Lab Weekly - 04/12/2024
Hollywood’s same-old “new tricks”, Plus, the latest news about Google Gemini, branded content for Vision Pro, AI wearables, and more
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What's Old Is New Again for Hollywood
Is the streaming model broken? Instead of an ad-free, cheaper-than-cable, on-demand viewing experience initially promised by the streaming revolution, we're now being treated to a gradual revival of features typically associated with linear TV, such as ad-supported viewing, procedural shows, and so on. Is Hollywood truly out of ideas? Or is this what the audience wants?
In case you missed it…
How Climate Anxiety Is Upending Business As Usual
Climate anxiety’s impact on consumer behavior extends far beyond EVs and sustainable products — from emerging travel trends such as “cool-cationing” and “last-chance tourism” to fortifying our home to be a sanctuary from worsening weather conditions, climate anxiety is manifesting in unexpected ways.
2024 IAB PlayFronts Recap: Optimism Abounds
Optimism abounds when it comes to activating in gaming in 2024 –esports, influencers custom editorial with publishers — but two channels have prevailed as most popular with brands advertisers in the last year — mobile and immersive digital environments.
The Rising Ozempic Economy & Its Wide-Ranging Impact
In an era where pharmaceutical innovations may dramatically alter economic landscapes, the emergence of the so-called "Ozempic economy" has captured quite a lot of eyeballs and mindshare lately. In this week’s original article, we take a close look at the behavioral changes that could be potentially unleashed by the new class of weight loss medications.
Google’s Gemini 1.5 Pro Can Now Hear & Process Audio [The Verge]
During its Cloud Next event this week, Google announced a slew of updates to its Gemini AI model. The Alphabet company said it’ll make Gemini 1.5 Pro available to the public for the first time through Vertex AI, Google’s platform for building AI applications. And users can now process uploaded audio files and get synthesized information from things like earnings calls or audio from videos directly.
It is worth noting that this latest version of Gemini Pro is currently limited to only users of Vertex AI. So, this remains a developer-oriented model for enterprise users for now. Most people interact with the Gemini chatbot, which is powered by the Gemini Ultra 1.0 model.
Speaking of enterprise-oriented AI products, OpenAI has reportedly seen ‘tremendous growth’ in corporate adoption of ChatGPT. According to the company, ChatGPT Enterprise now has more than 600,000 users signed up, up from around 150,000 in January, per a recent Bloomberg report.
That said, most companies are proceeding with caution. U.S. Census Bureau data released in March found only an estimated 5.4% of all businesses are using AI of any type to produce goods or services. Companies might be reluctant to empower their workers to use AI for a variety of reasons that ranges from data privacy to legal liability issues. But perhaps switching to an AI agent model might be a better fit for the existing structure of commercial organizations.
Related: Google and WPP announce landmark AI collaboration [Search Engine Land]; Google updates Gemini and Gemma on Vertex AI, and gives Imagen a text-to-live-image generator [ZDNet]; With Vids, Google thinks it has the next big productivity tool for work [The Verge]
Gucci And NBCUniversal Releases New Vision Pro Immersive Content [Vogue Business] & [Mixed News]
Following the immersive MLS highlight reel released a few weeks ago, there has been a dearth of high-profile immersive video content made for Vision Pro. This week, however, two branded immersive experiences caught our attention.
First up is an immersive, mixed reality film from Gucci. Titled “Who is Sabato De Sarno? A Gucci Story,” this 20-minute short documentary aims to introduce the world to the luxury brand’s new creative director. Based on sources who’ve seen it, it's clear that they took a short film they produced traditionally and then added immersive and AR elements to it, such as certain items like shoes and handbags popping up in 3D view, or a rainy virtual environment that mirrors a rainy scene in the film.
Then we have “Kung Fu Panda: School of Chi.” Working with Nexus Studios, NBCUniversal created this immersive app that not only features an immersive environment to watch the trailer in, but also a guided tai-chi session, where users are instructed to follow the movements of Po (the titular panda), and he’d react subtly to how well you're doing them.
Overall, these two recent immersive experiences on Vision Pro demonstrate the range of approaches that creators are taking to leverage the new platform. The Gucci film enhances traditional brand storytelling with some delightful mixed reality elements, while the Kung Fu Panda app offers a fully interactive and guided experience. As the Vision Pro and other mixed reality headsets gain more mainstream adoption, we expect to see an increasingly diverse array of content that explores the unique capabilities of mixed reality headsets.
