design:retail - July/August 2020 - 8

HAPPENINGS

By Michelle M. Havich

PHOTO BY CRISTINA CATIELLI FOR ULTRAVIOLETTO

H I S S U M M E R , creative agency Cult
launched Cult Futures, an insight and
incubation program. "The Creatology
Report," which is the program's first
white paper, explored how brands and
businesses can thrive creatively as old
and new media collide. Written in collaboration with
award-winning author and futurist Lucie Greene, the
report includes interviews with pioneering artificial
intelligence (AI) creatives, digital artists and virtual
brand owners.
The white paper was released in three episodes,
starting with "The Sensory Internet." The episode looks
at how the current COVID-19 pandemic has accelerated
he need for the internet to expand human connection
in new ways. While technologies such as AI and augmented reality (AR) have come of age, there is now a
sensory, sentient and immersive internet that can blur
the physical with the digital. In this age of isolation, the
internet interacts with consumers as much as they do
with it. Online universes and real-world experiences
for retailers and brands are fast becoming one.

"'The Sensory Internet' is a great place to start for
'The Creatology Report,' because the initial understanding of what it represents is widely known. However,
with the advance of creatively driven technology, the
potential for brands to engage consumers is so much
higher because of their emotional response to sensorially led experiences," said Bridey Lipscombe, global
MD and co-founder of Cult.
Greene added: "We're at an inflection point in the
way we use and think about technology, which has

"The concept of the internet as a destination we
enter through a laptop, screen or smartphone is
becoming obsolete as we enter the world of total immersion," Greene said. "It's an era where houses and
cities are invisibly connected, where our environments read us and respond in real-time and where
augmented reality becomes a virtual layer collapsing
the divide between what is physical and what is virtual. As our online essentially becomes our 'reality'
during COVID-19, we're also on the precipice of huge
exploration for what digital products, experiences and
online environments look like."
Cult Futures added, "The combination of smart
cities and 5G environments that can layer contextualized information on to streets, homes or any
scenario, will create a transcendent internet experience
rich in opportunities for creativity, immersive brand
storytelling and more. Start-ups, creatives and brands
are already experimenting with the technology. Total
immersion promises to be the future of everything from
art exhibitions to shopping malls. Episode Two reveals
the role brands can play in this exciting new era."

The third and final episode of "The Creatology
Report," "Super Convergence," looks at how, in this
hyper-connected digital universe, the merging of
social media, ecommerce, music, payments and entertainment, allows us to enjoy more intuitive online
engagement, and it also opens the gates wide for creative innovation-especially as digital interactions
become more pervasive in every area of life, and
emerge as the new normal in the midst of the pandemic. What does this mean for creativity and retail?
"Super Convergence" focuses on how digital platforms are evolving fast, blending and overlapping in
new creative ways. From shoppable lingerie shows
on Amazon to user-generated video platforms adopting ecommerce and virtual malls developing gaming
options-platforms now allow consumers to shop,
socialize and be entertained all in one space. Retail
brands wanting to stay relevant should embrace these
hyper-fluid ecosystems.
"The age of the Amazon interface created to sell
books 25 years ago is over. The potential for beauty,
fashion, luxury and wellness brands to embrace the
new convergence of social, retail and gaming is huge,"
Lipscombe said.

PHOTO BY STEPHY FUNG

CULT FUTURES AND FUTURIST
LUCIE GREENE PARTNER TO
EXPLORE THE FUTURE AS OLD
AND NEW MEDIA COLLIDE

been accelerated even more so with COVID-19. AR,
gaming and AI innovations to social platforms are creating a raft of new immersive ways to connect, work
and shop. For creatives, this represents an exciting
new era for storytelling, visual stimulus and experiences. We're seeing a new generation of creatives
emerge who are collaborating with technologists,
sound artists, developers and engineers moving the
notion of creativity into new realms."
Episode two, "Total Immersion," explores how
traditional consumer/brand virtual interactions are
becoming obsolete. As mixed reality and AR are embraced by technology giants creating a groundswell
of applications, the concept of an interface is rapidly
expanding. Innovators are rethinking how to transform the online experience from simply an extension
of an event or an ecommerce platform, into standalone
immersive journeys, digital theme parks or branded
flagships-destinations in their own right.

With the current climate of isolation and social
distancing, online streaming platforms like Zoom
and Houseparty have become community spaces and
virtual venues, while entertainment providers, such
as Spotify, are seeing the value of morphing into social platforms. "Super Convergence" reveals what
this means for creativity and brands. In this hyperconnected digital universe, the merging of social
media, ecommerce, music, payments and entertainment allows consumers to enjoy more intuitive,
frictionless online engagement. Recognizing these
new converged consumer behaviors, rather than
thinking in a platform-centric way, offers vast opportunity for brand creativity and innovation.
To read the full report, visit cultldn.com.

MIDDLE PHOTO BY BIG BJARKE INGELS GROUP

The Creatology
Report

DESIGN:RETAILJULY/AUGUST 2020

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http://www.cultldn.com

design:retail - July/August 2020

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