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AUGMENTED REALITY FOR MARKETING

Usage of Augmented Reality (AR) has been steadily rising as an entertainment, gaming and advertising platform over the last several years. The introduction of wearable AR lenses in 2014, followed by the massive success of Pokémon Go in 2016, rocketed AR into the mainstream, opening the door for broader adoption across other areas particularly marketing. With 1 billion expected users by 2020, and an expected $2.6 billion in ad spend by 2022, consumers are clearly showing an appetite for the unique type of experiences AR offers, creating new opportunities for brands to tell their stories in a fresh, engaging, and creative growing format.

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Publicis Media Sport and Entertainment

Publicis Media Sport & Entertainment is a wholly owned division of Publicis Media. Driving value for brands and rights holders in sport and entertainment, For our brand clients, we define the role for sport and entertainment in marketing strategies, identify partners to access content, ensure that content is deployed as well as scaled effectively and evaluate its impact.

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Business

Six Things Blockchain Can Do For Gaming

Article | July 11, 2022

Since their foundation in the 1970s and 80s, video games have moved from fringe interest to a major media staple. The industry has enjoyed huge revenues from dedicated fans, especially over the past few months, and the growth shows no sign of slowing down. Gaming is also an industry renowned for its commitment to innovation, adopting technological developments and spawning a fair few of its own. Chief amongst technological developments over the last decade has been blockchain technology, the new system of trading and ownership built on transparency and decentralization, the standard-bearer of which is the digital currency.

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Virtualization

How to Watch Netflix in Virtual Reality

Article | June 21, 2021

Playing virtual reality video games is a blast—but it also takes work. If you simply want to kick back, relax, and experience some mind-bending visuals without thinking too much, why not try watching Netflix in VR? It's ridiculously easy to do, even if you don't have state-of-the-art equipment. There are three primary methods, depending on what kind of device you're working with: fire up the Netflix VR app on Android, set up mirroring with your iPhone, or simply download the Netflix app from your preferred Oculus device. Here's What You'll Need VR headset: No matter your budget, there's a virtual reality option for you. On the pricey end, there are sophisticated VR headsets like the Oculus Quest 2, which starts at $299, and the HTC Vive Pro Eye, which retails for $799. We've included a few other options in the gallery below, too. If you're looking for something less expensive, there's the $99 Google Daydream View system (discontinued, but you can still find them here and there), the Samsung Gear VR headset (which the manufacturer has also discontinued in the U.S., but you can find it on Amazon for $128), and the $25 Google Cardboard viewer (although you may want to purchase an additional head strap for it).

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Virtualization, Media and Broadcasting

Watch out Warzone and Fortnite: Ubisoft is coming after free-to-play

Article | July 13, 2022

Ubisoft announced last week that it is adding specific focus on free-to-play, alongside its AAA catalogue. In doing so, it is following a route that has been very successful for Activision with its Warzone strategy. Free-to-play games which draw audiences via big franchise names and monetise via in-game spending are going to be increasingly common among AAA publishers. The focus on in-game spending and particularly on the cosmetic, rather than the progress-related, parts will be the key revenue component. As games become less finite and more perpetual (consumer goal is less about ‘finishing them’ and more and ‘playing/spending time in them’), the opportunity to monetise needs that stem from this perpetual engagement (e.g. socialising or expression) starts to outweigh the mere monetisation of access to a packaged product. Simultaneously, free-to-play games also act as a powerful marketing driver for AAA releases as they come out, as well as streamability and word of mouth for the franchise.

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Business

Branded Entertainment in B2B: Why is it Important?

Article | July 11, 2022

Global B2B companies churn out content pieces such as infographics, case studies, assessments, and other forms of thought leadership content to create brand awareness. But is this content enough to engage the customers and the market? Not really. Marketers like you need to look into branded entertainment to get more customer engagement and brand loyalty. What is Branded Entertainment? Adweek loosely describes “branded entertainment” as any content that starts a positive conversation around a product, service, or set of values. This content builds a story around your product or services, showing it in a positive light and getting the audience to engage in your content as much as a film or a TV show. As opposed to other marketing endeavors, branded entertainment doesn’t focus on your products and their features but on entertaining the audience. Incorporating Branded Entertainment into Your Marketing Strategy Here are some ways to get it done without much hassle: Web Series Original programming, such as web series published on the brand’s social media channels, can help you raise awareness through stories that share your brand’s values instead of directly marketing your product or services. PR Stunts Create social media brand content that is entertaining and exciting enough for the audience to make it viral. Such PR brings positive media attention to your brand and creates mass awareness for your brand or product. Videos Volvo's entertaining video of Van Damme's split stunt on YouTube has 114.5 million views. The video didn't need a call-to-action because it wasn’t to convert leads. Instead, it was meant to showcase a piece of business-use truck technology and get engagement. Podcasting GE used podcasting for advertising twice, once with its show ‘The Message’ and again with its new series ‘LifeAfter.’ Neither show discusses GE's products. Instead, they were "GE-presented" and were received well. Summing It Up People are less likely to comment on or share brand posts directly, but they are more likely to tweet or share them on their Instagram stories. This way you can measure the impact of branded entertainment. B2B marketers should consider branded entertainment as a way to build trust and start conversations between their brands and their audience to get a long-term ROI.

