10 things that shaped the way we communicate (with brands) and consume media in the 2010s
The 2010s decade has been close to my heart, where many major life events happened - I have left my role as a student, stepping into the working world, building my career and skills, and even moving to live in other countries. It's a decade where I learned many things as an individual and in the world of brand communications through my work. As we step into the new decade, I thought it'd be good to review the advancement of communications, media, and how the brand engagement has progressed. To see how far we've come and also consider what might come next.
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#1 Spotify (2009) & Netflix (1998)
Spotify & Netflix may have both had its humble beginning way earlier, but it was only in the last decade that it rose to its top spot.
Remember the days when we have to buy an album only for a song that we like, and the days where we had to record the mixtapes of our favorite songs from multiple artists? iTunes may have solved this problem by allowing us to buy a single song and create unlimited playlists, but Spotify took this further by allowing us access to unlimited songs (on their database). What happens when we have unlimited songs on our jukebox? We discover new music! Music listening isn't tied to only our favorite genres, artists, and songs anymore. We now pair music with occasions and moods more easily. 'Bottomless Brunch' playlist for Sunday brunches, 'Late Night Jazz' playlist after dinner, these pre-curated playlists help to set the mood, enhancing our activities with a soundtrack to compliment.
The same goes for Netflix. What happens when we do not need to pay for a single film and have access to a gigantic media library? We discover more content, and sometimes, we have even more trouble trying to choose what we want to watch. For Netflix's case, not only did it allow for broader content discovery but also the access eased binge-watching, changing the ways drama series now release and market themselves.
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#2 Pokemon Go (2016)
Google Ingress may have been the first location-based Augmented Reality (AR) game that took off on the smartphones. But Pokemon Go is the game that became the major milestone in plunging location-based Augmented Reality to mass adoption. The magic formula of making the real world as a giant chessboard for a familiar and well-loved series got everyone hooked as they became Pokemon trainers in their neighborhood. The social element of the game was perfectly designed as well. It's both collaborative and competitive, and it brings people closer together through a sense of community. Thanks to the success of Pokemon Go, we may see even more location-based Augmented Reality usage becoming popular in this decade!
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#3 Starbucks Reserve Roastery (2014)
In the 2010s, Starbucks became a coffee destination with Starbucks Reserve Roastery. It changed the way brands communicate itself by providing an ultimate brand experience, a brand destination. Starbucks Reserve Roastery is a coffee parallel to Disneyland. It has an extended food & beverage menu, its own gifts & merchandise, a tour, and an exhibition. It's a hangout for locals, but also a destination as a tourist spot.
More or more, we see brands using retail not only to sell but to provide an experience and tell a story that is larger than its core brand. Another example is Nike's House of Innovation. In this decade, we will see even more brands changing the way they retail.
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#4 Old Spice "The Man Your Man Could Smell Like" (2010)
At the beginning of the last decade, Old Spice came out with a campaign that built a strong para-social relationship with its audience. It was when social media became a norm in everyone's lives and before brands were actively communicating directly with people on social. The Old Spice campaign picked up comments on social media and published video replies quickly to the comments, creating a viral phenomenon online. This, in my opinion, kickstarted a new form of engagement, where brands directly interact with the audience, where the audience became no longer passive.
#5 Red Bull "Stratos" (2012)
Not to be biased, as an ex-Red Bull, Red Bull has had many super cool activation and content pieces. But if we were to pick the most memorable one, that would definitely be Red Bull Stratos, the event where skydiver Felix Baumgartner jumped from space. According to YouTube, eight million people tuned in to watch it live. With this stunt, the brand created a world event. Whether you are into extreme sports or not, you'd likely want to be part of this world event. In this decade, what kind of world brand event will we be able to witness? I can't wait!
