18th April 2020
Dreams are obviously a big thing at the moment. Here, Wired asks why Covid-19 dreams are taking over the Internet...and on the same subject from Aeon – ‘our dreams have many purposes, changing across the lifespan’ ‘Why does all this matter? The huge variety of dream states suggests that dreaming is just as important as waking life for biologic fitness, and very likely has multiple generative mechanisms and functions.
Really interesting piece from Richard Shotton and Thinkbox (reg may be necessary). ‘Buying habits are changing. More than ever you should invest in advertising’. The current crisis is going to change people – ‘…current events will radically disrupt an individual’s environment as much or more than changing jobs, moving house or starting university. But more importantly, it’s happening to a much broader group of people. The main implication of all this is that the purchasing habits of your customers will be changing… your customers are more likely to switch to your competitors, and your competitors’ customers are more likely to switch to you.
My article published this week. ‘Travel and Tourism – Destination Marketing In The Time Of The Virus’ – ‘Harold Macmillan (UK Prime Minister 1957-63) was once asked what was most likely to blow a government off course. Macmillan replied: “Events, my dear boy, events”…..’
From AdAge (reg may be necessary). 10 creative trends in the time of the coronavirus. Inc; logo spacing, repurposing old content, solo shooting, download and print-out, artworks remade and Home is Good.
Nice deck from This Week In Creative Technology and HT Planning Dirty. 100+ Iconic Digital Ads. and here (also from Planning Dirty) a deck on how to write short and sharp strategy.
From Nat Geo. She discovered coronaviruses decades ago—but got little recognition. Scientific pioneer June Almeida is finally being acknowledged for virology breakthroughs she made a half century ago.
From gotyourbackspace. ‘An ever growing collection of virtual backdrops for use in video call apps. Expressions of optimism and art by the world’s best designers, illustrators, animators, photographers, filmmakers and artists.’
Some great digital events here from, friend of The Filter, Future Strategy Club. The best events and networking this side of (virtual) Peckham.
Check this out. A Japanese University uses remote-controlled robots to hold a virtual graduation. The phones are the robots’ faces.
From AdAge. This montage takes the p**s out of pandemic montages.
Ah. Understand why I feel tired at the moment. From Digiday, ‘It all starts to blur together’: Zoom fatigue is here’.
Brazil’s Christ the Redeemer statue shows coronavirus support with a light show.
VR Takes The Stage As Conferences Cancel. I remember this from 2003, but it looks very different now. The crisis has put new wind in thesails of the first virtual world, Second Life, which continues to thrive. “We are seeing increased interest in Second Life as it is a safe place for people and organisations to socialise and work during this time of great anxiety and social distancing”
Always a good resource. From Econsultancy. Stats roundup: coronavirus impact on marketing, ecommerce & advertising.
Looks like this could be handy at the moment. Netflix Party. ‘Watch Netflix remotely with friends, e.g., for movie nights with that long-distance special someone. It synchronises video playback and adds group chat.’
From XKCD Comic. I’m a huge of weird graphs but even I admit some of these coronavirus charts are less than helpful.
Wanderlust Magazine is putting out some great content at the moment. Here is their latest quiz – Can you identify these UNESCO sites? I can’t say I did terribly well on this one. You can have a go here.
Burt Reynolds famously turned down the chance to play James Bond. However, here he is in Dr. No [Deep Fake].
World 2.0 — “There are decades where nothing happens, and weeks where decades happen”.
Fabulous. Healthcare workers wear badges with smiling faces so patients can see beyond their masks.
Love this. ‘Need a fresh face to brighten up your video conference meetings? The Sweet Farm Animal Ambassadors are here for you. Sign up here for ‘Goat 2 Meeting…’
Finally, this short but mesmerising Vimeo Pick of The Week is worth a watch. Embraces and the touch of the skin.