Most interesting examples:
Coke's generative AI and user-generated content mashup: this is a great example of a marketer leaning into new technology thoughtfully and aligning it with the brand's overarching purpose. It does raise the question, though: in the old days, user generated content was often referred to as UGC. So what do we call this? UGGAC (user generated generative AI content)?
Domino's Pizza Car Play Integration: removing friction from the customer journey is a strategic imperative for brands in a hyper-connected, mobile and 5G-amplified world, and this is an interesting experiment in that direction. Is it more convenient than opening the app on your phone? Maybe. Is it an edge case? Maybe. But what's perhaps most interesting is not just the feature, but that the brand chose to turn it into a TV spot as well.
Most interesting data:
The generative AI explosion has hit mobile app stores: a report from Apptopia showed a nearly 1500% year over year spike in AI chatbot apps in Q1. The report also highlighted a more than 4000% increase in related in-app spending. Certain there is a bit of a novelty factor here, and the law of small numbers likely applies, but still. And yet, it remains to be seen if any of these apps having staying power.
Most interesting platform news:
Apple granted a patent for a ring enabling gesture-control of AR/VR headset: sure, this is a rumor, and the whole headset itself remains a rumor - but interesting to see a company that typically excels at creating intuitive and dead-simple user interfaces getting creative with AR/VR interfaces.
