Craig Elemiah on the Next Phase of the Internet | LBBOnline - Little Black Book - LBBonline

VMLY&R’s main acquisition plan serviceman speaks to LBB’s Ben Conway astir the aboriginal of the web and however brands, agencies and consumers volition acceptable into it

Craig Elemiah is the main acquisition plan serviceman astatine VMLY&R and he’s obsessed with unlocking maturation done lawsuit experience. Equally impassioned by his curiosity for tech, innovation and storytelling, Craig has astir 2 decades of acquisition successful utilizing inventive ideas and divers teams to make solutions for real-world problems successful the acquisition sphere. 

Craig’s category-defying acquisition enactment has earned him awards from Cannes, D&AD, LIA Clios and more, and helium lends his expertise regularly arsenic a talker and writer connected the topic. His database of existent and past clients is simply a veritable ‘who’s who’ of immoderate of the world’s biggest brands, spanning each sector; T-Mobile, Amazon, Google, Microsoft, United Nations, Disney Channel and Nestlé, to sanction a few. A self-proclaimed “massive nerd”, he’s a plan and technology-obsessed web3 optimist, an avid runner, and a person of cooking and travel.

Interested successful what the aboriginal holds for the internet, arsenic we verge connected the modulation to web3, Craig sat down with LBB’s Ben Conway to sermon what brands, consumers and advertisers alike tin expect from this adjacent online era. Discussing wherefore web3 volition “underpin” the entirety of this adjacent stage, Craig shares his thoughts and predictions connected wherefore acquisition plan is nary longer conscionable astir designing, the accrued request for distinctly quality technology, and however VMLY&R is helping clients embark connected their web3 journeys.  

LBB> How would you picture the adjacent signifier of the internet? What features, platforms and tech are we talking about?

Craig> I similar that you said ‘phase’ and not metaverse; the 2 presumption tin beryllium interchanged and metaverse is simply the branding for the adjacent phase, but similar immoderate bully brand, it needs to beryllium grounded successful substance, promise, and aspiration. I spot the adjacent signifier of the net chiefly done the lens of spaces alternatively than sites. Websites were these tightly packed, likewise designed destinations that truly weren’t created for overmuch much than brochureware. They were ne'er meant to, nor could they afloat incorporate the integer incarnation of a marque oregon an organisation oregon property — they often ended up being one-dimensional. 

We person evolved from a azygous aboveground (screens) to imagining however contented and inferior lives each astir america - and however to infuse it into everything we do, everyplace we go.  It becomes much anticipatory, much helpful, much personalised and, ultimately, much immersive. 

I americium not saying ‘VR’, specifically due to the fact that I judge we are societal beings, and VR is not a spot wherever we tin stock experiences naturally. We are entering into a mixed-reality situation wherever the existent satellite is our canvas, augmented with quality that volition assistance to inform, entertain, instruct, connect, and collaborate successful a mode the net was ne'er capable to deliver. It volition beryllium little method and much human-centred, and volition beryllium predicated connected connected systems implicit azygous technologies. 

Design volition beryllium further reaching and much transformative, and we volition spot overmuch much cognitive computing and artificial intelligence. We volition besides spot an accrued request for intrinsically quality traits and capabilities specified arsenic empathy and compassion. Platforms volition evolve, and the telephone volition proceed to thrust astir of our attention, but wearables volition dilatory marque their mode into our lives arsenic the tech becomes little intrusive and much natural. 

The adjacent signifier volition beryllium customer-led. Brands person been trying to acceptable customers into a small box, but humans are simply excessively divers and their identities unrecorded connected a overmuch wider spectrum. Identity connected the net volition go much fluid and dynamic, and brands volition request to rethink however they target, make content, personalise, and merchantability to a much dynamic consumer. 

Lastly, this caller signifier volition beryllium much interoperable. It volition let for experiences to beryllium combined and experienced successful a mode that allows for aggregate marque interactions to hap astatine once. I americium excited astir each of it. 

LBB> So however volition this caller signifier interaction the advertisement industry?

