we are social: curiosity stop #10
TRANSCRIPT
Curiosity Stop: The Social Innovation Roundup
April 2016
CURIOSITY STOP‘Social Thinking’ is understanding how and why people communicate, and using this insight to provide value for our clients. This understanding is an ongoing passion project for the agency.
Our global team of 550 keep a keen eye out for intriguing changes in the social landscape. We take the best of these innovations and compile them in the monthly
Curiosity Stop.
You’ll see some examples which prove our social trendspotting, and others which indicate what might happen next. But if you look really closely, you might catch a glimpse into the future of
how and why we use social.
Curiosity Stop >April
Sometimes we hear that emotions are being lost in the digital age. That technology which is supposed to make us feel more
connected, actually ends up getting in the way of real socialising - thus making us feel more alone. With this month's Curiosity
Stop, we discover innovations which disprove this notion.
Here at We Are Social, we believe in the power of people - not platforms or technology. We aim to generate ideas which are
inspired by an understanding of people's social behaviours. We call this ‘social thinking’, because when people come together
great things can happen.
Read on, and you’ll discover a new service for booking a sexy weekend away, a device for reaching your friends in one easy touch, and a digital-meets-IRL way to find your perfect match.
We bet you’re feeling more connected already.
Lise PinnellHead of Strategy, London, We Are Social
1: The Internet of Social Things
The idea of sharing your house, your bed and your bathroom with a stranger would have been unimaginable a few years ago. But AirBnB changed that, and it’s now worth billions. AirBnB gave us the capacity to share objects that previously we had to own.
The Internet of Social Things is a trend which is seeing us becoming happier to share everyday objects socially through our smartphones. Bikes, umbrellas - nothing is safe...
Booking your kinky vacation has never been this easy. Open your doors to @KinkBNB.
The Internet of Social Things >KinkBNB
What’s it all about?
Airbnb just got kinky. KinkBNB is a sex positive homesharing community, where you can book all your upcoming (s)excapades.
The home-sharing website allows lovers to book their next kinky vacation, without the added stress of waking up the neighbours. Similar to Airbnb, it provides all the usual amenities, with the added twist of sex aids available. We’re talking anything from toys to purpose-built rooms. Mr Grey would be in heaven.
The bigger picture
We’re seeing a trend of disruptive technologies spurringon niche copycats. In the same way Tinder has inspiredan army of dating apps, Airbnb is creating a subcultureof niche accommodation services. Bud+Breakfast is still a fave.
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2: Wearable Social
The forecasted wearable device market value for 2018 is $13Bn. We are entering a world of “Wearable Social” where movement, heartbeats and emojis are a new form of social language.
Wearable Social >Onyx
What’s it all about?
Onyx is a walkie talkie for the digital age. Twist the wearable until you hit the person or group you want to talk to, like your family or a set of colleagues, and then simply speak. Said squad will be listening on their own Onyxes.
You can give group members verbal updates without them having to fumble for their phone (don’t worry, they can twist to mute), and easily share your location if you want to meet up. And all with the touch of one button! Simples.
The bigger picture
Most smartwatch manufacturers assumed that users wanted as many smartphone features on their watchas possible. We’re seeing an uptake in simple, reduced-functionality wearables which do one thing well and don’t cost hundreds of pounds.
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Step into the future with Onyx Clip, the newest wearable tech. Click, twist and chat; practical AND fashionable.
@PunkpostCo is here to make handw 3: Big Social Data
Say ‘Big Data’ out loud and everyone within six feet will know you work in marketing. But Big Data is often misunderstood and misused. The ‘Big Social Data’ trend is seeing smart brands mine conversations on social to help them create products and services their audiences really want - in real time.
Love at first … light? @SkolBeats have made masks which match you based on your Facebook profile.
Big Social Data >Baile de Máscaras Skol Beats
What’s it all about?
Masquerade balls are just so 15th century. Nowadays they’re more V for Vendetta than Venetian masks. Skol Beats set out to change this. It’s taking masquerade masks to the next level, by incorporating a colour-based match system. After syncing Facebook profiles, the masks connected potential suitors at Rio Music Carnival by lighting up green if the pair had a lot in common, and red if they didn’t. And who said romance is dead?
The masks add a technological twist and interactive layer to the Carnival, bringing strangers together.
The bigger picture
We recently went to the brilliant Virtually Dead - think Secret Cinema meets VR. A digital/real world crossover at live events will soon be the standard.
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4: Voyeurism 2.0
When social media went mainstream it was exciting to connect with friends, colleagues and old school pals online. But once that novelty wore off, we started to look further afield.
We’ve developed a taste for peering over the garden fence into the intimate lives of others.
Voyeurism 2.0 >Follower
What’s it all about?
Ever felt like someone was watching you? Tracing your every step? Well, if you’re into that sort of stuff, Follower offers just that. The app gives users their very own stalker for the day.
