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EXCLUSIVE TO TRENDWATCHING PREMIUM CLIENTS MEDIA & ENTERTAINMENT INDUSTRY UPDATE AUGUST 2015
EXCLUSIVE TO TRENDWATCHING PREMIUM CLIENTS
MEDIA & ENTERTAINMENT
INDUSTRY UPDATE
AUGUST 2015
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WELCOME
...to TrendWatching’s Media & Entertainment Industry Update, exclusively for Premium clients.
This update provides an unmissable window on Media & Entertainment insights and innovations. The Feature Trend – chosen from the 100+ trends you have access to as a client – is backed with a contextualized hero example and examples of best practice to inspire your own trend-led innovations.
Enjoy, and good luck!
STATUS SEEKERS HUMAN BRANDS
BETTERMENT BETTER BUSINESS
YOUNIVERSE UBITECH
LOCAL LOVE INFOLUST
PLAYSUMERS FUZZYNOMICS
EPHEMERAL PRICING PANDEMONIUM
HELPFULL POST-DEMOGRAPHIC
JOYNING REMAPPED
NOTE: When viewing the kickass innovations from page 8 onward, look out for the trend tags! Each example is labeled with its related mega-trends (listed below), followed by the corresponding sub-trend.
SEE ALL MEDIA & ENTERTAINMENT INNOVATION EXAMPLES ONLINE »
FEATURING
SNACK CULTUREWhy brands are deconstructing content into shorter,
more affordable, and easier to digest versions
SNACK CULTURE
Consumers are rushing to collect products, services, content, and new experiences. Media brands are responding by deconstructing offerings into shorter, easier to digest (and often more affordable) versions, so customers can enjoy more, as often as possible and in a shorter time frame.
Why brands are deconstructing content into shorter, more affordable, easier to digest versions
// SO LITTLE TIME
No nation enjoys the 15-hour working week that
Keynes (back in 1930) believed would be brought
about by technological advances. Time seems scarcer
than ever, particularly for urbanites. With busy work
schedules, hours wasted commuting, and endless leisure
opportunities on their doorsteps, CITYSUMERS are
especially hungry for bite-size offerings.
// MOBILE MOMENTS
Mobile is a major driver of this trend. We could insert
the latest stat about the number of times a person
checks their phone a day, but you already know
consumers (not just the kids) use their devices to fill
every moment, and their attention spans reflect that.
// ARTISAN, ATHLETE, ARTIST
As taste silos break down (see POST-DEMOGRAPHIC)
and individuals are freer than ever before to try a
variety of experiences, SNACK CULTURE offerings
allow them to explore more facets of their personality
and enjoy increasingly diverse lifestyles.
// BREAK IT DOWN
Don’t be precious about your format. The brands
willing to experiment with execution and try
new platforms will find new ways to fir into busy
consumer’s lives.
// CONSIDER CONTEXT
Consumers will lap up services which use personal
data and external context to deliver the right ‘snack’ at
the right time, whether it’s news updates first thing in
the morning, shoppable clips after payday, or mini-
language lessons ahead of an upcoming vacation.
// TANGIBLE SNACKS
Not all innovations within this trend have to fit on
the glowing screen of a digital device. Consider what
physical products (see the Ticket Books overleaf)
and real-world experiences could do with being
unbundled or condensed. Then, once customers
have more time on their hands, they may go ahead
and purchase the full version.
WHY NEXT
EPHEMER AL:
premium.trendwatching.com 4MEDIA & ENTERTAINMENT INDUSTRY UPDATE | AUGUST 2015
SEE IN THE DATABASE
premium.trendwatching.com 5MEDIA & ENTERTAINMENT INDUSTRY UPDATE | AUGUST 2015
MEDIA & ENTERTAINMENT | SNACK CULTURE INNOVATION EXAMPLES
EPHEMER AL : SNACK CULTURE
LP&M EDITORESPublisher distributes ‘pre-paid’ pocket books
at subway stations
To celebrate World Book Day in April 2015, publisher LP&M
Editores distributed 1,500 pocket-sized books at subway
stations across Brazil. Around 300 of the distributed books
were special Ticket Books, and came pre-loaded with a
subway ticket, activated when the book was ‘scanned’ at a
turnstile entrance. The books could then be charged with
credit online, with recipients encouraged to pass the novel on
to a friend after they had finished reading it.
