Need to Know
13 : 02 : 19

US – The financial services company has introduced an audio identity that will encourage brand recognition across physical, digital and voice touchpoints.

Having recently made the transition to a wordless logo, Mastercard’s sonic identity is the next stage in its attempt to simplify and streamline the brand. The melody will be used across several brand assets: as an audio logo, for holding music and as a point-of-sale acceptance sound when a person pays with a Mastercard.

‘Sound adds a powerful new dimension to our brand identity and a critical component to how people recognise Mastercard today and in the future,’ says Raja Rajamannar, chief marketing and communications officer. To ensure the melody will resonate across different cultures, Mastercard has enlisted a number of global musicians to create more regional interpretations.

As the Voice Retail Market continues to grow, brands need to consider how they connect with consumers through sonic branding. By turning its attention to audio strategy, Mastercard is looking to preserve its presence in a less visual commercial landscape.

US – Public Goods customers, who pay £46 ($59, €52) a year for membership, now have access to healthy food in addition to personal care items and households goods.

The direct-to-consumer (DTC) start-up now stocks 60 organic products, ranging from extra virgin olive oil to split pea soup. Each week, more items, such as granola, tuna and pasta, will be added to the inventory.

While other DTC brands offer quality goods at an affordable price, they often stock only one product category, such as razors or sanitary products. By expanding its offer, Public Goods hopes to consolidate affordable products in one place and under one membership scheme. As founder Morgan Hirsh explains in a recent interview with Fast Company: ‘[Previously] you would buy razors from one place, tampons from another, then go to another website to get your dog food and then yet another to get your vitamins.’

Elevating the idea of the dollar store online, retailers are exploring how they can democratise quality and bring premium products to the mass market.

US – Childish Gambino is the latest interactive character that Google has added to its Pixel camera with augmented reality (AR).

The new Playmoji is part of Google Pixel’s Playground tool, which, using the phone’s AR capabilities, brings animated characters to its camera. Fans of Childish Gambino can now add the rapper into their photos or videos by simply pointing their camera and dropping him into the scene.

The avatar’s dancing mimics Childish Gambino’s real-life moves, with ARCore’s motion tracking technology allowing fans to dance with him in their own videos. His facial expressions also react in real time, evolving through machine learning.

The Playground tool points to a future of both entertainment and AR-enabled fan experiences. While avatars have been employed as brand ambassadors, news anchors and even museum guides, Google shows how this technology could change how we interact with our idols.

Gambling is increasingly a mobile-first activity, according to a new report by software company Iovation. The study, which analysed more than 518m transactions, found that 70% of online gambling transactions are now made using mobile devices. Furthermore, financial transactions processed via mobile devices grew at an average annual rate of 95% from 2012 to 2018.

As gambling becomes more mobile – and arguably more frictionless – FinTech companies are experimenting with ways to re-introduce spending and access limits. In December 2018, Barclays became the first traditional bank to offer in-app controls that allow customers to block their own gambling spend.