Follower works by assigning you a stranger who must surreptitiously follow you, providing a photo of their ‘stalkee’ as proof. Despite the disconcerting premise, Follower doesn’t seem to have a dark side. Just a no-hassle, unseen stalker.
The bigger picture
We can’t see Facebook rolling this out as service anytime soon, but we can expect to see more creative ideas that provoke us into reconsidering the changing nature of our relationship with technology.
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Do you crave the sinister sensation of being followed? Welcome Follower; your personal, unseen, hassle-free stalker.
Voyeurism 2.0 >Being
What’s it all about?
Being allows you to browse your Instagram as anyone, whether it it’s your BFF or Beyoncé (definitely Beyoncé).
The app pulled together the users someone followed, then recreated their news feed for the perusal of others. So, for example, a Being user could have ‘been’ Beyoncé, and viewed all the people she follows (all zero of them). I use past tense because just eight days after launching, Instagram blocked API (application programming interface) access. Sneaky!
The bigger picture
This example reinforces the view that we have an insatiable appetite for peering through each other’s digital letterboxes. How can your brand use this?
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Fed-up of being you? Being app allowed you to see life through the eyes (newsfeed) of whoever your heart desired.
5: Community Commerce
Community Commerce is where positive behaviour, social and finance collide. We are starting to see communities rally around common causes for good, with positive financial outcomes for all involved.
Community Commerce >Reach across the aisle
What’s it all about?
JetBlue recently invited 150 unsuspecting passengers to ‘Reach across the aisle,’ with the chance to win a free round-trip flight. The catch?All 150 passengers had to unanimously decide on their destination.
In a tongue-in-cheek rebuke of the American political environment, the turbulent video shows that if we compromise, all parties can win. That said, Trump wasn’t on this particular flight.
The bigger picture
Brands doing ‘social’ isn’t just about posting on social networks, it’s about understanding how we relate to each other. JetBlue have tapped into a social insight to produce a unique piece of content - that has a lot of people talking about the brand.
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40,000 ft, 150 passengers and countless free @JetBlue tickets. The catch? They must unanimously agree where to go.
6: Social Currency
It’s been said that the internet is made of cats. While that’s not entirely true, social media got a bad name for its propensity to share feline footage. But this has changed - now you can buy a mortgage on WeChat. Some people trust sending payments and talking about it publicly on social. It’s time to reappraise social as a cat meme dumping ground and get onboard with the new economics of Social Currency.
Social Currency >Snapchat Robo-advisor
What’s it all about?
Snapchat wants to be your next financial adviser. No, we’re not joking. Let’s face it, people are already using it to send tasteful nudes and heinous selfies, so why not let Snapchat become your personal money manager?
The ephemeral social media platform is looking to transform into a robo-adviser, by using algorithms to manage customers’ money. Let’s just hope our finances don’t disappear just as quick.
The bigger picture
In the East chat apps are a fully fledged financial platform, with insurance and mortgages available on WeChat. Snapchat is well ahead of the game here - watch this space as chat apps become the new browsers for ecommerce.
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Goodbye ugly selfies. Hello money manager. Meet @Snapchat, your new financial adviser.
7: On The Horizon
These final innovations don’t fit neatly into our trends (dammit), but we reckon they are worth a mention. Successful innovations create expectation, so we’ll be keeping a keen eye on them. Watch this space - if they turn into a wider trend, you’ll be the first to know.
On The Horizon >Signs of progress
What’s it all about?
In rural Central America, many housewives struggle to create a business out of their skills. However, while they may not have much money, these women all have satellite dishes. Latin American telecom group Claro decided to repay these women for their loyalty, by giving each one a voice.
Claro worked with local artists to paint over its own logo on the satellite dishes, instead using the space to creatively advertise each household’s offering - from strawberries to hairstyling.
The bigger picture
This is a powerful example of a brand providing a useful service that acts as its own marketing. It’s a win for everyone. Marketing-as-a-service is as rare as hen’s teeth, but very effective when it happens.
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With a splash of colour, Claro has transformed antennae into ad space, creating start-ups for women in Costa Rica.
INTERNET OF SOCIAL THINGSKinkBNB
WEARABLE SOCIALOnyx
BIG SOCIAL DATABaile de Máscaras Skol Beats
VOYEURISM 2.0Follower
Being
SOCIAL CURRENCYSnapchat Robo-advisor
COMMUNITY COMMERCEReach across the aisle
ON THE HORIZONSigns of progress
WE ARE SOCIALWe Are Social is a global agency with offices in five continents
(Antarctica is a little too chilly for our liking).
We deliver world-class creative ideas with forward-thinking brands, and have fun doing it. Our clients include adidas, Google and Netflix.
As an international team of 550+, our passion is people. Our mission is to put social thinking at the centre of marketing.
Trendspotting might get us unnaturally excited, but what really counts is action. If you'd like to speak to We Are Social about how to make innovation work for your brand, email us at