Apple’s Accessibility Feature ‘Voice Control’ Launches With New Narrative Spots

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At its annual Worldwide Developers Conference, Apple launched a new feature called “Voice Control” with a touching video spot in which former cyclist Ian Mackay, who was left wheelchair-bound after a bike crash, going about his day with the help of the new feature.

Voice Control allows iPhone and Mac users to fully control every aspect of their device by speaking.

The spot shows Ian directing his computer and phone to open apps, scroll and write and send messages. In place of having to click, Voice Control shows him a numbered list of options to choose from. Using the new feature, Ian is able to schedule a meet-up with his friend in the outdoors of the Pacific Northwest by selecting an area on the map on his computer then texting the location to his friend.

Known for mixing technology with emotion, Apple further demonstrated the various ways that its features help people overcome accessibility obstacles via additional narrative video spots via the company’s Accessibility page.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aqoXFCCTfm4

In one, a blind musician and father uses the Text to Speech feature to identify ingredients and cook dinner for his family. Another shows a band teacher use Live Listen, which lets her stream the classroom’s music from her iPad and into her iPhone hearing aids to hear more clearly.

In 2016, Apple used a similar approach to marketing its Accessibility features in another purpose-driven spot that shows a real editor, who has cerebral palsy, edit the same spot using the pads on her wheelchair to control the program. In it, she says, “When technology is designed for everyone, it lets anyone do what they love—including me.”

Apple has a long history of using its products to show support for important causes. For 12 years, it has been the largest corporate contributor to (RED), an organization that raises awareness and funds in the fight against AIDS. The company launched a (PRODUCT)RED line of devices as well as (RED)-themed exclusive game content.

Despite delivering its “strongest iPad growth in six years,” Apple’s Q2 earnings amounted to $58 billion, a 5 percent decline YoY, and revealed that quarterly earnings per diluted share of $2.46 are down 10 percent.

Cannes Lions Announces First Shortlists Including Innovation, Glass

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Cannes Lions announced this year’s first shortlist entries in “Glass,” “Innovation Lions” and “Titanium Lions” categories.

Here is the complete list of the entrants in each category.

Innovation Lions Shortlist

Dot Translation Engine. Making Everything Accessible For Everyone.
Dot. Inc.
Serviceplan, Munich

What3Words Voice
What3Words
What3Words, London

Immortals
Sberbank
Sberbank of Russia, Moscow

This Is A Tree
Pacific Paints (Boysen) Phillippins Inc.
TBWA/Santiago Mangada Puno Makati City

AR Drops
Adidas
Adidas, Portland

The Blind Votes
Orcam
Gitam BBDO, Tel Aviv

San Forgetica
RMIT University
Naked Communications, Sydney

Made In Fukushima. A Sustainable Decontamination Method For Farming
Meter Group Inc.
Serviceplan, Munich

Smart Touch
Alibaba
McGarryBowen, Shanghai

See Sound
Wavio
Area 23, An FCB Health Network Company, New York

The Genderless Voice
Copenhagen Pride
Copenhagen Pride, Copenhagen

Signs
German Youth Association Of People With Hearing Loss
MRM/McCann, Frankfurt

Deaf 911
Saatchi & Saatchi Wellness, New York

The Puck
Grey Canada, Toronto

Volts By Volvo
Volvo
Famousgrey, Brussels

Creatability
Google
Google Creative Lab, New York

Thisables
IKEA
Maccann, Tel Avi

Do Black–The Carbon Limit Credit Card
Doconomy
RBK Communication, Stockholm

Fit Pack
Corona
Leo Burnett Mexico, Mexico City

Consent Pack
Tulipan
BBDO, Buenos Aires

#Braillebricksforall
Dorina Nowill
Lew’Lara/TBWA, San Paulo

Furniture Collection
Homepro
BBDO Bangkok, Thailand

Mimica
Mimica
R/GA, London

Changing The Game
Microsoft
McCann, New York

Glass: The Lion For Change Shortlist

My First Bra
Antra, Nation Association Of Transsexuals And Transsexuals, Madre Mia Foilmes, San Paulo

Project Body Hair
Billie
Billie New York

The Non-Issue
L’Oreal
Maccann Paris

Just Do It: Caster Semenya
Nike
Weiden+Kennedy, Amsterdam

Viva La Vulva
Essity
AMVBBDO, London

First Shave
Proctor & Gamble Canada
Grey Canada, Toronto

The E.V.A Invite
Volvo
Forsman & Bodenfors, Gothenburg

The Not So Beautiful Game
National Centre For Domestic Violence
Wunderman Thompson, London

Lessons In History
Daughters Of The Evolution
Goodby Silverstein & Partners, San Francisco

The Genderless Voice
Copenhagen Pride
Copenhagen Pride, Copenhagen

Tour Des Femmes
Skoda
Fallon, London

Closer Than You Think
UN Women, Iceland
PIRAR/TBWA, Reykjavik

The Tampon Book: A Book Against Tax Discrimination
The Female Company
Scholz & Friends, Berlin