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Business

Branded Entertainment in B2B: Why is it Important?

Article | July 11, 2022

Since their foundation in the 1970s and 80s, video games have moved from fringe interest to a major media staple. The industry has enjoyed huge revenues from dedicated fans, especially over the past few months, and the growth shows no sign of slowing down. Gaming is also an industry renowned for its commitment to innovation, adopting technological developments and spawning a fair few of its own. Chief amongst technological developments over the last decade has been blockchain technology, the new system of trading and ownership built on transparency and decentralization, the standard-bearer of which is the digital currency.

Read More
Virtualization

Applications of Virtual Reality in Healthcare

Article | June 21, 2021

Playing virtual reality video games is a blast—but it also takes work. If you simply want to kick back, relax, and experience some mind-bending visuals without thinking too much, why not try watching Netflix in VR? It's ridiculously easy to do, even if you don't have state-of-the-art equipment. There are three primary methods, depending on what kind of device you're working with: fire up the Netflix VR app on Android, set up mirroring with your iPhone, or simply download the Netflix app from your preferred Oculus device. Here's What You'll Need VR headset: No matter your budget, there's a virtual reality option for you. On the pricey end, there are sophisticated VR headsets like the Oculus Quest 2, which starts at $299, and the HTC Vive Pro Eye, which retails for $799. We've included a few other options in the gallery below, too. If you're looking for something less expensive, there's the $99 Google Daydream View system (discontinued, but you can still find them here and there), the Samsung Gear VR headset (which the manufacturer has also discontinued in the U.S., but you can find it on Amazon for $128), and the $25 Google Cardboard viewer (although you may want to purchase an additional head strap for it).

Read More
Virtualization, Media and Broadcasting

B2B Movie Placements: What to Expect?

Article | July 13, 2022

Ubisoft announced last week that it is adding specific focus on free-to-play, alongside its AAA catalogue. In doing so, it is following a route that has been very successful for Activision with its Warzone strategy. Free-to-play games which draw audiences via big franchise names and monetise via in-game spending are going to be increasingly common among AAA publishers. The focus on in-game spending and particularly on the cosmetic, rather than the progress-related, parts will be the key revenue component. As games become less finite and more perpetual (consumer goal is less about ‘finishing them’ and more and ‘playing/spending time in them’), the opportunity to monetise needs that stem from this perpetual engagement (e.g. socialising or expression) starts to outweigh the mere monetisation of access to a packaged product. Simultaneously, free-to-play games also act as a powerful marketing driver for AAA releases as they come out, as well as streamability and word of mouth for the franchise.

Read More
Business

Branded Entertainment in B2B: Why is it Important?

Article | July 11, 2022

Global B2B companies churn out content pieces such as infographics, case studies, assessments, and other forms of thought leadership content to create brand awareness. But is this content enough to engage the customers and the market? Not really. Marketers like you need to look into branded entertainment to get more customer engagement and brand loyalty. What is Branded Entertainment? Adweek loosely describes “branded entertainment” as any content that starts a positive conversation around a product, service, or set of values. This content builds a story around your product or services, showing it in a positive light and getting the audience to engage in your content as much as a film or a TV show. As opposed to other marketing endeavors, branded entertainment doesn’t focus on your products and their features but on entertaining the audience. Incorporating Branded Entertainment into Your Marketing Strategy Here are some ways to get it done without much hassle: Web Series Original programming, such as web series published on the brand’s social media channels, can help you raise awareness through stories that share your brand’s values instead of directly marketing your product or services. PR Stunts Create social media brand content that is entertaining and exciting enough for the audience to make it viral. Such PR brings positive media attention to your brand and creates mass awareness for your brand or product. Videos Volvo's entertaining video of Van Damme's split stunt on YouTube has 114.5 million views. The video didn't need a call-to-action because it wasn’t to convert leads. Instead, it was meant to showcase a piece of business-use truck technology and get engagement. Podcasting GE used podcasting for advertising twice, once with its show ‘The Message’ and again with its new series ‘LifeAfter.’ Neither show discusses GE's products. Instead, they were "GE-presented" and were received well. Summing It Up People are less likely to comment on or share brand posts directly, but they are more likely to tweet or share them on their Instagram stories. This way you can measure the impact of branded entertainment. B2B marketers should consider branded entertainment as a way to build trust and start conversations between their brands and their audience to get a long-term ROI.

