Augmented reality raises the bar for consumer expectations A few short years ago, the term ‘augmented reality’ (AR) seemed far-off and futuristic to many. Today, smartphone-wielding consumers are generally familiar with the technology that overlays a ... Read More
Biometrics work to solve personal data security concerns Security hacks are so common that they seem almost banal when they show up in the news these days. Controversies abound; the story surrounding Cambridge Analytica’s usage of ... Read More
Brands find new ways to give consumers more ‘bang for their buck' As I explored last month, brands of all sorts and sizes have been making bigger-than-ever waves with initiatives to display values, take stances and operate ethically. While values are ... Read More
5 crucial lessons in trust brands need to know Trust is everything. In a culture of intense uncertainty, skepticism, and divisiveness, Mintel’s 2018 North America Consumer Trend 'Trust Funding' notes that “consumers are putting their dollars where ... Read More
Digital assistants take center stage at CES 2018 Robots, self-driving cars, and hundreds of other part-futuristic, part-realistic devices took all of the attention away from casinos and clubs at this month’s CES 2018 in Las Vegas. At ... Read More
Brands help consumers put the fun in 'adulting' The holidays can be a great escape from – and also a great reminder of – how utterly exhausting ‘adulting’ can be. Many brands use this spirit of ... Read More
3 key takeaways from Chicago Ideas Week Big ideas can often be inspired by listening to just a small amount of insight. Every October at Chicago Ideas Week (CIW), a broad spectrum of thinkers and ... Read More
Brands give back amid disaster relief Between hurricanes, earthquakes and wildfires, Mother Nature certainly has presented some enormous challenges in the past couple of months. As people absorb the heartbreaking media coverage, many grapple ... Read More
Chatbots shift the meaning of customer service When it comes to customer service interactions, one starts to consider the qualities that make the positive interactions shine and the negative ones irksome. Responsiveness and speed matter; ... Read More
Accentuating the negative: Transparency to build trust Outside the Harlem Café in Belfast, scrawled across a sidewalk chalkboard, is the message: ‘Come in and try the worst salad one woman on TripAdvisor ever had in ... Read More
Jumping on the “bannedwagon:” Free-from goes mainstream As reported in The New York Times in April, Kent State and Cornell University launched the first certified gluten-free dining halls in the US, catering not only to ... Read More
Airpocalypse Now: Brands innovate to give consumers a breath of fresh air Continued growth in both industrialization and the urban population in many cities across the globe is resulting in a more perceptible impurity to the air we breathe. Discomfort ... Read More