2015: Brace For The Collision Of Entertainment, Marketing And Communication

In the new 2015 trend report from Havas Sports and Entertainment, we learn that Psy’s “Gangnam Style” music video recently surpassed YouTube’s view counting ability (2 billion) and that a record 672 million tweets were shared during this year’s FIFA World Cup in Brazil.

Lucien Boyer, president and global CEO, Havas Sports & Entertainment, cites those examples and others to support his prediction that the “collision of entertainment, marketing and communications” will reshape the industry in the coming year.

Brands, asserts Boyer, “will source all of their communications content from peoples’ passions,” including music, sports, gaming, entertainment, pop culture and other interests.

“Consumers today are not just fans, but connected fans,” Boyer writes in the introduction to the shop’s 2015 Trends report. “As such there is a growing need for compelling content to nourish these different devices and satisfy peoples’ essential need” for content that engages them where and when they want it.

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Beyond just storytelling, consumers increasingly want compelling experiences, which has led to the emergence of so-called “story living” -- a trend that will blossom in 2015, according to the report. One example: the “Escape The Room” phenomenon, which started in Europe as a way to put deserted warehouses back to commercial use. The New York version has climbed to third biggest attraction in the city, ahead of the iconic Empire State Building, according to the report.

Story-living experiences, the report surmises, will sate consumer appetites for “the unexpected and all-encompassing brand thrill. Technology and innovation will make the branded show spectacular.”

Another trend to watch in 2015 is biometric marketing. New forms of interaction through voice, facial expression, body movement, temperature, eye movements and gestures are increasingly being used by brands as consumer connection points. 

The report notes that embedded fingerprint sensors are being used by Apple -- and soon Mastercard -- to authenticate identity, versus username or password, which can be breached. Voice-activated ads are already being used by advertisers like Best Buy to provide real-time mobile customer support, and Dominos has launched a voice-ordering pizza app.

Facial recognition technologies have been piloted by Coca-Cola and Tesco for more targeted advertising. The effectiveness of such advertising can also be measured through biometrics, providing data such as emotional and physical consumer reactions in real-time.

“As consumers become more comfortable using their hands, voice, eyes, facial expressions or movements to communicate with technology, biometric marketing will continue to evolve,” the HSE report concludes. While privacy is an obvious issue, “the possibility to have frictionless engagement with consumers, and to create more personal and responsive experiences, is appealing for both marketers and consumers.”

The report touches on number of other topics including the rise of “apprenticeships,” to help train would-be Millennial marketers, changing male shopper dynamics and more. The full report can be accessed here.

1 comment about "2015: Brace For The Collision Of Entertainment, Marketing And Communication".
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  1. Walter Sabo from SABO media, December 30, 2014 at 3:19 p.m.

    HITVIEWS with clients such as Pepsi and Timberland was the first to place products and product messages within UGC. Not pop ups and pre-rolls. Entertainment, marketing all meshes beautifully since 2007

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