Alexander Wang x Adidas Digitizing the street with bike messengers and chat bots

Two unlikely pairings earned the Alexander Wang x Adidas Season 2 release some much deserved buzz. First, the collection itself was inspired by rave and cycling culture. You’re thinking “What does cycling have to do with rave culture?” Leave it to Wang to draw the connection, they both leave you sweating in tight, brightly colored get-ups. 

The second, in its execution. The collection paired a future-forward chat bot with delivery from a classically New York bike messenger service. The streets were certainly talking about it, or texting? The wild postings spread around NYC displayed a number to text and the product, making the experience come alive in a digital and physical realm. For a week, those postings were the key to actually getting the product hand-delivered (unless you were quick enough to screenshot a friend’s snap). 

Adidas and Wang continue to try their luck with the newest technology in authentic and unconventional ways. The chat bot is grounded by its New York, swapmeet-esque persona, shooting out replies like, “Sorry that’s gone. That color went fast. I got it in a different color tho. What about black? I know I got at least one left.” And the hand delivery only adds to the edge. Their venture serves as a prototype for all brands looking to straddle the line of new and old, efficient and personable, digital and physical, but in a way that feels real.

Published in internal magazine, Snacks.

Lessons learned at Coachella: the more 'gram-worthy, the better

Ten-second clips of Kendrick Lamar performing "ELEMENT." on a fiery set just three days after the release of his new album, Damn. A shimmering 35-foot tower of 2,120 circular mirrors, perfect for trendy selfies. Waffles on a stick rolled in Fruity Pebbles. The dry expanse of Indio mountains, shot from the highest point of an illuminated Ferris wheel.

The above were just a few of the highlights we experienced from week one of Coachella 2017. No, we were not in the deserts of California. Instead, we lived out the music, food, landscapes and art that make Coachella a millennial favorite, from our lives at home as we scrolled through our Instagram feeds.

Coachella, often thought of as an over-branded gimmick, still might have a winning formula for brands. The festival understands its primary consumers — millennials seeking shareable experiences filled with bliss, love and the works.

Seventy-two percent of millennials say they want to shift their spending habits from material things to real-life experiences, according to an Eventbrite study. And when they do spend on experiences, there's a need to share. Nearly seven in 10 fear missing out, a phenomenon that motivates this group to show up and say 'I'm here.'

So what can brands learn from Coachella? The more 'gram-worthy the set-up, the more social chatter it will receive. In doing so, it has become the birthplace and showcase of millennial trends.

Artistic in nature, the annual festival allows for contemporary artists and brands alike to leave a mark on a larger cultural conversation. While artists get more exposure, brands get backdrops for immersive experiences that beg for user-generated content.

Popsugar hosted an influencer-only brunch that later opened into a pool party. Guests were given bracelets with the event's hashtag and access to a 360-degree camera for capturing (and sharing) the event from all angles. A social media video director was on the ground for real-time content creation specifically for guest’s social channels.

Audiences capturing and sharing result in an infinite number of interpretations and social gratification. Social continues to shift culture. We've slipped into a paradigm where the opportunity for content creation and shareability are now expected.

With 'grammable moments all over Coachella, the experience travels beyond the festival grounds and is preserved in the Instagram feed. The connections to brands, artists and emerging trends are limitless.

It all seems well and good until we look up from our phone screens to see more phones pointing and shooting, than taking it all in live. Stepping back, we question, are we losing the thrill of truly living in the moment?

"Hey, White People"...A message from a Young Black Woman.

As the entire world knows by now (with the possible exception of Kim Jong-un), Pepsi, as part of their “Live for the now moments” campaign, released an ad that was completely tone deaf to the “now.” It was a two-minute demonstration of what happens when marketers try to connect without thinking of context.

To Pepsi’s surprise, but not to ours, the ad was met with unprecedented outrage and backlash. After a night of controversy and a 7000% increase of social mentions, Pepsi pulled the ad and issued this apology: “Pepsi was trying to project a global message of unity, peace and understanding. Clearly, we missed the mark, and we apologize. We did not intend to make light of any serious issue,” said the company according to The Daily Beast.

As someone working in the ad industry, and on digital strategy in particular, I was disappointed. I hoped that as a society we would be further along. But as a young Black woman, I’d be lying if I said this was shocking.

The way to avoid this disaster is simple, but organization leaders seem to exhaust every other option before considering they have a diversity problem. The answer: Hire people who aren’t white and male. Even more importantly, place them in positions of power so they can have a say about what makes it out the door. In the meantime, create a culture that is inclusive and respectful so even when they don’t have the highest title, they can feel comfortable speaking up. In this day, your brand reputation and success depends on it.

Here are some key guidelines marketers should take from the Pepsi fiasco:

        Authenticity is key. In an age of political and racial upheaval, brands may feel the urge to create content that speaks to these tensions. Yes, millennials love a good cause. But you might as well stay out of the conversation if you can’t bring something new and genuine to the landscape. When your community involvement is a google search away, your social content better match your organizational priorities.

       Social forces brand accountability. The transparency of the internet and the accessibility of social media force brands to be accountable for their content. This ranges from simple customer service complaints to full blown hashtags (remember #deleteuber?). Social gives a voice and power to those who would normally be left out of the conversation. Brands should be warned: Black Twitter is nothing to co-opt.

       Stay in your lane. Not every brand needs to make a political or cultural statement. Brands that aren’t organically connected to statements can still be involved by hiring people of color in front of and behind the camera.When you force your way into conversations, you distance yourself from the people you’re trying to attract (and usually look foolish). Once you’ve decided that your brand should take a stance, think critically about what players you bring in. Using popularity as the only criteria for partnerships is a pitfall brands make all too often leading to shallow and disingenuous content. Right players + right brand = potentially great (relevant) content.

Unfortunately for Pepsi – but perhaps fortunately for the rest of us – this has been a painful and expensive lesson for all marketers as we struggle to navigate the current climate – together.

Onward.