we are social curiosity stop #13
TRANSCRIPT
Curiosity Stop: The Social Innovation Roundup
August 2016
CURIOSITY STOP‘Social Thinking’ is understanding how and why people communicate. We use this insight to
provide value for our clients. This understanding is an ongoing passion project for We Are Social.
Our global team of 550 keep a keen eye out for intriguing changes in the social landscape. We take the best of these innovations and compile them in the monthly
Curiosity Stop.
You’ll see some examples which prove our social trendspotting, and others which indicate what might happen next. But if you look really closely, you might catch a glimpse into the future of
how and why we use social.
Curiosity Stop >August
Nowhere is the world’s rapidly changing priorities and passion points reflected more clearly than on social. The trends we
identified in our Think Forward report are still going strong, but the developments within them reveal a rapidly changing world.
From the ingeniously simple Octopus Watch, or the ever so slightly creepy Pillo, who behaves like an at-home automatic pharmacist,
health has found another route into wearable tech and is once again key this month.
Social consciousness is also a major theme, with a new political dating app to help aggrieved anti-Brexiters find love. On the flip
side, Burner's Ghostbot has been created to let your would-be lovers down gently using messaging - without you having to deal
with any of it.
So grab a cuppa (or an ice cream), dive in and get up to speed with the best of the world’s new social innovations in this month’s
Curiosity Stop.
Will Allen, Business Director, London
Social Trend 1: Conscious Community
Western society is becoming more conscious of the effects of our actions on the world around us. We’re now well informed about sweatshops and human rights abuses in the supply chain, which creates a collective feeling of guilt. Online groups are forming around interests that actually do something good. This isn’t hot air, but action.
Left heartbroken by the #Brexit result? We’ve got an app for that.
Conscious Community >Better Together Dating
What’s it all about?
Heartbreak is tough. And for the 48% who voted for the UK to remain in the EU, dealing with the crushing reality that Brexit won is even tougher. Fortunately, there’s a new dating app to soothe the blow.
Better Together Dating is a unique service looking to bring the 48% who voted remain closer together. Why wait until you’re halfway through a meal before finding out your date voted Out?
The bigger picture
A generation defined by their passion for culture, travel and breaking borders may be about to see a future defined by isolation and increased border controls. In the face of this shift, they’re using social as an opportunity to unite through a shared passion for a more open community.
CLICK TO TWEET:
Social Trend 2: Wearable Social
The forecasted wearable device market value for 2018 is $13Bn. We are entering a world of “Wearable Social” where movement, heartbeats and emojis are a new form of social language.
Introducing Octopus Watch: the training wheels for good habits.
Wearable Social >Octopus Watch
What’s it all about?
Getting children to do what they’re told can feel like a losing battle. All those tears and tantrums, and then there's dealing with the kids. Well fear not, mum and dad, we've found a solution. Meet Octopus Watch! The first icon-based watch that teaches kids good habits and the concept of time.
It acts as a scheduler that parents can remote-program with pop-up icons to tell kids when it's time for certain activities like brushing their teeth. Octopus acts like an assistant, providing tips and reminders for both kids and parents. It even tells the time!
The bigger picture
Amidst fear that the increasing dependency of technology among children is stunting the development of social skills and leading to attention deficit, the Octopus Watch is a prime example of how technology can be used to improve habits and manners.
CLICK TO TWEET:
Social Trend 3: On The Horizon
These innovations don’t fit neatly into our trends (dammit), but we reckon they are worth a mention. Successful innovations create expectation, so we’ll be keeping a keen eye on them. Watch this space - if they turn into a wider trend, you’ll be the first to know.
On the Horizon >Burner’s Ghostbot
What’s it all about?
In a world full to the brim with dating apps, chances are at some point you’ve swiped right - only to get stuck with an unwanted suitor who just doesn’t get the hint.
Well, fear not. Burner lets you avoid these situations like the adult you are not. Burner sets up a phone number that sits between anyone trying to call you and the actual number assigned to you by your wireless carrier. It automatically responds to texts with non-committal mini missives until they (literally and metaphorically) get the message.
The bigger picture
Chatbots allow people to get what they want without speaking to each other. However, in the age of Tinder, where you can find potential dates without exchanging a word, could chatbots become an accepted way of dishing out rejections on our behalf?
CLICK TO TWEET:
.@Burner chatbot sends out rejection texts, so you don’t have to.
On The Horizon >Pillo
What’s it all about?
Thanks to Dr. Google, we increasingly misinterpret everyday stomach aches as life-threatening appendicitis. If you’re someone who takes medical information from the internet a little too literally, Pillo might be the ticket.
Pillo is a robot which communicates with you and your family to - well - keep you alive. Pillo can answer health queries, securely manage medication and even order refills. And he's smart, so his functionalities grow the more he learns about you.
The bigger picture
As we increasingly trust technology to play a more important role in how we take care of our loved ones, it’s interesting to see how the duty of the robot in our homes is now not only to entertain us and make our lives easier, but to also act as carer.
CLICK TO TWEET:
Meet @PilloHealth! The most-caring drug dealer around.
On the Horizon >Rolls-Royce ‘Her’
What’s it all about?
We all remember our first. Whether it was a him or a her, it’s hard to forget the special connection you forge with your first car. Rolls Royce has taken car personification one step further by introducing a new car to which should be referred to as ‘her’.
This gal can handle most things, and with an in-built AI called Eleanor, she learns your preferred routes, restaurants, and even your taste in art. Plus, the more you communicate with her, the more you get out of her… sounds familiar.
The bigger picture
Rolls-Royce’s Eleanor is the first sign of a future where it’ll be more appropriate to address the vehicles in our driveways as “he” or “she” rather than “it”.
CLICK TO TWEET:
She’s high in demand and everyone wants to ride ‘her’. Check out @RollsRoyce’s latest car.
CONSCIOUS COMMUNITY
Better Together Dating
WEARABLE SOCIAL
Octopus Watch
ON THE HORIZON
Pillo
Burner’s Ghostbot
Rolls-Royce ‘Her’
WE ARE SOCIALWe Are Social is a global agency with offices in five continents
(Antarctica is a little too chilly for our liking).
We deliver world-class creative ideas with forward-thinking brands, and have fun doing it. Our clients include adidas, Google and Netflix.
As an international team of 550+, our passion is people. Our mission is to put social thinking at the centre of marketing.
Trendspotting might get us unnaturally excited, but what really counts is action. If you'd like to speak to We Are Social about how to make innovation work for your brand, email us at