Related: Apple Vision Pro is already making the Meta Quest 3 better [9to5Mac]; The Supercut app brings good Netflix to the Vision Pro [The Verge]; E.l.f. Cosmetics launches ‘your best e.l.f’ experience on Vision Pro [Retail Dive]
Humane AI Pin Review: Not Even Close [The Verge]
The review embargo for the Humane AI pin has been lifted, and it is not the revolutionary AI device that some have hoped for. The reviewer for the Verge pointed out that, considering the device’s price tag, it would have to deliver a lot more than what it is currently capable of to be a convincing mass consumer gadget. And it’s not just one bad review from The Verge; reviews from other tech sites like Engadget, CNET, and Wired are equally unimpressed with this AI wearable device.
Still, we are only at the early stage of AI wearables. Following the explosion of AI tools and software in the past year or so, we are about to enter an era of AI-centric hardware: besides the Human AI pin, there’s the CES show-stealer Rabbit R1, “The Frame” AI glasses, and the 01 Light device from Open Interpreter. Even the next iOS is rumored to be packed with AI features. The fact that the Humane AI Pin doesn’t mean the whole category won’t work — there should be an easier, more intuitive way to interact with technology than using a touchscreen. The AI models and infrastructure today may not be good enough to power the type of futuristic device that Humane envisioned yet, but who’s to say that we won’t ever get there. It might just take longer than we think, which would further plunge AI into the
Related: OpenAI and Jony Ive in talks to raise $1bn from SoftBank for AI device venture [Financial Times]; Pins, monocles and sunglasses: the rise of AI-focused hardware [Bloomberg]
Situational Awareness:
Roblox partners with PubMatic to show video ads on in-game billboards to users aged 13 and over [WSJ]
Roblox began testing video ads towards the end of 2023 as part of its latest efforts to monetize its platform. This deal with PubMatic will allow brands to purchase Roblox's video-ad inventory through real-time bidding. Creators of Roblox experiences that opt in to show the ads in their virtual realms will get a cut of ad revenue.
TikTok is testing an AI feature that generates a virtual influencer and a script for a video ad based on prompts submitted by advertisers [The Information]
Using AI influencers for ad campaigns is not exactly a new idea. Remember Lil’ Miquela? But if TikTok can manage to make this type of synthetic influencer content into an integrated turnkey solution, then there’s no doubt that some smaller companies might give it a try. However, whether AI-generated influencers could successfully mimic the type of authenticity and personality that underpin good creator content remains to be seen.
Spotify’s latest AI feature builds playlists based on text descriptions [The Verge]
Just one of the many ways that Spotify is testing AI features that actually add value to its platform. An AI-assisted remixing tool that allows users to speed up or down the songs is reportedly also in the works.
eBay starts curating personalized outfits with AI [Maginative]
Surprisingly eBay actually beat Pinterest to the launch of an AI fashion discovery tool, even though the latter acquired an AI-powered shopping platform back in 2022. eBay's vast inventory, spanning both vintage apparels and pre-owned luxury items, provides a solid foundation for its AI model to make personalized recommendations.
Chase Bank to let advertisers target customers based on spending data [WSJ]
Marketers in the new program will only pay the bank when a customer makes a purchase. I guess it was only a matter of time before banks and credit card providers got into performance marketing to challenge the retail media networks, considering the amount of purchase data they are sitting on.
A new survey by Piper Sandler has revealed that teenagers are using more VR headsets, at least in the US. 33% of teenagers in the US now own a VR device, up from 31% last year.
Almost 30% of Meta’s revenue in the first half of 2022 came from Instagram, according to documents released in the FTA’s antitrust suit to break up the company, Bloomberg reports. In comparison, Instagram produced $22 billion in 2020, or 26% of Meta’s total sales. Instagram revenue jumped to $32.4 billion in 2021, or 27% of Meta’s business.
Subscription creep – the term given to increases in subscription fees after someone has signed up – hit a full two-thirds of US consumers in the past year. A CNET survey found that U.S. adults now spend more than a thousand dollars a year on subscription services. On average, U.S. adults spend $91 on subscription services each month.
A total of 48% of respondents said they had signed up for a free trial of a paid subscription and then forgotten to cancel it. Millennials and Gen Z adults were the most forgetful, with 65% and 59% of respondents, respectively, saying they had forgotten to cancel a trial at least once.
If you find our insights valuable and would like to have a deeper conversation on technology and media innovations, or need to sound smarter in a client meeting or a pitch, please feel free to reach out to Chelsea Freitas, our VP of Strategy, at chelsea@ipglab.com.
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