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#6 Nike+ Fuelband (2012)
Arguably, Nike+ Fuelband is the connected wristband that started fitness tracking, before the days of FitBit and Apple Watch. The fitness tracker from Nike got people comparing Fuel Points, which is based on daily activities. Although nobody knew what's behind this metric, it was a fun activity to drive people to move more throughout the day. Later, comes Jawbone UP and FitBit. Both helped to further the 'Quantified Self' movement amongst early adopters. When Apple Watch went on sale and reaches mass adoption, Nike Fuel becomes available as an app on Apple Watch, and we finally bid goodbye to the original Nike+ Fuelband.
It's a great story. While I won't be deep-diving into Nike FuelBand's case, you can read more from this amazing article.
In my opinion, the rise of wearable and activity tracking is one of the ways we best-utilized data to improve our lives. In the next decade, we may very well welcome more ways to quantify and improve our lives, to become more productive and happier.
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#7 The Lego Movie (2014)
The Lego Movie had a great story, memorable music, and cool characters (new & those we already know - i.e., Batman). It has received mostly positive reviews and became a box office success. It is also (probably) the longest commercial about a brand and product we've ever seen.
For the longest time, the Lego company has been telling others' stories. From Harry Potter to Jurassic Park to Star Wars. We all remember the Lego boxes and video games centered on other franchises. And finally, in the last decade, we saw an original concept from Lego. Yes, it had familiar characters from different franchises, but it was truly Lego. It was focused on the purpose of Lego - play. It was all about promoting Lego bricks, but with a strong storyline that isn't all about 'Sell, sell, sell,' it's a branded content that doesn't feel like a branded content. Branded content doesn't have to feel like a commercial.
#8 Google Cardboard (2015)
R.I.P. Google Daydream. Google may have recently discontinued the Google Daydream platform, but its impact on the Virtual Reality world remains significant. It started with inexpensive cardboard that turns smartphone devices into an entry-level Virtual Reality headset. We could download VR apps or watch 360 videos with this simple add-on to the smartphones we already own. The cardboard introduced many to the possibilities of VR and 360 videos. Later, Google upgraded the cardboard into a soft, lightweight fabric headset called the Daydream View.
As Virtual Reality evolves with consumer-focused products such as the Oculus Quest and Oculus Go, Google Daydream & Cardboard may have ended its purpose. Still, it helped to gather interest amongst both content creators and the mass. Let's not forget that!
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#9 Minecraft (2011)
In a simple analogy, Minecraft is like Lego set in the virtual world. But players know it's more than building blocks. Minecraft provided a world where players can freely create and do whatever they want, with or without a storyline or goals.
The virtual box is popular amongst all ages and across many platforms (even iPad). First introduced in 2011, Minecraft has had a significant impact on pop culture, architecture, and online communities, especially on YouTube, where it drove the "Let's Play" phenomenon with players filming and sharing themselves playing games. It was referenced in The Simpsons and South Park. In 2022, there will even be a live-action Minecraft movie!
One thing that sets Minecraft's experience different is that you don't win or lose. You are free to explore and create your own. You make your own game. This not only allows you to have fun, but helps people, especially children, learn to ideate, build, and problem-solve.
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#10 Amazon Alexa (2014)
Last but not least, we saw the rise of voice-controlled assistants in the last decade. Apple's Siri may have arrived much earlier, but it was Amazon Alexa that showed us how convenient it is to use voice commands at home. Perhaps it is always better to speak to a device at home rather than in public. Amazon Alexa could do many things, including checking weather, directions, set reminders, and provide recipes. You could even teach Alexa new 'skills'. Using Alexa is convenient because it's hands-free, and you don't have to refer to a screen, which makes it super useful when you are in the middle of another activity. While Amazon Alexa showed us why we should all have a voice-controlled assistant at home, it didn't pick up globally, partly due to its distribution and inadequate recognition for different accents. Later in the last decade came Google Assistant. Although it had lesser 'skills' compared to Amazon, it became more widely available around the world. With the two strong horses in this field, we'll see even more development in voice-controls in this decade, as it becomes an integral technology in our new modern lifestyle.
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These are my top ten projects and new technology from the last decade that, in my opinion, shaped the way we communicate (with brands) and consume media. How are your experiences with them? Is there any other project that touched your heart? How do you think these will change in the next decade?