Amplify Presents | The Future of Disruptive Media

The Future of Disruptive Media December 2023

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Introduction As technology continues to grow in in uence in our everyday lives, so does its impact on the creative landscape. In the last few years, blockchain, the metaverse and AI have all had varying degrees of impact on our industry.

Blockchain and the metaverse have largely failed to deliver on the hype that was promised. With the metaverse, the world isn’t quite ready to go 100% virtual, and totally forgo the physical world. And as for blockchain, teething issues and general uncertainty around security has meant that wide scale adoption has been trundling along at a pedestrian pace.

In this brie ng we explore the innovation breakthroughs in the creative space, and how brands are using them to to reach new audiences and drive conversation. We’ll also extrapolate future trends and their impact on brands; looking at how the democratisation of technology is empowering creators in crafting attention grabbing content; how generative AI has turned passive audiences into active cocreators; the obsession with blending real & digital worlds; and the role innovation has in making headway in inclusivity.

Arti cial Intelligence is the latest innovation darling that has been making waves - and perhaps the one with the most promise. Adoption, particularly among younger Internet users, has been impressive: four in ve online teenagers aged 13-17 use generative AI tools according to Ofcom.

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Anamorphic and faux OOH

The current innovation landscape

A major push across media has been to merge the digital and real worlds, creating illusions that catches people o -guard and ultimately drives engagement by having them question what they’re seeing with their own eyes. Brands such as Amazon Prime, WhatsApp, Call of Duty, Coach, Balenciaga x Fortnite and Meta have leveraged anamorphic OOH that has the ability to stop audiences in their tracks, but also drive reach on social media - so much so that people being exposed to the content online and want to go out and see it for themselves in real life, highlighting how this technology can drive audience behaviour.

Arti cial Intelligence takes centre stage

Similarly, faux OOH has the power to charm audiences, albeit across social channels. The best of this execution

AI has been on the forefront of innovative media since

also incorporates cultural landmarks, driving relevancy

the technology stepped into the mainstream. It has the

and engagement as people often debate among

ability to explore narratives while also inspiring wonder

themselves as whether they are real or not. Ultimately,

in audiences. Such is the case with Nike who used AI

while the metaverse promised to allow people to totally

and machine learning to explore the often dramatic

immerse themselves in an alternate digital world, the

storylines between upcoming sporting wonder kids,

truth is that the most e ective yet innovative form of

and their triumphs over incumbent champions. They

brand building at present, involves blurring barriers

created a virtual tennis match, using archival footage,

between the digital world and the real world.

between two versions of Serena Williams. One at the beginning of her career (when she won her rst grand slam) and end (when she won her last). AI has allowed Nike to put a compelling spin on a common sporting

Breaking formats

narrative, breathing life into it, while drawing in audiences for the ride.

Reimagining how a channel can be used o ers strong opportunities for brands to drive authentic interaction with audiences. WeTransfer did so to great e ect, by collaborating with British producer duo, Jungle. They created an art gallery music video that allowed viewers to download digital les of art pieces littered throughout the video. Doing so not only seamlessly utilises the cultural capital of music and art to in a way that entertains, but also shapes audience engagement while demonstrating the strength of the product.

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Incorporating inclusivity Many brands are recognising how innovation can play

Innovation beyond tech

a crucial role in integrating marginalised communities.

Such is the case with adidas who created a billboard that doubled as a swimming pool, highlighting how women feel uncomfortable swimming in public.

Michelob similarly focused on inclusivity, by creating an entire new language based on sound and haptic feedback that allowed a blind person to commentate on a live NBA game.

Playing with the elements Facilitating interaction through giveaways

Another form of innovative media is environmental OOH. In this instance, we see how billboards can use the elements to tell stories that resonate, playing with

Consumers are bombarded with advertising

the sun and shadows to inject dynamism into the

messaging all day, making it easy for them to enter a

creative. Taj Mahal Tea took things a step further by

passive mind state and almost ignore OOH activity.

creating the world’s rst musical billboard that was

Disruptive media has the ability to force audiences to

powered by the rain. Similarly, Corona created a wind

switch from a system 1 mind state (fast, unconscious

powered, moving billboard that reinforced their

and instinctual thinking as described by Daniel

commitment to natural ingredients and an outdoor

Kahneman) to a system 2 mind state (deliberate and

lifestyle.

conscious). In most instances, this comes when the principle of breaking formats is applied, transforming OOH billboards into spaces of interaction,

Creating headline driving products Creating a product that embodies brand messaging has the advantage of driving earned attention. Among

competition and giveaways. Absolut Vodka for example created a gami ed billboard that allowed friends and strangers to play a big buzzer game and win tasters as part of the competition.

brands that are that are employing this innovation tactic is Greenpeace who created a smoke scented magic tree air freshener to highlight wild res and deforestation.

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Future trends

From interaction to co-creation

Small and loud story moments

Generative AI is going to change the way we can bring

We’ve seen examples of brand building moments that are

audiences into storytelling OOH moments. Instead of

much smaller in scale but feel like they’re bringing a brand

of creating fully eshed out stories for audiences, the

world into ours. Stunts might get even smaller, as long as

growth of AI opens the door for us create models that

they capture people’s imagination, driving talkability means

allows these same audiences to be co-creators in story

social sharing can make sure campaigns still drive cultural

telling OOH experiences that places themselves centre

impact

stage.

Creators paving the way

Blended worlds

Brands are increasingly looking to creators such as

Anamorphic billboards and CGI adverts have

@3DFiti and @M_Editat who are crafting their own

represented a blending of real and digital worlds.

attention grabbing OOH. With the democratisation of

Looking forward, we believe people will continue to

tools and tech making creativity more accessible,

innovate, and bring virtual and IRL worlds together in

inspiration is all around us.

fresh and exciting ways.

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Blurring the lines between virtual & real life

Takeaways

Audiences crave brand interactions that serve as a bridge between a futuristic virtual world and the real world that they are familiar with. Future innovation should look to integrate the natural behaviour of their audiences with innovative technology to give them experiences that they will readily engage in.

Ever evolving channels In uencing social conversations

Marketing channels are continuously pushing the

Disruptive media should seamlessly integrate with

audiences interact with them. Whether it is WeTransfer re-

social media to drive reach and impact. Innovative tech

imagining a music video as an art gallery, or adidas creating

such as faux OOH is particularly e ective due to its

the rst ever swimmable billboard, brands are breaking

shareable nature, encouraging conversation across

formats as an e ective way to connect their brand values

social spaces.

with audiences.

boundaries of what is possible, and rede ning how

Sparking the imagination of audiences Disruptive media has the power to form a key component of brand building, cutting through the noise of everyday life for audiences and connecting with them by unleashing their imagination in the world. Tools like generative AI allows audiences to go from interaction, to co-creation - creating cultural relevance and impact.

Image Credit: xxx

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Thank You

Brand Experience Agency of the Decade weareamplify.com