Science

Implications - Rigorous testing of AI means gathering mass amounts of data that are difficult to accumulate in the lab. Instead, companies have begun to train their machines with crowdsourced online games through which users unwittingly improve the quality of the AI. Gamifying technical aspects of one's brand cleverly redirects the wealth of information embedded in the crowd toward product improvement. [More]

Implications - While much of the conversation seems to focus on the wellness lifestyle obsession, an emerging group of consumers interested merely in absorbing one's required daily nutrients in the most efficient way possible are embracing futuristic meal replacement plans. This progression highlights the ability of modern consumers to construct lifestyles of their own liking, such a freedom includes previously unthinkable concepts such as the choice to save time by avoiding conventional meals, whether or not this results in opting out of such shared experiences as dining. [More]

Implications - Global warming has created unpredictable circumstances in many parts of the world. This creates a need for more adaptable structures; it all begins with industrial materials, and the development of more extreme weather proofing. This adaptability goes beyond the tangible circumstances and materials, and into a need for efficient and effective solutions to global problems. [More]

Implications - As STEM continues to evolve in the toy space, brands are developing robot-building kits and systems to pique the interest of kids. By involving children in the making and programming of robots, toy brands are able to make these STEM-related toys both more engaging and rewarding for the end user. [More]

Implications - Upcycling has gained popularity in industries such as food service and fashion, creating more urgency around the ongoing attempt to turn waste into energy. Progress made in this area explores everything from human waste to environmentally unfriendly refuse, the latter providing an overlapping attempt at sustainability that aligns perfectly with today's increasingly green consumer. [More]

Implications - Just as a fast-growing legal recreational marijuana market has created a demand for brands and products, the emerging opportunity has allowed for the emergence of new ventures that serve functions unique to the cannabis business. In addition to highlighting the far-reaching nature of the legal cannabis market, this shift highlights the opportunity for brands offering B2B services to leverage the needs of entrepreneurs in unique emerging sectors. [More]

Implications - As more consumers rediscover the value of autodidacticism within base-level medical education, a desire for more in-depth, professional-level data can be observed. This creates an opportunity for healthcare professionals to connect to consumers in a more intimate way, while creating more opportunity for use of readily available data. [More]

Implications - As brands look to fulfill accelerated consumer expectations around access to services, many healthcare facilities are looking at qualitative information gleaned from big data to redesign the customer experience. In addition to streamlining operations, this process highlights the opportunity to accelerate existing parts of a product or service by accumulating insight into the consumer experience and making subtle, but extremely well-informed tweaks. This ensures innovation within a familiar capacity. [More]

Implications - Though the phrase Big Data is making waves among marketers, the idea of data analysis is nothing new to those in more scientific industries. With this in mind, it is unsurprising that businesses are now using scientific data to find deeper insights than the simple accumulation of consumers' brand interactions. This speaks to the level of competition and diversity of uses within the world of data. [More]

Implications - As consumers begin to take more responsibility for their health and wellness, medical professionals are embracing socially minded platforms that encourage self-education and exploration of peer-to-peer shared data. Linked to the fast accelerating nature of consumer expectations around healthcare service, this shift demonstrates the need for physicians and researchers to curate their own set of digital tools that help make sense of the bevy of data emerging from new technologies. [More]