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AdClubSTL once again hosted a great Digital Symposium at Ballpark Village. This year’s topic was Artificial Intelligence (AI) and how it has permeated our everyday lives. The discussion ranged from the creative process, to brand experience, to technology and the disruption AI creates. I left with some great takeaways:
Session 1: Creative
Steve Mahn, of Firstborn, kicked us off on the Creative side of things stating that data, VR, and machine learning are changing everything. He discussed the importance of ideas, in taking pride in your work, in being the best, and in considering the consumer. He stressed the significance of design not being about simply how something looks, but also how it functions, it’s a part of User Experience and the business strategy, and understanding what’s important to the consumer.
Steve challenged the traditional “team work” on a project and suggested that instead of looking at the project in silos, everyone take total ownership of the total project. Collaboration is a must! And, don’t forget to include the client in the process! More collaboration of ideas during the process, will create a better experience for the user and solves problems.
Takeaway
To create the best user experience, bring the entire team to the table, including designers, creatives, and the client. Use the data to make educated decisions.
Session 2: Digital Brand Experience
Valerie Rose, of EnergyBBDO, led the branding session with a reminder that at the heart of advertising is brand building. As the world changes with technology and data, we need to think and behave differently to maintain a brand. In today’s world, brands are disrupting other brands, and it impacts both large and small companies. You have to be smart about using data to create relevant, personalized messages for consumers, without losing brand identity. However, there are risks involved in adding technology and data to a brand. Consider the right reasons to add technology and data to a product: (See picture)
Takeaway
Use data and technology to put the right message in front of the customer at the right time.
Session 3: Technology
The afternoon closed out with an interesting session about technology led by Michael Francisco, of Amazon Alexa. Disruptive technologies, such as Artificial Intelligence (AI), have changed the way we think about branding and interacting with consumers.
Voice is here and before we know it, it’s going to be everywhere. A massive shift has begun as customers have started adopting voice search versus keyword search. Today, voice search accounts for some 10% of all search traffic, it is expected that by 2020, over 200 billion searches each month will be done with voice.
Voice search is powerful! As a company you need to consider where it is going and how to prepare for it. Michael suggests approaching voice as a part of the whole strategy asking where it fits alongside your web and mobile strategy.
Takeaway
Voice is here and you can’t ignore it. Start preparing for the best way to use it to enhance your customers’ experiences with your brand.
People we follow that you should too:
@stevemahn
@michaelhalbrook
@leshostetler
Interested in learning more about any of these topics, or want to discuss how new technology applies to your business? Contact us!