The document provides a summary of trends in marketing, storytelling and digital culture from May 2016. It discusses the rise of virtual reality and artificial intelligence. It also mentions trends related to creativity, innovation, media, and connecting with consumers. Specifically, it discusses Facebook's ability to understand text, Elon Musk's open AI research, the vision of Magic Leap's augmented reality technology, global online advertising standards, slow marketing, Snapchat surpassing Twitter, and more flexible gender options on Tinder.

1. THETRENDSREPORT
May 2016
Proudly brought to you by NATIVE VML

2. A MONTHLY SNAPSHOT OF TRENDS IN
MARKETING, STORYTELLING AND DIGITAL
CULTURE LOCALLY AND ABROAD.

3. CREATIVITY
AND A NEW
REALITY

4. We are approaching an age of science-fiction,
where virtual reality becomes a part of our lived
reality, and humans may soon have a lesser
intelligence than our own creations. But we stride
boldly forward, only able to imagine what this
incredible new future may look like.
When the artificial
becomes real.

5. FacebookOnThePathToSentience.
HotoffthebackofFacebooklearninghowtounderstand
pictures,thosesharptechfolksinMenloParkhavenow
taughtFacebookhowtoread.
Utilising‘deeplearning’technology,Facebookwillnowbe
betteratinterpretingnotonlythecontentoftext-basedposts
but,moresignificantly,theirintendedmeaning.Thiswillhelp
Facebookbetterunderstanditsusersandassistinmaking
moreappropriaterecommendations(andultimatelyallow
Facebooktoknoweverythingaboutourliveswhenitrules
theworldasasuper-intelligencesomeday).
READ MORE Source: Facebook
Image: TechCrunch

6. ElonMuskWantsToShareArtificialIntelligence.
IthasbeenwelldocumentedthatSouthAfrican-bornElon
Muskisbasicallyareal-lifeTonyStark(thoughsomehow
evenmoreoutrageous).Notcontentwithjusttaking
mankindtospaceorbuildingsuperelectriccars,Muskhas
turnedhisattentiontowardscreatingartificialintelligence.
OpenAI,anewventurefoundedbyMuskandY
Combinator’sSamAltman,haspoachedmanysought-
afterAIresearchersfromcompanieslikeGoogleand
Facebooktoworkonresearchthatthecompanyultimately
hopestoshareforfree.Why?“Itcanreducetheprobability
thatsuper-intelligencewouldbemonopolised.”Soundslike
agoodplan.Let’sjusthopetheydon’taccidentallycreate
Ultronbeforethen.
READ MORE Source: Wired
Image: MIT Technology Review

7. MagicLeapHasAVisionOfTheFuture…
…seenthrougha‘photoniclightfieldchip’.Augmented
reality?Virtualreality?Thosetechbreakthroughsareso
2015.It’sallabout‘mixedreality’now.
MagicLeapisasecretivestartupwithaboatloadof
investmentmoneyandaprototypeproductthathasbeen
sampledbyonlyaselectfew.Allthisonlyservesto
enhancethemystiquesurroundingtheirgroundbreaking
headset—similarinintentiontoMicrosoft’sHoloLens,but
reportedlyfarmoreimpressive.It’sunlikelythatanything
fromMagicLeapwillbeavailabletoussimplemembersof
thepublicanytimesoon,butinthemeantimethelittle
snippetswedogetpaintafascinating,exciting,and
possiblyfrighteningpictureofourfuturereality.
READ MORE Source: Wired
Image: Magic Leap

8. INNOVATION
AND DISRUPTION

9. Technology has transformed our lives and
enables us to live with more freedom than ever
before. But is it also making us unable to
disconnect? Bombarding and overwhelming us
with constant content and marketing?
How do we switch off but stay connected? How
do we live in this digital age?
A new kind of lifestyle.

10. WFA Wants Global Online Ad Standards.
The ad-blocking phenomenon has been
increasing rapidly in the last few years, and
research showed a 90% increase in ad-blocking
in 2015.
To combat this trend, the World Federation of
Advertisers wants to cater advertising to
consumers with a set of standards, as opposed to
continuing to overwhelm people with obnoxious
ads. “Advertising has always been cultural
wallpaper and we have a duty of care to make it
as attractive and engaging as possible,” says
WFA president David Wheldon. I wonder what he
had hanging on his childhood bedroom wall?
Maybe this.
READ MORE
Source: Campaign Live
Image: Marketing Land

