Dispatch from an advertising future #100

https://newatlas.com/wearables/soft-artificial-muscles-haptic-feedback-glove/

Lucy ran her hands through her wardrobe, caressing old outfits with memories woven into the textures. It wasn’t that she was going out. Lucy never went out. No-one went ‘out’. “Out” was The Before. Then shops were a treasure trove of possibilities: colours and shapes, but above all feel. Silk, satin, cashmere… even the words brought the feelings back, the feeling of ‘out’. She opened the site and put on her glove and felt for something new. The touch was there even if the feeling wasn’t. She choose, paid and the outfit appeared on her shoulders in the Zoom window.

Dispatch from an advertising future #99

https://www.bbc.com/worklife/article/20200903-the-companies-that-help-people-vanish

Tonight. She never thought it would come. When she started she couldn’t have imagined she’d ever have wanted it to come. But she was a child then. She still was, she thought as yet again she turned the camera on and smiled. Tonight. It was all set. She ran through the instructions again in her mind as the Likes and comments pinged, ratcheting the feelings she hoped she’d leave behind. Tonight she’d do it. They’d given her clear instructions. She knew what she had to do, she’d lie. The Let Influencers Evaporate logo pulsed in the corner of her screen.

Dispatch from an advertising future #98

https://www.warc.com/newsandopinion/news/drop-in-city-centre-footfall-is-local-areas-gain/44063

The city felt less like a zombie movie and more like a nature documentary. The soundscape had changed: you could hear birds and your foot fall on the pavements. There was a new pace: families strolled; flaneurs meandered aimlessly. The landscape was still: no scrolling images on bus shelters or deserted billboards. It was smaller: no giants smiling down. The palette was muted: no bright colours or slashes of light. Subtle semiotics: signs hinted rather than shouted. He wondered about moving from the suburbs with its smartboards and augmented soundscapes. A home in the city. Maybe he was getting old.

Dispatch from an advertising future #97

https://twitter.com/dandad/status/1302241333176930305?s=20

Don’t have time to actually do anything in the world? Can’t afford to make a real difference (or your shareholders won’t let you)? Don’t worry, you don’t have to miss out on Purpose (and the awards that go along with it). Let  InstantPurpose (™) take your brand assets and help you make that all-important statement. Watch as our system changes your colour palette and aligns you with the latest campaign. Marvel as it redraws your logo to say something topical or rewrites or removes your catchlines so everyone knows what you have to say. InstantPurpose (™): Purpose without the pain.

Dispatch from an advertising future #96

https://www.theverge.com/2020/9/3/21420383/animal-crossing-sylvan-esso-music-video-nintendo

The shoot was on. The script was finally agreed and the storyboard signed off. The Creative Director was already practising his awards acceptance speech or at least the soundbites he’d use at the next conference. Probably something like “the New Normal calls for abnormal creativity” or something about purpose. Negotiations with the ‘talent’ had not been easy: ‘discussions’ over exactly how she was going to appear. But she was on-board now. The budget meant they had the pick of ‘locations’ for the shoot. The CD could pick his favourite programmer. He loved the work that guy had done in Fortnite.

Dispatch from an advertising future #95

https://adage.com/article/digital/agencies-partner-unlock-data-and-get-smarter-about-amazon/2278111

The panel in the anonymous door slid open. Dark eyes scanned him. It slammed shut and the door opened. The corridor was dark but there were sounds coming from the windowless room at the end. Cooling fans and keyboards. They sat around the table, tablets glowing. Each of them had their minder. Just behind, within easy reach. Expressionless, they didn’t even seem to look at the monitors scrolling numbers. He nodded and sat, dropping his mobile into the secure box. “Gentlemen. Lady,” he said. “You know why we’re here. Our friend has upped the stakes again. We need to respond.”