Craig> The signifier is being acceptable and web3 volition underpin it all. The archetypal country of interaction for web3 volition beryllium improving information transparency, which allows for a much adjacent organisation of powerfulness betwixt brands and consumers. Right now, we are surrounded by intermediaries who are creating a batch of friction and outgo to transact; web3 decentralises a batch of that and allows for much one-on-one transactions successful much seamless and delightful ways. It volition unlock the powerfulness of verification and authenticity and marque the net and the advertisement manufacture much trustworthy. Consumers volition archer brands precisely however they privation to engage, alternatively than brands spending billions guessing. 

LBB> Conversely, what tin consumers expect from brands?

Craig> Right now, we are playing a costly guessing game. We effort and imprint our ain views and experiences onto millions of others, which leads to monolithic discarded and a batch of useless noise. Being consumer-led means that alternatively than coming up with a random thought you anticipation sticks, brands volition bash the enactment to recognize what customers want, need, and genuinely worth - not relying connected shitty information oregon the perchance mendacious accusation connected societal and successful surveys. Consumers are going to expect brands to instrumentality the clip and enactment successful the rigour to amended recognize who they are, the lives they lead, and their nuanced values. They volition expect to spot brands starting to code those needs successful ways that respect their identities, clip and money.

LBB> So web3 tin assistance with transparency astir brands’ promises and an progressively personal, oregon ‘human’ experience. Why aren’t brands delivering connected that now? And however does web3 and different innovations unit that change?

Craig> I don’t deliberation they intentionally take to not clasp quality centricity oregon take to not present connected their promises. I deliberation the occupation is that determination are lone truthful galore things a marque tin absorption connected astatine immoderate fixed time, and they are forced to prioritise 1 happening versus another. Being pulled successful truthful galore conflicting directions makes it hard to cognize what the champion instrumentality connected concern volition be. 

Smart brands tin spot crossed a wider skyline and recognize however each their corporate efforts are enabling 1 different to nutrient greater returns arsenic a connected system, not arsenic hopeless and disconnected bets made. Keeping way of it each is nary tiny task; it requires a circumstantial roadmap oregon playbook crafted for circumstantial quality needs crossed a peculiar brand’s ecosystem. Brands effort to transcript and emulate what different brands are doing and are adjacent consenting to employment the aforesaid playbook, often without the aforesaid results. In a customer-led world, you can’t simply mimic what different brands are doing. 

Brands indispensable beryllium squarely focused connected however their unsocial committedness meets the circumstantial needs of their customers, based connected what the lawsuit is telling them, not the different mode around. If that committedness isn’t unsocial and doesn’t code the quality needs of their customers, past they are simply a commodity with nary differentiation. 

The tenets of web3 unit brands to instrumentality that consumer-led attack and deliberation otherwise astir engaging with consumers. Another facet of web3 that I find peculiarly charismatic is the thought of ownership implicit idiosyncratic information and putting that ownership backmost successful the hands of the consumer. Consumers are present deciding if they privation to stock their data, who other tin stock that information and the presumption nether which it is shared. Brands volition make assets that volition nary longer beryllium the sole spot of the marque but volition beryllium made successful concern with their consumers. I judge we volition spot a proliferation of experiences wherever the thought of integer ownership is astatine the core. Like the quality to bargain banal successful a company, we volition spot consumers who privation to bargain into the brand. We got a tiny sensation of that with NFTs - which needed a longer maturation play but was breathtaking to ticker and volition beryllium breathtaking to spot its evolution. 

LBB> How bash you spot your country of acquisition plan adapting to the ‘new internet’? Have determination been evolutions already?

Craig> I emotion this question connected truthful galore levels. Experience plan is nary longer conscionable astir designing interfaces and experiences; it is astir approaching everything a marque does ‘by design’. It requires our designers and acquisition strategists to deliberation little astir pixels, signifier fields, and cheque boxes, and much astir the orchestration of experiences astatine scale. A marque contiguous indispensable beryllium connected end-to-end truthful it whitethorn afloat present connected the worth it promises its customers. Connecting a marque is nary tiny task. It requires each interaction constituent successful that brand’s ecosystem, some carnal and digital, to beryllium portion of a larger communicative of aspiration, purpose, innovation, and position - positive promises made and fulfilled. 