In a move to celebrate and reinsert reading into the lives of
São Paulo’s busy residents, this publisher partnered with the
metro line ViaQuatro and gave pocket titles – ranging from
Hamlet to The Great Gatsby – to commuters as they began
their journeys. While many might have passed on the free
titles (with plans to play Candy Crush Saga instead), thanks
to embedded RFID chips, many of the books worked as train
tickets, pre-loaded with free journeys as an added incentive.
With this initiative, LP&M Editores demonstrated that beautifully
designed physical objects could fit into the busy lives of urban
commuters. This isn’t a one-use product either – the fact that the
books can be reloaded with travel credit means they’re more
likely to be passed on. Additionally, on the campaign site, visitors
can specify the length of their commute to get more pocket title
recommendations.
SOUTH AMERICA
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MEDIA & ENTERTAINMENT | SNACK CULTURE INNOVATION EXAMPLES
SPOTIFY
Music streaming platform features short-form video content and podcasts
FEW MINUTES
App shows readers only the news they have time for
MTV
Music channel features user-generated social content
In May 2015, Spotify announced it was adding
short-form video content and podcasts to its
music streaming service. With a gradual rollout
beginning in the US, UK, Germany, and Sweden,
Spotify Now users are can select from ‘Shows’
which include video content from partners such as
Vice News, BBC, TED and NBC, plus a range of
podcasts. Spotify Now is designed to use personal
preferences and context to provide situation-
relevant entertainment, whether that is music for
the user’s workout, news clips in the morning, or a
podcast for their commute.
Available to download from May 2015, Few
Minutes is a free app delivering news articles
filtered according to how long they take to read.
Users can specify a reading length – from two
minutes to 15+ – and choose a category such as
news, entertainment, technology or cooking. The
UK-created mobile app will then suggest the most
popular stories in the chosen categories. After
reading users can like or share the content, or save
it to read later.
In June 2015, MTV launched MTV Bump in markets
across Australia, Europe and Brazil. Part of the TV
channel’s ‘I Am My MTV’ campaign, the initiative
invites viewers to submit short-form social media
content via a dedicated website – or hashtagged with
#MTVBump. Participants can be as creative as they
wish with the Vines and Instagram videos they send,
with the best user-generated clips airing on MTV.
EUROPE EUROPE
EPHEMER AL : SNACK CULTURE
AUSTRALASIA
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KICKASS INNOVATIONSMEDIA & ENTERTAINMENT
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MEDIA & ENTERTAINMENT | KICKASS INNOVATIONS
VANGARDIST
Lifestyle magazine printed with HIV-positive blood
EARTH HOUR
Environmental charity’s concerts can only be watched in the dark
JOHN MOOSE
Band’s album can only be listened to in the woods
A special edition of Vangardist was published
in May 2015, entirely printed in ink infused with
HIV-positive blood. The Austrian men’s lifestyle
magazine released 3,000 copies of the issue, with
the limited edition publication entitled Heroes
of HIV. The ink used was donated by people
living with HIV aged 26- 45; a wife and mother, a
homosexual man and a heterosexual man.
Singapore-based environment charity Earth Hour
launched a series of free concerts accessible via
cellphones and tablets – but only when viewers
turned the lights off. A platform of web banners
was unveiled during the night, and users were
instructed to switch on the camera on their device,
in order to gauge the intensity of light surrounding
them. Without complete darkness, the concerts
could not be enjoyed; the project saved the
equivalent of one day’s electricity for 6,480 houses.
April 2015 saw John Moose release their debut
album via a free mobile app. The Swedish band’s
album can only be listened to in the woods – which
evoke the music’s theme of a human connection
with nature. The app uses a device’s GPS to detect
whether people are located in the woods or not,
and will only play the music in wooded areas.
