THE BEST OF THE BOLD 1 FEBRUARY 2021
MAKING WAVES Best of the Bold 2
The innovations, ideas, campaigns and brands that got us thinking during January.
01 → 02 → 03 → 04 → 05 →
WHISKY BUSINESS SIMPLY MAGIC CHECKMATE ARE YOU INVITED? STEP ASIDE
VEGANUARY
06 → 07 → 08 → 09 → 10 →
TRACING CHANGE TOP TRUMPS WHATEVER IT DIGITAL TWINS WHO MADE THE TAKES GEI LIST? Diving Into the Data 3
At Boldspace, we track the most As we embrace 2021 with open arms and hope, there have been some interesting developments in the media and online interesting, relevant and current during January. topics in the world so that we Comparing the most reported and mentioned topics from December and January makes one thing clear: the media has can overlay the most recent data been immensely busy as normal, while social media users on the issues that matter to a appear to be sick of the pandemic and taking a virtual break, with 55 million fewer social mentions across our tracked client’s specific positioning and topics combined. communications. When developing this first 2021 edition of Making Waves we couldn’t ignore the additional topics that are capturing the attention of headlines and social users, with the clean energy, decarbonisation and net zero space generating more than 800,000 articles and social mentions in January alone. Diversity, ESG and gender equality also increased their online interest during the month, so we can only hope that this year brings some extreme change for all the right reasons.
So, what else has been happening behind digital doors last month? Read on to explore the topics we’ve uncovered and get a glimpse of the top 10 ideas, brands, campaigns or innovations that sparked our interest during the last month. 3D printing Disinformation / fake news P Payments / payment technology4 5G Diversity Personal debt
A Advanced therapeutics E Ecological collapse Plastics
Ageing population Electric vehicles Poverty
Antibiotic resistance Ethics and trust Privacy / data protection
Artificial intelligence ESG Q Quantum computing
Assistive technology Exoskeletons R Recycling/re-engineering
Augmented reality F Famine Robotics
Automation Fast fashion S Savings crisis
B Big data Fintech Self-driving vehicles
Biometrics Food security Smart cities
Blockchain Future of work Smart fashion
C Circular economy G Gender equality Smart home
Clean energy Gesture-based computing Solar cell technology
Climate change H Healthtech Space tourism
Cloud computing Hydrogen T Tech for good
Corporate governance I Inclusion Trade wars / protectionism
COVID-19 Internet of Things V Vaccine
Cryptocurrency L Li-Fi Vertical farms
Cultured meat N Nanobots Voice
Cybersecurity Net Zero W Wearables
D Decarbonisation O Organ-on-a-chip The Topics We Track Deforestation Overpopulation What’s Making Waves? 5
From AI to ethics to gender equality and space poverty, what have been the most talked about topics that have been dominating news feeds, headlines and TV screens over the last month?
→ TOP 5 → THE REST OF THE TOP 20 No. of articles in January No. of social mentions in January
DECEMBER JANUARY
40.000.000 2.500.000
2.000.000 30.000.000
1.500.000
20.000.000
1.000.000
10.000.000 500.000
0 0 Fintech Poverty Vaccine Vaccine Robotics Inclusion COVID-19 COVID-19 Blockchain Automation Cybersecurity Climate change Climate change Climate Cryptocurrency Electric vehicles Decarbonisation Cloud computing Internet of Things Artificial intelligence Artificial intelligence Artificial intelligence Privacy / data protection / data Privacy Recycling/re-engineering Disinformation / news fake Disinformation / news fake Disinformation 01 → WHISKY BUSINESS 6
With the race to net zero well and truly underway...
...businesses across the UK are turning to new sources of energy to help them decarbonise and drastically reduce their carbon emissions. Hydrogen is the latest energy trend to be supporting decarbonisation activities across the nation.
