In our ever-changing, 24/7 news and phygital world, it’s increasingly hard to sort and identify what’s actually relevant and important from what just, well, pretends to be. 

‘Cue Issue 02: WTF?’ looks to solve this problem by collating the most relevant thoughts, opinions and insights to help decode what lies ahead, or What’s the Future? With the rise of digital forces in industries now widely documented, we’ve all followed the disrupts that have affected a variety of products and services, resulting in disastrous PR scandals, ground-breaking discoveries and delightful innovations. But how can we make the future relevant right now to an industry whose very reason to be is to help define brand purpose and appease consumer wants and needs?

We’re moving towards ‘anticipatory shopping’ where retailers know our needs before we do to a one-click swipe/poke/click mentality in response to the need for immediacy and instant gratification and onto a seamless shopping experience across an increasing range of connected devices and outlets in which immediacy and convenience are the key table stakes. With cultural shifts affecting the way consumers think, behave, buy, sell and shop, it’s increasingly imperative for brands to anticipate such shifts and keep up to date with influential trends.

Take a look at the newconomy of collaboration. By connecting services that may seem distinct, brands are able to create new ecosystems able to deliver an entirely new level of convenience.

And at long last, the future is starting to look a little more transparent. Brands can no longer rely on good looks alone: they need depth and soul too.  Above all, they need to be influenced by a higher-order reason to exist than simply making a profit. They need a purpose that engages hearts as well as heads. Doing good is fast becoming the new cool. So, as well as making better things, brands now need to start making things better. In the next issue, we look at whether the time has come to cut out the plastic, particularly topical given the recent declaration by 40 brands and retailers expressing their commitment to dramatically reducing their dependence on plastic by 2025.

We’d like to think that others who are equally as interested in shaping a future with the confidence and courage required to deliver conviction. So, we’ve shared thoughts that we believe might spark the imagination of brand owners and help them to ensure their brands remain fresh and relevant in years to come.

Why? Because we believe curiosity feeds creative minds. And because, that way, we get to build brilliant brands, One Hard Question at a time.

Key take outs:

• 452,000 Tweets. 905,000 Facebook Log-ins. 990,000 Tinder swipes. 1.8m Snapchat Snaps created. Over 70,000 hours watched on Netflix. 3.5m Google search queries. 4.1m YouTube videos viewed. 75 Amazon Echo voice-first devices shipped. And over £750k spent online. All of these take place in one internet minute and as such, they highlight the impact that these brands, none of which existed in 2000, now have on the way we all live our lives. They show how change is accelerating exponentially and just how hard it is to predict the future.
• We produce almost 300m tonnes of plastic every year, half of which is for single use. It will require major change in consumer behaviour, respect for the planet and determination to succeed to change this. We need to do good, rather than do less harm. Edible plastic, anyone?
• We’re in a newconomy of collaboration. And whilst some companies may be able to deliver optimal experience to shoppers on their own, many find that they can play even better with others. Think Nike/Apple, IKEA/TaskRabbit, Birchbox/Google, McDonalds/ UberEats.
• The client/agency model is set change for the future and to remain competitive, agencies must achieve three key capabilities. Become consultants of value, have a vision to future proof and encourage partnerships in order to provide world class client servicing.

CUE ISSUE 02 - What's the Future?

Visit 1HQ's showcase to read the latest issue.

CONTACT

Alice Plaskett, Marketing Manager, 1HQ, [email protected]