BETTERMENT / CURRENCIES OF CHANGE LOCAL LOVE / LIMITED LOCATIONHUMAN BRANDS / BRAND MOVEMENTS
STATUS SEEKERS / BRAND FANATICS
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MEDIA & ENTERTAINMENT | KICKASS INNOVATIONS
GO MORE
Music festival-goers offered free parking for sharing rides
NINTENDO
Same-sex marriage option introduced in role-playing game
E4
TV channel suspends shows to encourage younger people to vote
In June 2015, the Roskilde music festival partnered
with Danish ride-sharing platform GoMore. 100
parking spaces were reserved for people who
offered transport to other festival-goers via
GoMore, plus a range of prizes available for drivers
and passengers alike. To access free parking,
drivers needed to print out a special voucher or
save this to their cellphone. Participants also had
the chance to win festival tickets for Roskilde 2016
by taking a photo of their ride-sharing experience
and posting this to social media.
In June 2015, Nintendo announced that fantasy
role-playing game Fire Emblem would be the first
series to include a same-sex marriage option. As
part of a drive to promote diversity, gamer-created
characters will be able to marry characters of the
same sex after interacting in battle. Released in
Japan during July 2015, the videogame costs
approximately JPY 4,700 (USD 38).
During the UK General Election in May 2015,
Channel 4 suspended its E4 schedule between
polling hours. Channel 4’s digital pay-TV
entertainment channel is primarily aimed at
the 15–35 age group, and the move was a bid
to encourage younger voters to switch off the
television and cast their vote.
FUZZYNOMICS / P2P POST-DEMOGRAPHIC / NEW NORMAL BETTER BUSINESS / BRAND MOVEMENTS
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MEDIA & ENTERTAINMENT | KICKASS INNOVATIONS
SPOTIFY
Coffee chain partners with Spotify on music ecosystem
PUBLIC DANCE CLASSICS
App teaches people to dance like Chinese grannies
TRIP BOOK
Airline’s app adapts stories to suit reader’s location
May 2015 saw Starbucks partner with Spotify
to create a unique music ecosystem. Via the
partnership, My Starbucks Rewards members can
influence in-store playlists and have exclusive access
to Starbucks Spotify playlists directly through the
Starbucks mobile app. Spotify subscribers can also
earn stars that contribute towards free coffees and
snacks. Starbucks will begin a phased roll out of the
service across the US in Q4 2015, before launching
in Canada and the UK.
Surpassing 50,000 downloads in May 2015, Public
Dance Classics is an app inspired by public square
dancing: an activity which has become a national
phenomenon in China. The free mobile app enables
anyone to learn the most popular dances, which
are performed regularly by groups of older ladies
in squares and other public places. Public Dance
Classics features instructional videos for 30 dances,
including 12 government-approved routines.
In April 2015, Smiles (Brazil-based Gol Airline’s
frequent flyer program) launched Trip Book: a free
app adapting stories to suit the reader’s location.
The app’s GPS identifies the city the reader is in
(Rio de Janeiro, Buenos Aires, New York, Paris,
Rome or Lisbon) and amends the story accordingly.
If the reader travels to a new destination during
the course of reading the novel, the story evolves
to reflect their route. All the stories were written by
the Brazilian author Marcelo Rubens Paiva.
LOCAL LOVE / URBAN PRIDELOCAL LOVE / CELEBRATION NATIONHELPFULL / SYNCED SERVICES
STATUS SEEKERS / STATUS SKILLS
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MEDIA & ENTERTAINMENT | KICKASS INNOVATIONS
GLOVEONE
Smart glove allows people to ‘feel’ virtual objects
CINÉPOLIS BRASIL
Movie theater creates 4D experience for visually-impaired kids
Successfully crowdfunded in June 2015, the
GloveOne is a sensor-integrated glove allowing
people to ‘feel’ sensations when interacting
with virtual objects. Created by Spain-based
NeuroDigital Technologies, the GloveOne allows
people to ‘touch’ any object they can see via
a screen or virtual reality headset. The glove’s
integrated sensors are connected, meaning that
they can sense each other, vibrating independently
at different frequencies and intensities,
reproducing accurate touch sensations.