11. Slow Marketing Is Taking Off.
Sloths are adorable creatures, and people are
starting to take a leaf out of their proverbial
lifestyle books.
Fed up with the incessantly increasing pace of life
in the digital, connected, and ‘always on’ age,
some have turned to ‘slower’ ways of living —
from slow food to slow fashion. A number of
brands have had success with campaigns that
subvert the flash-bang, grab-your-attention-at-all-
costs style of advertising in favour of content that
allows people with hectic lives to enjoy a moment
of peace. Or cats.
READ MORE
Source: Campaign Live
Image: Pass The Pretty

12. The ‘Out-Of-Office’ Experience.
As video conferencing and team messaging
services become ubiquitous, many companies
are moving away from the traditional centralised
office setup and towards a looser structure that
allows employees to work remotely.
Now new ventures, like Lisbon’s Surf Office, are
cropping up to give remote workers an office-like
space to hang their hat, but with unique perks and
add-ons. Anyone else feel like a Cape Town
Braai Office needs to be a thing?
READ MORE
Source: BBC
Image: The Stack

13. MEDIA
JUJITSU

14. As digital media grows at a rapid pace, it may be
challenging for media buyers and sellers to keep
up. One platform is the new frontier, while last
year’s ‘hot new thing’ seems to have cooled off.
It’s a Wild West out there, but bold gunslingers
have the opportunity to take advantage of this
media gold rush.
The natural selection of
digital evolution.

15. Snapchat Is More Popular Than Twitter.
And that’s about it. Snapchat apparently has
150 million daily users worldwide, eclipsing
Twitter’s count (less than 140M). And with daily
video views that rival industry leader Facebook,
Snapchat is quickly becoming a social media
monster.
That an app originally conceived for sexting
compromising images got here is incredible -
who would have thought a platform that gives
you less time to engage with content would be
a hit. Maybe we should start making trend
reports that self-destruct… or have nudity.
READ MORE Source: AdAge
Image: Fast Company

16. Get With The Programmatic.
The use of programmatic ad buying is
undoubtedly on the rise in the digital space,
and many traditional publishers are now
hopping aboard the gravy train (though
obviously there is still plenty of work involved).
Publishing groups like the Financial Times and
The Economist are embracing programmatic
ads, especially as a way to offload inventory
that would otherwise go unsold which could
lead to millions in additional ad revenue. “The
value of media hasn’t changed, just because
the way of buying it has.”
READ MORE Source: The Drum
Image: Experian

17. Mary Meeker’s Miraculous Media Mayhem.
A trend report within a trend report? It may be
like “trend report-ception”, but Mary Meeker’s
annual effort is an industry-wide event. Many of
the highlights are pretty much what you would
expect, but there are some interesting and
impressive tidbits.
If you are either very brave or very bored you
can find the full 213-page version of the report
here.
READ MORE Source: Adweek
Image: Online Learning Insights

18. CONNECTING THE
UNCONNECTED

19. There are many ways to connect with consumers,
but one of the best and most lasting ways is via
the heart. And while this is often achieved through
emotionally-resonant advertising campaigns, it
can be infinitely more effective and meaningful to
have a real impact on people’s lives. Drawing a
connection between improving your business and
benefiting society can be significant for any
modern brand, and it is a trend we are happy to
see catching on worldwide.
Doing well by doing
good.

20. Tinder To Swipe Right On Flexible Gender
Options.
Tinder has announced that they will debut more
gender options to benefit people in the LGB
and, most significantly, T community (that’s
“transgender”).
To cisgender folks, it may seem trivial, but
giving people the opportunity to express
themselves in ways that are important to their
identity is key to connecting with consumers
from all walks of life. And really, if Tinder is the
current standard for online dating, transgender
people deserve equal opportunity to have their
appearance callously and superficially judged
with the flick of a finger.
READ MORE Source: Engadget
Image: Refinery29

21. Africa Connected.
Africa has, unfortunately, been late to the online
party, but thanks to the wide proliferation of
mobile devices, internet use and social media
adoption across sub-Saharan Africa are now
growing faster than the global average.
However, it appears that mass media, like TV
and radio, still offer the greatest penetration
among Africans, with broadcast and outdoor
advertising providing the greatest impact. No
longer the ‘dark continent’, it is clear that
opportunity abounds. Brands would do well to
take notice and enter this growing market. It’s
time to include Africa.
READ MORE Source: BizCommunity
Image: TechBooky

22. No Good Deed.
Everyone acknowledges the importance of
sustainable business practices, but there is also
an acknowledgement that businesses need to
be able to justify sustainable practices
financially.
One big issue facing businesses with
sustainable aspirations is the “green split”:
where consumers express a willingness to pay
higher prices for green products, but do not
ultimately put their money where their mouth is.
Sustainability consultant Freya Williams
explains the importance of marketing that
conveys a green message, but retains the true
voice of the brand. She uses Tesla’s success
as a good example.
READ MORE Source: Campaign Live
Image: Harwood Levitt

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