ARE WE ENTERING MINORITY REPORT? SEIZE THE MOMENT | 29 Jan
It’s very difficult to predict the future, as the ideas, technology and capability now move so rapidly compared to what has come before. Targeted advertising containing beautiful imagery is already among us and will undoubtedly start to become more commonplace. Whether we enter a world that resembles the scenes we see in the film Minority Report as John Anderton is bombarded by targeted video adverts (or whether it is less aggressive) remains to be seen. Can storytelling and engagement win the battle against abrupt and intrusive? When will this spread to mobile and tablet?
The bold predictions of Stephen Spielberg’s Minority Report, released in 2002, are being played out in front of our eyes. Technology’s infiltration into our environment and our almost constant interaction with visual messaging is changing, rapidly. As a content producer, Taylor James sees an increasing variety of needs for integrated, multi-platform marketing and social interaction. What does this mean for visual content production?
We have observed the effect technology has in advertising; not only in terms of the data that can be fed back to Brands, but also in the possibilities for creativity. Technology can provide valuable data, but also offers us a wealth of creative opportunity through new software and techniques, new hardware, and new methods of delivery. As on-demand entertainment quickly overtakes scheduled formats and the internet becomes imbedded in every electrical item we interact with, brands are rushed to adapt and innovate to stay competitive. The technologies that have been available for some time are slowly being utilised effectively. Simultaneously, agencies are applying fantastic creative concepts and high production values to ensure that messages are seen and heard above the sea of competition. Can storytelling and engagement win the battle against abrupt and intrusive? When will this spread to mobile and tablet?
On average 40% of all online traffic is driven by portable media devices such as Smartphones and tablets – this means that also 40% of all adverts are experienced through mobile sites. Tablet sales are now outstripping sales of laptop and desktop computers. Despite this, mobile display accounts for less than 10% of the display advertising spend in UK and lower in the rest of Europe. Many advertisers fear the complexity of cross platform delivery despite the high demand, but the drivers and rewards are too great to ignore. We are increasingly being asked to produce broader campaigns with messages running across Broadcast, Print, Digital, Interactive, App Development etc are more frequent. Unified messages and with unified visual identities. Costs can run high when multiple production studios are trying to produce multiple creative pieces, all across multiple platforms. Duplication of work is likely and controlling the unified visual identity can be difficult.
This experience was echoed by eminent photographer, Tim Flach, when he approached TJ to discuss the latest needs with a group of students who are about to launch into their own creative careers. We collectively discussed the increased demand of our clients wanting to reuse assets in as many ways as possible. Maximising the potential of your assets by repurposing them for different media makes financial sense, especially when dealing with the vast number of increased media formats that can be required for a successful ‘Through the Line’ campaign.
But what counts as an ‘asset’? By definition an ‘asset’ has intrinsic value to its owner. So almost any digital content generated during the creative process counts; a Photograph, a CG Model, Typography, Artwork etc all can be repurposed and reused in many different ways across multiple platforms.
New technology offers us wider scope for creativity with less complexity. Why just take a photograph? If you have a digital display, of any form, why not have the image move, why not ‘fly through it’? By controlling your assets from a central management hub, we can also offer flexibility, save time through eliminating errors, but also ensure consistency across multiple types of media – a key requirement for brands who are communicating product and brand values across multiple platforms.
The technologies that drive user based feedback are well established, but will undoubtedly become more efficient and potentially less transparent. Awareness of these methodologies rarely sit well with consumers and as this increases with the general public there is potential for increased privacy demands.
Technologies associated with content creation and production are becoming more efficient, more diverse and ultimately provide a greater output for less outlay. It is no longer about being a master of a niche tool, but in the innovative way you blend tools, approaches and creative thinking, to deliver visual messaging that works. All this may seem obvious and a little ambiguous, but in an exciting time of diversity it’s prudent to stay broad and agile in our intelligent approach to creative production.
Innovation and creativity will always remain at the heart of visual content creation, and the sensible way to approach any campaign is to maximise your assets and seize opportunities as they arise.