In this weeks Our Take, get introduced to a future, better you, Netflix gets real with a new strategy, a biscuit brand helps China rediscover play, and Paris protesters ‘go’ In-Seine.
Tea Leaves, Tarot, and Tech
Tea leaves, tarot cards and crystal balls, humans have always tried to divine the future, but thanks to an interactive chat platform called ‘Future You’, you can ditch those fuzzy ‘interpretations’ of tomorrow, and just have a conversation with your future self (complete with an AI-aged chatbot pic of you.)
This mystic-megbot is powered by a sophisticated language model that is personalised through a survey about your goals and personal qualities.
Initially tested in a study by MIT scientists, ‘Future You’ could soon be available to everyone. The good news: in the future, you seem to have achieved everything you dream of. The bad news? Future you is a smug, condescending, know-it-all gobsh*te.
Probably right about quitting vapes, though.
Home Run or House of Cards?
Fancy a stroll through the ‘Upside Down’, or a jaunt down the royal corridors of ‘The Crown’?
In a move that has us confused – does Netflix want us to stay in, or go out? – the streaming giant has announced Netflix House, an immersive entertainment concept that will drop you into the worlds of their most popular shows. Think short-form Disneyland, but less Mickey Mouse and more Squid Game.
By locating in busy shopping centres – Netflix hopes to tap into the rise of ‘snackable experiential’ entertainment. The idea is to blend quick, immersive experiences with the buzz of social sharing – turning Netflix House into an engine room of non-stop, consumer-generated, organic content. And sell a few themed mugs along the way.
Stroke of genius or spectacular flop? The first two locations are slated to open in 2025, in Texas and Pennsylvania, so grab your popcorn and stay tuned.
Play takes the biscuit
China is famous for its culture of hard work, intense study and overachieving students. But it comes at a cost. Despite China’s 5,000-year-old games culture, children in China have an average playtime of just 1 hour a day – the lowest playtime globally.
So back in May, biscuit brand Oreo decided to tackle this head on with their campaign the Art of Play. Oreo took the famous 1,000-year-old painting of ‘100 Children At Play’, and reimagined it by replacing the childrens’ toys with study tools. The revised art was then displayed – at scale – in Shanghai’s busiest subway station.
They also re-designed three iconic Chinese toys in Oreo’s signature black and white to distribute with selected packs. The toys themselves were chosen to enhance and boost creativity.
It’s a slam-dunk for Oreo on this one, and any campaign that highlights the important of free time and creativity gets a thumbs up from us.
Paris protesters to ‘go’ in-Seine
Ah Paris! The city of love, lights and sh**ting in the river Seine. Last Sunday, Parisians planned to protest the exorbitant cost of cleaning the Seine for the Summer Olympics by taking a collective dump in the river.
Having already flushed over €1.4bn on the project, and with Parisians fuming over the waste, Emmanuel Macron and Paris Mayor, Ann Hidalgo, had promised to take a dip in the river, to show that the money wasn’t wasted, and the river was ready to host swimming events at the games.
Fortunately the protest never… hit the water. Macron and Hidalgo postponed the dip, because the river remains too polluted and too dangerous to swim in.
With only 5 weeks until the first swimming event, it’s safe to say that the planners are up sh** creek. Even without the added input of French protesters