In April 2015, Cinépolis Brasil and The Blind
Institute partnered on Cinemagine: a series of 4DX
screenings to provide visually-impaired kids with
a movie experience. The movie theater chain’s
screening included two fictional stories (A Duck
in a Loony Land and The Kangaroo Race) that
were adapted into audio files and synchronized
with the venue’s effects, which include electronic
vibrating chairs, fragrance release, water spray and
wind. When the character in the movie jumped for
example, the seats would move to simulate the
action, enabling the kids to ‘see’ the story.
May 2015 saw Brazil’s Tattoo Art Magazine unveil
The Skin Book: a notebook designed to help aspiring
tattoo artists practice their craft. The notebook was
made from synthetic skin, with images of different
body parts – such as the arms, fingers and torso. For
beginner tattoo artists, the notebook enabled them
to improve their skills, without having to practice on
friends or family, for example.
UBITECH / INTUITIVE INTERFACES EPHEMERAL / TRANSPERIENCES
TATTOO ART MAGAZINE
Tattoo book is made from synthetic skin
PLAYSUMERS / FAKETASTIC
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MEDIA & ENTERTAINMENT | KICKASS INNOVATIONS
CAITLYN JENNER
Transgender celebrity’s Twitter following breaks world records
KEYS N KRATES
Location-based mobile music video features user-generated images
In June 2015, Caitlyn Jenner gained more than
one million Twitter followers in just four hours.
Formerly known as Bruce Jenner, the gold
medal-winning Olympic athlete and reality TV star
unveiled her transition from male to female via a
series of photographs in Vanity Fair magazine. The
magazine’s 22-page cover story featured images
captured by fashion photographer Annie Leibovitz.
In June 2015, Canadian band Keys N Krates
partnered with VICE and Canada-based
telecommunications provider Fido on the world’s
first location-based mobile music video. The clip
could only be viewed on cellphones, and featured
thousands of geo-tagged images submitted via
social media by fans, artists and photographers
from across Canada, hashtagged with
#MobileMusicVideo. Once viewers allowed the
video’s website to access their location, they could
then scroll through images accompanied by the
track, starting off with the most distant geolocated
photos, and gradually getting closer to them.
Beta-launched in the US during May 2015,
Ideal Impact is a mobile app which uses an
algorithm to match social issues in news stories
with opportunities to support those causes.
When reading an article on their cellphone,
users can click the Ideal Impact button to view
opportunities such as volunteering projects, jobs
or how to donate to that social cause. Issues
might include homelessness, climate change or
supporting veterans, for example. In order to
pursue an opportunity, users simply click on the
relevant button.
BETTER BUSINESS / EMBEDDED GENEROSITYLOCAL LOVE / DIGITAL BREADCRUMBING
IDEAL IMPACT
News-reactive app helps people support social causes
POST-DEMOGRAPHIC / NEW NORMAL
DON’T FORGETINNOVATIONS THAT INSPIRE NEW PRODUCTS, SERVICES
AND CAMPAIGNS CAN COME FROM ANY INDUSTRY.CHECK OUT THESE 8 EXAMPLES AND GET INSPIRED!
premium.trendwatching.com 14MEDIA & ENTERTAINMENT INDUSTRY UPDATE | AUGUST 2015
MEDIA & ENTERTAINMENT | DON’T FORGET!
AUTOMOTIVE CONSUMER ELECTRONICS FINANCIAL SERVICES FOOD & BEVERAGE
MOBILE & TELECOMSTRAVEL RETAIL
GIVESURANCECompany allows customers to donate a cut of their insurance
payments to charity »
SURESLIMChocolate flyer encourages
weight-loss »
TURING ROBOTIC INDUltra-secure cellphone is
indestructible »
RÉMY MARTINSmart bottle caps provide authenticity guarantee »
TOPSHOPFashion retailer hosts blogger-led
photography school »
MINI SINGAPOREAutomaker offers stranded drivers
test drives to their destination »
GOOGLE / LEVI STRAUSSFabric project integrates wearable
technology control into jeans »
LUXURY
TAM AIRLINESAirline produces personalized on-
board magazines »
premium.trendwatching.com 15AUTOMOTIVE INDUSTRY UPDATE | AUGUST 2015
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