.

3.
3
5 BIG IDEAS FOR THE FUTURE
FROM FAITH POPCORN’S BRAINRESERVE
Bots As Besties1
Spread The Health 2
Sensory Sync3
Be In The Blur 4
5 Feminism 4.0

4.
4
get ready for a shift from
having a BFF to a BBF:
Bot Best Friend
Bots As Besties1
Pepper the robot can analyze your tone of voice and respond appropriately

5.
5
Bots As Besties
Coming soon, a Her-esque tomorrow, in which we fall in love with
our ’bots. Early signs at SXSW:
● The movie Ex Machina electrified the gathering with a Tinder
teaser that had all of Austin swiping right, ready to meet a hot
woman who turned out to be a bot. Perfect marketing for a scifi
movie about humans interacting with Artificial Intelligence
● At the Robot Petting Zoo, the friendly BlabDroid, which is an
almost huggable robot-therapist, rolled along, asking visitors
about their mood
● Keynote speaker Martine Rothblatt had crowds cheering with her
message: It's not us versus cyberspace; we are one
1
BlabDroid
Ex Machina’s
Tinder Bot

6.
6
Wearables will track you
24/7, scolding you for
smoking & rewarding you for
eating kale. Downside: will
your doctors, employers &
insurance company Also be
looking?
Spread The Health2
Google’s SmartLens contacts monitor your glucose level

7.
7
What’s next will pave a new path to enhanced wellness and
longevity. Among the innovations we saw:
● SmartyPans, the first app-connected frying pan, instantly
calculates the calories and nutritional content of the food
you’re cooking
● A germ-free future: 3M’s Luminometer, which sanitizes
equipment, was demo’d by zapping grimy mobile devices.
The company’s Bluetooth-enabled stethoscopes relay info
to medical providers instantaneously
Spread The Health2
SmartyPans & Its App
3M Luminometer

8.
PRODUCTS CUSTOMIZED TO
FIT YOUR UNIQUE SENSORY
PROFILE; FLAVORS,TEXTURES,
SOUNDS & COLORS THAT
APPEAL TO YOUr DNA
Sensory Sync3
3D printed shoes that perfectly fit your feet for maximum comfort & personal style

9.
9
Sensors will identify the exact experiences that elicit
maximum energy and joy. The first steps were seen in
Austin:
• Does barbecue make your brain buzz? GE answered that by
putting out a spread and having guests strap on Muse
headbands to track EEG activity as different flavors were
sampled. The output shifted the definition of “yum” from the
taste buds to the brains
• Music gets medicinal with MIT’s Sync Project. Wearables
track the physiological response to songs so you can stream
the tunes that heighten your mood. This isn’t just about
pumping you up for your next run; CEO Alexis Kopikis
developed the concept to better reach his autistic son
Sensory Sync3
GE’s BBQ Science
MIT Sync

10.
An enchanting marketing
experience can’t just be
online or in-store. It must
move omni-channel so
customers can live your
brand wherever they are
Be In The Blur4
Adidas uses an augmented reality code printed on their shoes to delight customers

11.
11
Our “real life” and virtual selves are seamlessly meshing as
we live in an always-connected and increasingly self-
curated realm. In Austin, brands clamored to share intense
experiences, on- and off-line:
• Enter your favorite binge-watch show: At Game of Thrones’
SXSWesteros exhibit, fans sharpened their sword-fighting skills
for the ultimate immersive experience
• The Web’s obsession with cute critters catapulted into the real
world with Mophie’s Rescue Station. An army of rescued St.
Bernard pups waited to “rescue” the dying batteries of Tweeters
and Meerkaters. Takeaway: Cuddling a furry critter beats
watching one on live feed any day
Be In The Blur4
SXSWesteros
Mophie Rescue Station

12.
WOMEN are ROCKETING
ahead, surpassing men in
education, earnings,
political power & social
STRENGTH
Marissa Mayer, CEO of Yahoo!
5 Feminism 4.0

13.
13
Women ruled at SXSW, shattering the stereotype that
they are second-string players in tech and business. And
this upward arc will accelerate in the years ahead.
• Three out of the five Keynotes were from female execs
• Jessica Alba, founder of Honest Co., said, “The Millennial
generation is very powerful when it comes to women: I
think what we want, goes.”
• Dove, Cosmo and Ipsos created female-centric lounges
to encourage intimacy, camaraderie & confidence
• #Empower, elevating women’s place in the world, was a
top Twitter trend
5 Feminism 4.0
Jessica Alba
Ipsos Lounge

14.
what will you do differently today?
Tomorrow
Now that you know everything about
,