We spot signs of improvement each the clip arsenic experiences that are crafted astir circumstantial user and concern symptom points assistance alleviate barriers and unfastened opportunities for radical to person amended and deeper connections with 1 another. It tin beryllium arsenic elemental arsenic taking distant the request for idiosyncratic to hold successful enactment and to beryllium much productive portion their crook approaches oregon arsenic analyzable arsenic uncovering ways to inhabit the clip radical volition person erstwhile they nary longer thrust their ain cars. Opportunities abound each astir us. Brands request a spouse to assistance place these opportunities and orchestrate them for the close person, spot and time. 

This is not going to beryllium contained connected the net arsenic we cognize it. These experiences volition unrecorded successful a multitude of connected spaces that situation those radical and things that volition payment from them most. 

LBB> What is VMLY&R doing to hole for and accommodate to these changes? 

Craig> We person been connected a travel to link each the immense capabilities wrong our bureau network. There is nary different bureau with the capabilities we person crossed the full acquisition spectrum. We person embarked connected a quest to perpetually situation ourselves to get amended astatine helping brands go much connected with their consumers and themselves done plan and experience. To bash that, we had to rethink the mode we operation our teams, the kinds of radical we hire, the processes we employment and the ways we spell astir integrating it all. 

A task that demonstrates this mode of moving is 1 we precocious launched with our partners astatine T-Mobile. We helped adhd 2 caller innovative features to its flagship app to simplify the frustrating, time-consuming process of switching wireless companies. The archetypal 1 is called ‘Easy Switch’, wherever radical tin determination implicit to T-Mobile successful arsenic small arsenic 5 minutes, taking the process from an hours-long ordeal to a fewer elemental steps that tin beryllium done from the comfortableness of their home. The 2nd ensures that customers tin power carriers with confidence. It is called ‘Network Pass’, a caller diagnostic enabling consumers and businesses to acquisition unlimited information connected T-Mobile’s web for escaped for 3 months. In doing this, T-Mobile is helping those users comparison their existent web to T-Mobile’s with a customised Network Scorecard.

LBB> What bash you deliberation are the largest obstacles for brands and marketers astatine the infinitesimal successful this space?

Craig> Orchestrating each interaction constituent crossed their ecosystems. Brands nary longer person 3 channels; they indispensable present thrive authentically successful truthful galore places. Some brands marque beauteous promises successful the signifier of a movie oregon an advertisement that resonates culturally and emotionally but past autumn level erstwhile it comes to fulfilling that committedness astatine the acquisition oregon post-purchase portion of the experience. Some brands excel astatine redeeming customers clip by automating everything they do, but don’t supply that lukewarm quality interaction radical crave and need. This is the largest obstacle for brands contiguous — to recognise their strengths and weaknesses crossed their full experience, past find the close partners to make a roadmap and link it each seamlessly. These opportunities are wildly abundant, but brands request to recognise them and bash the enactment to present them successful ways that substance for their concern and their customers. 

LBB> Where tin brands find these opportunities?

Craig> I emotion the thought of marque interoperability. Imagine a marque that tin let for its customers to acquisition it successful immoderate discourse they like. A humble marque that considers however the user wants to acquisition the brand, not the different mode astir - a marque truthful malleable it tin organise itself astir the needs of its lawsuit without losing immoderate of its integrity oregon promise. This sounds lofty and aspirational, but this is wherever I genuinely deliberation brands should beryllium focusing their sights.

Think astir the fluidity of the ‘metaverse’ successful the consciousness that we volition nary longer beryllium experiencing brands wrong of walled gardens but wrong a immense and expansive connected world. Each marque volition marque up a portion of a larger communicative that the user chooses to prosecute in. I cannot ideate immoderate marque wanting to intentionally opt retired of that story, truthful to hole for that involvement, brands volition request to fig retired however to go progressive ingredients wrong of a larger communicative wherever they volition vie for a stock of the worth communicative a lawsuit volition take to opt into. 

This tin hap wrong of a gaming construct, a integer and carnal construct, a mixed-reality conception oregon immoderate wholly caller benignant of abstraction we haven’t yet seen. Brands focused connected this benignant of interoperability and individuality volition beryllium mounting themselves up to succeed. 

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VMLY&R New York, Mon, 05 Dec 2022 16:52:00 GMT