Last month, Islay-based Bruichladdich Distillery, the acclaimed Scottish whisky producer owned by Remy Cointreu, announced its hydrogen project with Boldspace client, Protium, who’ll be assisting them with decarbonising their production process. Hydrogen presents a significant opportunity for the whisky industry and Islay itself, which currently uses fuel oil to meet its heating demand.
Could hydrogen be the secret ingredient in everyone’s favourite dram?
LEARN MORE: CHEERS TO THAT
CAMPAIGN INNOVATION IDEA 02 → SIMPLY MAGIC 7
Sky Source’s latest products crowned by The Times as ‘One of the Best Inventions of 2020’.
The WEDEW is the first of its kind - a versatile, self-contained, sustainable energy-water generator that provides fresh drinking water to those in need. But how does this miracle machine do this? Using… air!
The machine converts biomass into essential human resources while packing would-be greenhouse gases into the ground. So, how does it work?
1. Users of the system can discard plant and animal materials, such as wood chips or nutshells, into the machine 2. The WEDEW heats up the materials and in doing so releases water vapor into the air 3. The generator condenses the vapor into drinkable water.
The system is powered off a sustainable battery storage pod and fits into a single 40-ft. transport container, meaning it can easily be distributed and used by communities far and wide.
Simply magic.
LEARN MORE: MAKING WATER FROM AIR
CAMPAIGN INNOVATION IDEA 03 → CHECKMATE 8
Long before The Queen’s Gambit was trending on Netflix, researchers in New York have been busy perfecting chess AI.
Researchers at Tisch University have developed a chess engine powered by AI that, unlike other AI games out there, isn’t built to beat their human rivals, and instead adds to the enjoyment of the game. Chess aficionados dedicate a significant amount of their time trying to perfect their plays and refine their strategies, while AI alternatives make for a dissatisfying tournament (as the technology is designed to quickly sense and learn from the human approach).
Maia, the new chess AI engine, has been designed to play like a human so that the digital chess experience is more enjoyable. Its algorithms recognise what mistakes are typical at certain experience levels, so that the human player can pinpoint what areas they can perfect.
This project aims to create AI that reduces the disparities between human and algorithmic behaviour by training the computer to use more human steps.
LEARN MORE: YOU’RE IN CHECK
CAMPAIGN INNOVATION IDEA 04 → ARE YOU INVITED? 9
Clubhouse, the invite-only, voice- based social network has been tipped as the next big thing in tech.
The app is a live, audio-only platform that enables users to gather and discuss a variety of topics. No comments. No messaging. Voice- based communication only. And as for Android users… well, they’re not invited.
Whilst it’s still in Beta mode, Clubhouse has already built a branding footprint with “some of the most sought-after names in the fashion, luxury goods, and consumer products markets in the world”, says CEO Amir Ben-Yohanan. The app is currently operating in an invite- only format, with users welcomed onto the system via an extensive waiting list.
Time will tell what the potential could be for brands and influencers as the audio boom shows no sign of slowing down. Will podcasts be superseded by a real-time model?
LEARN MORE: ARE YOU INVITED?
CAMPAIGN INNOVATION IDEA 05 → STEP ASIDE VEGANUARY 10
Regenuary – Veganuary’s got competition.
Managed to make it through January with your resolutions and revolutions intact?
A curious new January-based challenge hit social media feeds and got added to the list this January. ‘Regenuary’ encourages participants to consume only non-imported foods where the animals and land have been farmed using regenerative agricultural practices. But the movement raises the question, what defines a sustainable diet?
With vegan products typically coming from intensive farming, the campaign aims to provoke consumers to think further about their food habits and supporting local suppliers.
It is increasingly clear in the great food debate is that this is not a binary argument – building a better food system consciously helps everyone and the planet, whether you’re a carnivore or a vegan.
LEARN MORE: RETHINKING FOOD
CAMPAIGN INNOVATION IDEA 06 → TRACING CHANGE 11
FMCG giant, Unilever, alongside US tech company Orbital Insight, has launched a pilot project to overhaul its traceability process.