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Spotlight

Publicis Media Sport and Entertainment

Publicis Media Sport & Entertainment is a wholly owned division of Publicis Media. Driving value for brands and rights holders in sport and entertainment, For our brand clients, we define the role for sport and entertainment in marketing strategies, identify partners to access content, ensure that content is deployed as well as scaled effectively and evaluate its impact.

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ComingSoon Expands Entertainment News Coverage

PR Newswire | October 05, 2023

Evolve Media LLC, a passion-based publisher of some of the most influential internet brands since 1996, announced that its marquee entertainment site ComingSoon is continuing to grow and expand its coverage areas. ComingSoon will expand to new coverage areas, including Bollywood With traffic up 79 percent since April 2023, ComingSoon is expanding in order to continue its rapid growth since a redesign was launched in December 2022. The site is now broadening its entertainment coverage into new areas, including Indian films and television, Korean dramas, reality television, documentaries, and true crime. All of these new verticals will be easily accessible in the site's revamped navigation bar as coverage is rolled out. ComingSoon will also further commit resources to delivering top-notch anime, documentary and horror coverage, which have become key elements of the entertainment site. It will also continue to produce top-quality features and reviews that are just as engaging as they are informative, while also conducting interviews with some of Hollywood's biggest directors and stars. "Our goal is to make ComingSoon a one-stop destination for media consumers all over the world," said Todd Jacobs, Director of Content & Operations at Evolve Media. "With these strategic investments, ComingSoon will exponentially expand their global audience." "Thanks to streaming, we've seen entertainment around the globe become pop culture phenomenons," said Tyler Treese, Frontpage Editorial Manager of Evolve Media's Entertainment and Gaming Division. "International hits like Squid Game and Jawan have shown that Korea and India are producing incredible content, while anime continues to grow in popularity. We'll finally be able to cover these areas with the news coverage they deserve, and help fans figure out the next show to binge or what film to invite their friends over to watch." About Evolve Media, LLC Evolve Media is a premium publisher of leading enthusiast destinations for influential men and women. Leveraging proprietary advertising and publishing technologies, as well as hundreds of talented content professionals, Evolve Media offers premium and engaging content to its readers, while offering marketers the tools needed to execute custom, content-led marketing solutions that reach its audience of over 78 million people globally each month.

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Hipster Bait Launches to Bring Game Dynamics and Augmented Reality to Music Discovery

Hipster Bait Ltd. | June 26, 2020

Today, Hipster Bait a music discovery platform for people ready to rock, launched with a first of its kind mobile app for music discovery. Available on iOS and Android, the Hipster Bait mobile app sends players out into the real world to hunt down and capture unreleased, exclusive music using augmented reality and location-based technology. "Great music tracks are getting laid down every day but it's harder than ever to get that music out to people and make a living while doing it," explains Michael Tension, Co-Founder of Hipster Bait. "As artists, we can't rely solely on the algorithms of over-crowded streaming services. We need to find new ways for fans to experience music." Each week, Hipster Bait releases exclusive unreleased songs from emerging artists hidden across a network of physical locations. After a player finds the song and the artist is revealed, they can easily revisit the song in their cassette box and springboard to artist platforms.

Read More

Mobile AR Combat Game Reality Clash Begins Phased Global Rollout

vrfocus | January 17, 2019

Niantic’s Pokemon GO might be seen as the poster child for augmented reality (AR) videogames on mobile, but there are plenty of other looking to usurp the title from its podium. Today, Reality Gaming Group has announced the long-awaited arrival of its more ambitious combat experience, Reality Clash, for iOS and Android devices.Using Apple and Google’s latest ARKit and ARCore technologies, Reality Clash is set in an underground world of cryptocurrencies and hackers, where players can navigate a 3D map to defend key parts of their own real-world town, city or village competing in real-time battles, mine for resources, and build or customise unique guns.Fights can be team-based, made up of 200 people, or if no players are nearby then a user is able to engage in combat with bot players which are scattered across the map for continuous gameplay opportunities.“After months of development, our pioneering new game is literally a Reality,” said Reality Gaming Group’s Co-Founder Tony Pearce. “We’ve had thousands of Beta testers providing us with feedback and we’re delighted that we have a game in Reality Clash that is as fun and engaging as it is technically advanced.

