Gamification

Implications - While visual art, cinematography and graphic design are all traditional modes of conveying a story and message, modern technology is adapting to these mediums by integrating AR and other digital tools into the mix. From comic books that offer a virtual 360 experience to books that utilize voice-control capabilities, these adaptations showcase how traditional storytelling mediums are adapting to be not only more high-tech but also experiential in nature. [More]

Implications - Brands are adapting their business models and marketing campaigns to include escape rooms that enhance the consumer experience. These spaces offer experiential environments where brands are able to engage their consumers' sense of curiosity and play, while simultaneously strengthening consumer loyalty due to their interactive and distinct nature. [More]

Implications - While it might seem counterintuitive, brands are offering digital solutions to those who want to detach and unplug from their day-to-day connectivity. Appealing to users not willing to completely eliminate their digital tools, these apps and gamified activities encourage users to stay focused on one specific application as opposed to multitasking a variety of things. This speaks to a growing desire to unplug without having to sacrifice one’s day-to-day technological needs. [More]

Implications - Tapping into a bit of nostalgia, toy brands are reverting back to hands-on activities that not only encourage interactivity, but that entail mess as part of the process . Appealing to various sensory elements, brands are offering kids toys that encourage behavior like getting your clothes wet to creating custom-made slime. This turn toward more messy, hands-on activities suggests a shift back to not only more analog activities for kids, but activities that encourage disorganized, unconventional play. [More]

Implications - Moving away from largescale holiday activations, brands are turning to apps and online platforms to create more approachable connections with their consumers. Utilizing chatbots, AR/VR and platforms like Snapchat to not only celebrate seasonal celebrations but market seasonal items as well, brands are taking the less is more approach to communicate with consumers through platforms they can identify with. These connected marketing strategies showcase how brands are adapting their efforts to be more in line with consumer lifestyle habits especially when it comes to day-to-day tech usage. [More]

Implications - It has been shown that Millennials do not have the same propensity for traditional gambling spaces as their predecessors did, so brands within the industry are responding by updating the process with everything from apps to new technologies like blockchain. With Millennials having grown up in a world in which gratification is instant as opposed to something that requires patience, this new form of gambling is able to cater to their shortened attention spans and discerning tastes. [More]

Implications - Encrypted transactions via Blockchain can now be observed in interactive, play-based experiences – whether those are concert viewings or board games. The incorporation of such technologies into traditional forms of entertainment enhances their accessibility for consumers who are less aware of the uses or systems behind Blockchain. [More]

Implications - The popularity of online gaming has increased as technology has improved. The appeal of online gaming is largely due to the teamwork aspect it creates. This is taken a step further with online team-based gaming that has players collaborate on the construction of a specific piece. This enhances the sense of community and speaks to the larger societal acceptance of friendships forged through digital means. [More]

Implications - Toothbrushes are integrating various types of technology to better inform consumers about their oral care habits and needs. This tech serves a key role in enabling consumers to track their progress and keep them informed about their health, which especially appeals to consumers who take more proactive and preventative approaches to their health and wellness. [More]

Implications - As kids become increasingly accustomed to technology, parents are turning to products that feature heightened interactive and responsive qualities to add an element of education to those early upbringing experiences. More than just a source of entertainment, these toys offer smart, responsive technology to provide education in a more interactive, autonomous manner. Offering ways to learn through methods of playful engagement, these examples not only showcase the use of smart technology among kids, but also the move toward more autonomous, self-educating tactics . [More]