Satellite technology helps brands like Unilever in identifying where potential palm oil plants and farms are producing the highly controversial ingredient, with growing concerns around its ethical origins due to deforestation problems and the impact on natural wildlife.
The project will use geolocation data to help identify potential farms that are most likely supplying palm oil. The GPS data will uncover links between a consistent flow of traffic in an area of land and a mill, providing a clearer picture around where harvested crops are coming from and whether this is causing deforestation.
LEARN MORE: REIMAGINING TRACEABILITY
CAMPAIGN INNOVATION IDEA 07 → TOP TRUMPS 12
Office and dignity: four bizarre years with Donald Trump.
Opinions are divided on political satire during the age of Trump – with some arguing it was made impossible as he defied parody and others such as The Economist stating “President Trump is making satire great again”.
Germany’s Süddeutsche Zeitung Magazin’s presidential quiz special put a new spin on the Trumpian visual language, with a striking and minimalist cover marking his departure. Whilst it might be easy to recognise superheroes or cartoon characters based on simple colour palettes, the same can rarely be said of world leaders. Time will tell whether his caricature and orange iconography will remain commonplace in culture.
LEARN MORE: MACH DAS QUIZ
CAMPAIGN INNOVATION IDEA 08 → WHATEVER IT TAKES 13
The stunning video campaign was launched by Macillan Cancer Support in January for their latest fundraising appeal.
The charity brings an honest, gut wrenching insight into how their staff across the UK support patients during the pandemic.
Set to the popular Max Richter’s ‘Spring 1’ track (the recomposed version of Vivaldi’s famous composition ‘Spring’), the campaign, created by AMV BBDO and directed by Jonathan Alric, shines a light on how Macmillan staff are relentlessly supporting those who face daily challenges and triumphs by living with cancer.
LEARN MORE: GET THE TISSUES OUT
CAMPAIGN INNOVATION IDEA 09 → DIGITAL TWINS 14
How has the pandemic impacted supply chains?
Dramatically. The pandemic has severely complicated supply chain management, exposing current and future vulnerabilities, with complex supply chains facing issues such as unpredictable productivity, supply and demand fluctuations and cybersecurity risks.
Surely technology can lend a virtual hand now, right? You guessed it.
Digital twin technologies are being leveraged to help guard against future disruption. A digital twin is a virtual model, or clone, of a process, product or service, and can be used to simulate shifting circumstances and model responses. By drawing upon extensive data sources, from assets, transactions, logistics, inventory positions, etc., digital supply chain twins can enable organisations to identify volatility and uncertainty, as well as opportunities for optimisation.
LEARN MORE: TWINNING
CAMPAIGN INNOVATION IDEA 10 → WHO MADE THE GEI LIST? 15
Gender equality bumps up the agenda.
Bloomberg released its Gender Equality Index (GEI) in January, empowering various businesses to promote their progression in the equality space. The Index calls on public companies to submit for the GEI in a bid to track the performance and transparency of gender data reporting.
The Index measures areas that provide ample benefits to the companies, while also offering increased visibility to investors:
- Female Leadership & Talent Pipeline - Equal Pay & Gender Pay Parity - Inclusive Culture - Sexual Harassment Policies - Pro-Women Brand
With ESG at the top of business leader agendas this year, more than 380 companies (spanning 44 countries and across 50 industries) made it onto the 2021 list.
LEARN MORE: CHECK OUT THE LIST
CAMPAIGN INNOVATION IDEA boldspace.com 16
bold space /bəʊld/speɪs/ noun 1. Winning territory in which to propel your brand, uncovered by a Whole World Brand View™.
Only discoverable within our Whole World Brand View™, we identify what we call the bold space: winning territory in which to propel your brand through bold, innovative brand strategy and communications. Our advanced, technology-enabled methodology uncovers opportunities to drive engagement, growth and reputation, giving our clients perpetual competitive advantage. Let’s work together!