LSN : Daily Signals : Need to know 11 : 08 : 17

1. Ogilvy creates 25-minute ASMR advert for Ikea

Oddly Ikea ASMR video by Ogilvy New York for Ikea

New York – The campaign, Oddly Ikea, was created by Ogilvy in New York to promote the brand’s back-to-college products.

Autonomous sensory meridian response, or ASMR – already used by brands such as Ritz Crackers and KFC – is perceived as a pleasant tingling sensation triggered by certain sounds, and brands are increasingly experimenting with the concept in a bid to better engage consumers with their products.

Aimed at a younger demographic, who tend to watch these videos online, the campaign creators conducted meticulous research into how ASMR videos are made and produced. At 25 minutes long, the campaign also represents the importance of using new methods of engagement in an attention-based economy, as outlined in our mactotrend The Focus Filter.

2. Google takes a fresh stand against intrusive advertising

Global – The brand has issued a warning to about 1,000 online publishers that it claims show ‘highly annoying, misleading or harmful’ ads. The move follows a statement in which Google announced plans to introduce an ad-blocker to the Chrome browser from early 2018.

‘We are doing this so that they have ample time to change their ad experiences so there are no violations or concerns about anything,’ says Scott Spencer, director of product management at Google.

Google has reviewed 100,000 websites, with approximately 1% in violation of the new advertising rules. For more examples of brands acting as forces for good in society, read our Civic Brands macrotrend.

Adieu ad-blocker

3. New Mirage app mixes AR and social content

Mirage by Mirage Worlds

Global – Working in the same way as a social media chat app, Mirage enables users to adorn objects in real life with text, drawings, emojis, photos and GIFs. Once applied, the graphics show up on a map as glowing circles for other people in the vicinity to view.

Although it is not the first app to use augmented reality (AR), as we discussed in our Geo Quests microtrend, its new approach comes in the social sharing element. If someone creates a mirage of a hashtag, for example, tapping on that hashtag will then launch Twitter.

Traces is another AR app that enabled users to leave digital content in the real world. As Beau Lotto, founder of Traces, told LS:N Global, ‘the future of digital is not going to be on your phone, but in the space in between’.

4. Yeye Design re-interprets traditional Japanese art form

OTO branding by Yeye Design, Mexico

Kyoto – The studio has created a visual identity inspired by the work of renowned artist Hokusai and the ukiyo-e movement for Japanese restaurant OTO.

Rather than explicitly mimic the style of traditional Japanese woodblock prints and paintings, the branding references the artist’s ability to convey motion and meaning in static imagery, and offers a contemporary vision of Japanese design. ‘We took this principle to develop an exercise on light,’ reads the studio’s website.

As LS:N Global examined in our New Bricolage Living macrotrend, brands are using technology to create new notions of culture that empower consumers to think differently about traditional definitions of identity and nationality.

5. India’s small towns offer huge potential for online retailers

India – Elite Indian cities such as Mumbai and New Delhi might usually be targeted by online retailers for their size, but they only account for 10% of the country’s population. In smaller cities, populations range from 50,000 to just under a million, but there are more than 3,000 of them. India, like other large markets, has vast potential beyond its largest metropolises. For more, read our macrotrend The American Middle where we highlight the need for brands to look beyond coastal elite cities to the potential of small towns.

6. Thought-starter: Why brands must save the Fairtrade label

The Fairtrade label is coming under fire, but brands must work together to save the ethical label scheme rather than abandon it, says The Future Laboratory insight editor Daniela Walker.

Sainsbury’s and Mondelēz International are just two of the major retailers and brands that have recently announced they are moving away from the Fairtrade food certification scheme – Tesco has also announced it will do so for its coffee range. Meanwhile, Sainsbury’s is launching its Fairly Traded pilot scheme for its own-brand tea and Mondelēz International has announced it will focus on its Cocoa Life scheme.

If more brands continue to abandon the scheme and create their own certification regimes, consumers could be left confused by a proliferation of labels and different standards. Fairtrade has its own set of problems and is in need of an update since it was first launched in 1992, but rather than leave the scheme, brands should work together to improve it. It is a globally recognised label and the current gold standard of ethically sourced produce.

For more on why brands need to approach sustainability from a collaborative perspective, read the full opinion piece here.