Dispatch from an advertising future #217

Google Docs will start nudging some users to write less dumbly

https://www.theverge.com/2022/4/1/23005972/google-docs-assisting-writing-active-voice-concise-inclusive-language-inappropriate-words

Yes, nice introduction now. That image I suggested works well for the reader we agreed on, don’t you think? Good narrative flow. Much more pace than last time, I’ve hardly had to change anything this time. Good metaphor here. It should work very well for the message I helped you identify. We’re varying sentence length much more now, which we talked about. There is one thing I think we need to discuss though. We’re still having issues with pronouns aren’t we? Our clarity and impact scores are way up now, but when it comes to purpose… maybe I can suggest…

Dispatch from an advertising future #216

Musicians turn to NFTs in hunt for fresh profits

https://www.ft.com/content/de3de04f-2675-4d17-bcc9-20bec74bf567

He asked for it back. I mean, seriously, he wants it back! What the…? I mean, a mix tape is a sacred thing. Personal. Intimate. I remember when he gave it to me and I played it for the first time. The tracks were… perfect, at the time. Before it all went wrong, obviously. Each one selected and then arranged. He wasn’t bad I suppose. But now he wants them back. Er, no. The mix tape is mine. The songs are mine, as much as the memories are. When he gave it to me, that was it. Ask my lawyer.

Dispatch from an advertising future #215

Google is using AI to better detect searches from people in crisis

https://www.theverge.com/2022/3/30/23001468/google-search-ai-mum-personal-crisis-information

I remember when we started recruiting online. We were laughably amateur. Of course They thought we were being so clever – spotting relevant words and conversations. Getting in there, engaging, talking and… recruiting. But it was so blunt. We had to wait for the right words to come up. By the time they were saying that, we probably knew about them anyway. We needed to get in earlier, spotting the root cause before the symptoms appeared in the conversation: the micro expressions before the smile – or the grimace. Look: “EmotionSeed detected”. And now, I don’t even have to do the talking.

Dispatch from an advertising future #214

Dyson’s bizarre new headphones have a built-in air purifier

https://www.theverge.com/2022/3/30/23000577/dyson-zone-noise-cancellation-headphones-built-in-air-purifier

They were supposed to be by the front door. He always left them there. It was a reflex to reach for them as he left and to dump them there when he got back. His wife’s were there and the kids’ ones too – cute colours with the latest characters streaming along the arms. But his? He was late. No time to look. He couldn’t take hers, they weren’t set up for him. He’d have to go out without. Damn. His wearable showed his vitals spiking. Damn. He breathed deeply and opened the door. The images and sounds overwhelmed him. Damn.

Dispatch from an advertising future #213

Nike built a kids’ world in the metaverse for Air Max Day

https://adage.com/article/creativity-news/nike-built-kids-world-metaverse-air-max-day/2408821

I suppose we’re lucky in my school. My mate’s school sponsor is some food company. You should see what they have to do. I mean lessons were bad enough when you only ever do stuff about whatever the sponsor’s into at the moment, its latest purpose thing. But now with the placements, it’s just mad. I used to like The Game. It was our space, not theirs. our buildings and inventions. For us. I’m on my final “work engagement exercise” in The Game, building for the Man. Could be worse, you should see what my mate is having to do.

Dispatch from an advertising future #212

Can Controlling Vehicles Make Streets Safer and More Climate Friendly?

https://www.nytimes.com/2022/03/28/world/europe/geofencing-sweden.html

The car whirred seamlessly. The perfect distance from the vehicle in front. The most appropriate speed. Everything was correct. In its place. Under control. The temperature was Goldilocks (™), the music SpotOn (™). He sat back and watched the city proceeding at the correct steady pace. He tried to remember what it was like to accelerate and slowdown, to crawl along and then speed. And then it happened. The vehicle, the whole procession, slowed to a crawl for no reason. The standard billboards, designed for the set speed were elongated faces and stretched type. Then on one, the film began.