David Wertheimer

Virtual reality gaming has been “the future” for a long time, but now that there are products set to be released that can be purchased by average buyers, VR is penetrating other markets. We know what a video game looks like in virtual reality but what about a concert? Or a basketball game? How about taking you to the Eiffel Tower in France, or more importantly, to space, or other places you’re likely to never go? I’ve talked about virtual reality in a number of posts because there is so much that is going to stem from the technology. Virtual reality will affect all industries, and we need to make sure we’re ready to embrace it. 

What happens as high definition gets better and better? As cameras evolve and create pictures that make us feel as though we are watching the scene occurring before our own eyes, filmmakers have to explore new ways to deliver quality work, making sure every prop used is realistic. This problem was unheard of just five years ago when anything smaller than two inches wouldn’t be visible by viewers. Although this is definitely a new challenge that filmmakers will have to work harder to overcome, it also makes the viewing experience better.

Facebook is set to launch their solar-powered drone Aquila into the stratosphere. Aquila has a wingspan the size of a Boeing 737, weighs less than a commercial airliner, and will (hopefully) deliver Internet to more than 4 billion people on Earth who don’t currently have it. If this projects proves successful, this could be a massive development — almost everyone in the world could be connected and this would open so many doors for interaction with other countries. However, there is a lot of money and data involved here that will be completely controlled by Facebook.

Native ads are still proving a challenge for publishers and buyers alike, even as Instagram dabbles in the arena. Why are some publishers so hesitant?

Autonomous cars are the future. One of the biggest concerns about driverless cars is, understandably, safety. To combat that fear, the University of Michigan unveiled MCity–a fully functional, 32-acre suburban mock town located outside Michigan’s flagship campus in Ann Arbor. Over 15 companies such as General Motors, Ford and even Verizon have started investing in the project.

It’s vital for corporations to build innovative cultures in the workplace. Among the reasons: improvement in productivity, quality, and efficiency. It also creates a competitive edge in the workplace to motivate employees to come up with new ideas they can carry out. However, this is all easier said than done. 

Today, a person’s entire life essentially lives on the Internet—from their credit card information to family photos. Creating a bulletproof program to protect this information has been somewhat of a daunting task for developers–until now. A German startup named JAR is developing a coin-sized device that will replace passwords and be essentially, hack-proof. “Developers of the JAR think their system is impossible to break in a lifetime. Their estimates say a hacker needs six quadrillion years to hack an account secured by JAR.” Those seem like pretty good odds of keeping information secure. 

Bloomberg Media is working toward finding the perfect solution to capitalize on the growing number of users that arrive at publisher’s websites through social media. It recently introduced Social Connect 2.0, which is a product that lets marketers serve ads to visitors who come to the site from social channels. This is a profitable move for publishers and for advertisers. The market will continue to grow and with it, publishers are going to constantly have to find ways to reach users from social media. I look forward to seeing how other publishers follow Bloomberg’s lead. 

Mobile advertising has become a lucrative industry for investors. Facebook earned $12.4 billion in ad revenue last year and 76 percent of that comes from mobile. Will Instagram see similar results as it incorporates more ads into its feed? Instagram is hugely popular, but in part because it’s not filled with ads. The early forays into advertising have been interesting — some of them very creative. 

Publishers from CNN to National Geographic are taking a page from Daily Mail’s playbook — hiring specialists to create content specifically for Snapchat. This is a great move for these conglomerates to reach a younger audience, since 37 percent of Snapchat’s 100 million active daily users are between the ages of 18 and 24. If executed correctly, this could really change how the younger generation of Snapchat users interact with daily news. 

Advertisements are very saturated today and they will continue to grow as “advertisers around the globe are expected to spend $592.4 billion in 2015, a 6 percent increase over last year.” Consumers are constantly bombarded with commercials, billboards, radio ads–you name it. If you want your ads to succeed, honesty needs to the mission. It’s all about connecting, empathizing and responding authentically with consumers. 

Content marketing has a lot of potential to help marketers succeed, but there’s also a lot of room for failure if marketers don’t have a strategy for their content. Why is this? Content marketing needs to be approached from a strategic standpoint at all times–understanding the role, optimizing the strategy and measuring results. “We can’t simply create content to offset the fact that interruptive advertising is being avoided at an unprecedented rate.”

Google has put in a patent for a glass-like wearable that records videos and makes those videos searchable through the cloud. Sounds like Google Glass, huh? “It could be a hint that Google is either reprising the troubled Glass’ potential as a consumer product or considering a separate tool geared toward Glass’ devotees in the medical and technical industries.” This product could be used for something like airport screening, or it could be used to record an event without the knowledge of those involved. It will be interesting to see if this product does revive or if this product overshadows Google Glass. 

Today, designers are taking on more roles at companies. Yes, they are coding, but they are also creating and collaborating with other departments. Five roles you must be able to handle if you want to become a successful designer are: 1. The leader, 2. The facilitator, 3. The generalist, 4. The user advocate, and 5. The analyst.

Facebook has been allowing users to upload videos directly to their platform for quite some time. And now we know that food-related content is the top shared and most successful type of video when it comes to users. Everyone has the potential to make their food videos go viral as long as the content inspires users to create, remains within 15-50 seconds long, and immediately catches users’ attention. 

Some of the most successful people today are also the most creative. Creative people can think of new and better ways to do something that everyone else has been doing for years. When they encounter a problem, they think of a solution. They understand how to connect with a wider audience. Award-winning documentary filmmaker Alison Klayman says the best way to consistently be creative is to constantly stay curious. 

You may have heard of Flipagram. The two-year old app allows users to tell stories by making music video-like clips with photos and videos. What’s newsworthy is that the app was just backed by two billionaire investors who also happen to be initial funders for Google as well. “We believe that storytelling is the path to deeper connections on social media,” said Farhad Mohit, cofounder and CEO of Flipagram. “We might be onto the narrative object for the billions.” This social app will be something to keep your eye on as it continues to evolve and grow in the future.