(TrendHunter.com) TDC&Co. recently updated a Checkers Hyper supermarket in South Africa to make it more inviting and accessible for customers. Instead of the cramped shelving units found in most grocery stores,…
Baidu, the world’s No. 3 force in online advertising after Google and Facebook, sees artificial intelligence as the next big thing. And it’s using AI to power advertising, voice recognition technology and self-driving cars.
During its annual conference Thursday in Beijing, the search giant announced news on the autonomous vehicle front, saying it had won clearance from the California Department of Motor Vehicles to test its cars there. It also signed a partnership with U.S. chip-maker Nvidia to work on self-driving cars together.
Despite all the investment on futuristic projects, Baidu got nearly 93% of its revenue in the last quarter from online marketing. It has been trying to branch out, with services like takeout delivery and movie ticket booking, and with splashy deep-learning work similar to the Google Brain project.
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| THE ORIGINAL? TL, Métro Lausannois – 2014 Safety demo by a flight attendant in the subway Source : Franz & René Agency : Franz & René, Berne (Switzerland) |
LESS ORIGINAL RATP, Consignes de Sécurité – 2016 Safety demo by a flight attendant in the subway Source : Le Figaro Agency : Havas Paris (France) |
After introducing its A.I. CD early this spring, McCann Japan decided to bit the AI-CD ? robotic creative director against its human counterpart, namely creative director Mitsuru Kuramoto, in a creative battle. Both were given the task of creating a spot for Mondelez Japan brand Clorets Mint Tab, communicating the brand message of “instant, long-lasting refreshment that lasts for 10 minutes” and then turning to a nationwide poll to declare the winner.
Well, after several months the results are in and it appears humanity has triumphed, for now. It seems safe to say our robot overlords will not be taking over the ad industry anytime soon. The results were perhaps a little too close for comfort, however, with Kuramoto winning 54 percent of the vote and his A.I. counterpart tallying 46 percent.
As a refresher, here’s AI-CD ?’s entry:
And Kuramoto’s winning spot:
“Honestly, it was a major blow,” Shun Matsuzaka, the McCann Japan creative planner who led the project to develop AI-CD ?, said in a statement. “But I think the fact that an A.I.-made commercial lost only by such a small margin against one made by today’s leading creative mind is in itself a coup. We hope to further develop AI-CD ? so that it can continue contributing to our clients’ businesses.”
Kuramoto expressed a desire to work together with AI-CD ? in the future, saying, “It was very exciting to be given the opportunity to battle it out with AI-CD ?. Next time, I hope to collaborate with AI-CD ? so that we can create something together! Thanks for the great match!”
Don’t panic. They’re not coming for our jobs anytime soon. But a computer has just created the first movie trailer designed with artificial intelligence.
Twentieth Century Fox asked the scientists at IBM to use the computing power of Watson, one of the most advanced AIs in the world, to create a trailer for its new horror movie about a terrifying AI named Morgan.
Wver bitten into a sandwich only to meet with freezerburn, an unsatisfyingly thin piece of bacon or an unwelcome vegetable? We’ve all been there. It’s one of our most trying and persistent #FirstWorldProblems.
But Wendy’s has a solution: The Baconator, which promises no frozen beef, no microwaved bacon and no vegetables whatsoever. And instead of food-porning us into submission, it’s conveying these messages with a trio of bizarre short stories, in which anthropomorphized foodstuffs try penetrating the Baconator in modern contexts.
(TrendHunter.com) Dolk Lundgren is a Norwegian artist who’s known for his simple graffiti style that drives messages that go much deeper.
His use of minimalist designs enhance this by making for pieces that…
In its continuing effort to become a “100% digital economy business by 2020,” Dentsu Aegis Network will acquire programmatic shop Accordant Media, on the heels of two other data-focused acquisitions this year. Financial terms were not disclosed.
In March, Dentsu Aegis Network acquired data and analytics shop Cardinal Path for an undisclosed price, and in August it acquired a majority stake in performance marketing agency Merkle, also for an undisclosed price.
“For us, acquiring Accordant is not about buying scale, but acquiring talent and capabilities in an emerging space,” said Rob Horler, CEO of Dentsu Aegis Network U.S.
In its continuing effort to become a “100% digital economy business by 2020,” Dentsu Aegis Network will acquire programmatic shop Accordant Media, on the heels of two other data-focused acquisitions this year. Financial terms were not disclosed.
In March, Dentsu Aegis Network acquired data and analytics shop Cardinal Path for an undisclosed price, and in August it acquired a majority stake in performance marketing agency Merkle, also for an undisclosed price.
“For us, acquiring Accordant is not about buying scale, but acquiring talent and capabilities in an emerging space,” said Rob Horler, CEO of Dentsu Aegis Network U.S.
-Grandma talks some smack in this new, 30-second Slim Jim spot (video above).
-Adweek talks with Leo Burnett CEO Rich Stoddart about moving forward following the loss of the McDonald’s account.
-Genius Foods is reviewing its European creative account.
-The Drum examines “Why video will eclipse search and display advertising within the next five years.”
–REWIND:VR worked with Björk and directors Warren Dupreez and Nick Thornton Jones to create a VRX (virtual reality experience) exhibition for Vulnicura single “Notget” as part of the Björk Digital exhibit.
–Stillwell Partners is expanding Advertising Week to Cuba this November with an inaugural event in Havana.
-Campaign explains “Why brands should do more and say less.”
-Intersection chief strategy officer Dave Etherington thinks “OOH has the potential to be just as revolutionary as VR.”
For the layperson, internet routers are generally ugly and boring. They either work and are ignored, or they don’t and are infuriating.
But Google is having some fun promoting its OnHub, taking it on the road to a nudist colony, an Ernest Hemingway lookalike contest, a senior center’s bingo night, and a dolphin tank—all to show off how good it looks, and the tricks it can perform.
Category: Beyond Madison Avenue
Summary: Facebook wants advertisers to get faster.
The social network is going after one of the biggest concerns in mobile advertising by telling brands to build better mobile web experiences that load more quickly. Facebook has repeatedly found that people don’t stick around for pages that take too long to display — 40% click away…
Night after night in the summer, this meteorologist must deliver the same news to his television viewers: It’s really, really hot out there.
This is site is run by Sascha Endlicher, M.A., during ungodly late night hours. Wanna know more about him? Connect via Social Media by jumping to about.me/sascha.endlicher.