Read More

Applications

ComingSoon Expands Entertainment News Coverage

PR Newswire | October 05, 2023

Evolve Media LLC, a passion-based publisher of some of the most influential internet brands since 1996, announced that its marquee entertainment site ComingSoon is continuing to grow and expand its coverage areas. ComingSoon will expand to new coverage areas, including Bollywood With traffic up 79 percent since April 2023, ComingSoon is expanding in order to continue its rapid growth since a redesign was launched in December 2022. The site is now broadening its entertainment coverage into new areas, including Indian films and television, Korean dramas, reality television, documentaries, and true crime. All of these new verticals will be easily accessible in the site's revamped navigation bar as coverage is rolled out. ComingSoon will also further commit resources to delivering top-notch anime, documentary and horror coverage, which have become key elements of the entertainment site. It will also continue to produce top-quality features and reviews that are just as engaging as they are informative, while also conducting interviews with some of Hollywood's biggest directors and stars. "Our goal is to make ComingSoon a one-stop destination for media consumers all over the world," said Todd Jacobs, Director of Content & Operations at Evolve Media. "With these strategic investments, ComingSoon will exponentially expand their global audience." "Thanks to streaming, we've seen entertainment around the globe become pop culture phenomenons," said Tyler Treese, Frontpage Editorial Manager of Evolve Media's Entertainment and Gaming Division. "International hits like Squid Game and Jawan have shown that Korea and India are producing incredible content, while anime continues to grow in popularity. We'll finally be able to cover these areas with the news coverage they deserve, and help fans figure out the next show to binge or what film to invite their friends over to watch." About Evolve Media, LLC Evolve Media is a premium publisher of leading enthusiast destinations for influential men and women. Leveraging proprietary advertising and publishing technologies, as well as hundreds of talented content professionals, Evolve Media offers premium and engaging content to its readers, while offering marketers the tools needed to execute custom, content-led marketing solutions that reach its audience of over 78 million people globally each month.

Read More

Hipster Bait Launches to Bring Game Dynamics and Augmented Reality to Music Discovery

Hipster Bait Ltd. | June 26, 2020

Today, Hipster Bait a music discovery platform for people ready to rock, launched with a first of its kind mobile app for music discovery. Available on iOS and Android, the Hipster Bait mobile app sends players out into the real world to hunt down and capture unreleased, exclusive music using augmented reality and location-based technology. "Great music tracks are getting laid down every day but it's harder than ever to get that music out to people and make a living while doing it," explains Michael Tension, Co-Founder of Hipster Bait. "As artists, we can't rely solely on the algorithms of over-crowded streaming services. We need to find new ways for fans to experience music." Each week, Hipster Bait releases exclusive unreleased songs from emerging artists hidden across a network of physical locations. After a player finds the song and the artist is revealed, they can easily revisit the song in their cassette box and springboard to artist platforms.

Read More

Mobile AR Combat Game Reality Clash Begins Phased Global Rollout

vrfocus | January 17, 2019

Niantic’s Pokemon GO might be seen as the poster child for augmented reality (AR) videogames on mobile, but there are plenty of other looking to usurp the title from its podium. Today, Reality Gaming Group has announced the long-awaited arrival of its more ambitious combat experience, Reality Clash, for iOS and Android devices.Using Apple and Google’s latest ARKit and ARCore technologies, Reality Clash is set in an underground world of cryptocurrencies and hackers, where players can navigate a 3D map to defend key parts of their own real-world town, city or village competing in real-time battles, mine for resources, and build or customise unique guns.Fights can be team-based, made up of 200 people, or if no players are nearby then a user is able to engage in combat with bot players which are scattered across the map for continuous gameplay opportunities.“After months of development, our pioneering new game is literally a Reality,” said Reality Gaming Group’s Co-Founder Tony Pearce. “We’ve had thousands of Beta testers providing us with feedback and we’re delighted that we have a game in Reality Clash that is as fun and engaging as it is technically advanced.

Read More

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