Nike Dream Crazier
Nike
Nike, Portland

Next Minute Scene
Ministerio Publico And ABAP
VMLY&R, San Paulo

Boys Don’t Cry
White Ribbon
Bensimon Byrne, Toronto

The Last Ever Issue
Gazeta, Pl/Mastercard/BNP Paribas
VMLY&R, Poland, Warsaw

Project #Showus
Unilever, Dove
Publicis Sapient, New York

#BodyProudMums
Mothercare
McGarryBowen, London

Hamam Waterproof Saree
Unilever Hamam
Ogilvy, Mumbai, India

We Believe: The Best Men Can Be
Gillette
Grey, New York

Miss America 0.2
Miss America Organization
VMLY&R, New York

Here To Create Change
Adidas
TBWA/CHIAT/DAY, New York

Titanium Lions Shortlist

Tommy Hilfiger Adaptive
Tommy Hilfiger
Wunderman Thompson, New York

Viva La Vulva
Essity
AMVBBDO, London

The Whopper Detour
Burger King
FCB, New York

The Fake News Stand
Columbia Journalism Review
TBWA/CHIAT/DAY, New York

Storysign
Huawei
FCB Inferno, London

The Truth Is Worth It
The New York Times
DROGA5, New York

Paving For Pizza
Domino’s Pizza
Domino’s Pizza, Ann Arbor

Broadway The Rainbow
Mars
DDB, Chicago

The Uncensored Playlist
Reporters Without Borders
DDB, Berlin

Changing The Game
Microsoft
McCann, New York

The Last Ever Issue
Gazeta. Pl/Mastercard/ BNP Paribas
VMLY&R, Poland, Warsaw

Thisables
IKEA
Maccanns, Tel Aviv

Hidden Flag
FELGBT/Eldiario.ES
Lola Mullenlowe, Madrid

The Blank Edition
An-Nahar
Impact BBDO, Dubai

Insta Novels
The New York Public Library
The New York Public Library, New York

Nike Dream Crazy
Nike
Nike, Portland

Billie Jean King Your Shoes
Adidas
TBWA/CHIAT/DAY, New York

#ForTheThrone
HBO
DROGA5, New York

The Non-Issue
L’Oreal
McCann, Paris

Podcast Ad Revenues Hit $479 Million In 2018, IAB Study Finds

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US podcast ad revenues reached a total of $479 million in 2018, according to the Full Year 2018 Podcast Advertising Revenue Study conducted by the Interactive Advertising Bureau (IAB) and PwC. The number reflects a 53 percent increase in podcast ad revenues from 2017 ($314 million), and almost double to the $220 million in 2016.

Proof that podcast ads are no longer a niche advertising vehicle, the study predicts that US podcast marketplace revenues will double by 2021, amounting to over $1 billion. Additionally, leading podcast companies’ self-reported revenues will reflect a 34 percent increase with $345 million, compared to $257 million in 2017.

Among the five business categories that represented part of the findings, direct-to-consumer (DTC) retailers and financial services spent the most on advertising, followed by business-to-business (B2B), entertainment and telecommunications.

Though dynamically-inserted (DI) ads increased from 41.7 recent to 48.8 percent, baked-in ads represented the majority of ads in 2018. Host-read ads remain the preferred method of podcast ads, making up 63.3 percent of ad types, and pre-produced ads constituting the remainder.

The findings also show that direct response campaigns are decreasing in popularity, whereas the integration of brand awareness and branded content ads is increasing.

“Podcast storytelling is deeply engaging and provides marketers with a brand safe environment that enhances the appeal to advertisers,” said Anna Bager, executive vice president, Industry Initiatives, IAB.

The study surveyed the 22 largest podcast advertising revenue generators via a quantitative mailing survey on the following self-reported data: net commissionable advertising revenue by delivery mechanism, advertisement type, campaign type, buy type, pricing model, podcast program genre and advertising business category.   

Dollar Shave Club, Oral B, Casper and New Amsterdam Vodka are among thousands of brands who have either advertised on a podcast or created a branded podcast. Still, the discovery of podcasts remains an issue as over 100 million Americans don’t know how to download and listen to podcasts.

“[Podcasting] is not a passive medium like radio, for example, which can be on in the background. Podcasts are much more likely to be an intentional, foreground experience. Someone tunes in because they want to listen and want to absorb it,” noted Bryan Moffet, COO of National Public Media, as reported by eMarketer.

CMO Donna Vieira On Sallie Mae’s Rebrand, Customer Journey

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Donna Vieira, formerly the CMO of JPMorgan Chase, was appointed chief marketing officer of Sallie Mae in January and in early May the company announced a rebrand. AList sat down with Vieira to talk about the vision she sees for the company and how the rebrand fits into that vision.

What are some of the first steps you took and what were the first things that you adjusted?

One of the first things that I did was get debriefed in all the businesses. I’m responsible, right now, for three lines of businesses. [It’s essential that we are] understanding those, what are the challenges and opportunities are and what our customers say. That’s one body of work. The second body of work is really around our brand and what work we have done with our brand. I’m always about the customer and what the feedback is around our brand. The third body of work for me is all about our people: Our employees and our talents. How do we think about the organization as we move forward? Those are the three core bodies of work.

How far along was the logo process when you started at Sallie Mae?

The team had already done a pretty significant amount of work around the branding prior to my arrival. When I got there, I was debriefed, and I’m very impressed with the quality of work that has been done. My leadership was really to ask, “What does this mean going forward?”; “How do we think about taking this to the marketplace?” and “What does this mean for our business long term?” I think we developed a core set of assets and my goal is to expand these assets. Build on the assets. Not just about that, but what does it really mean to be a purpose-driven brand? How does that translate into creating experiences? Because that’s was what matters of our customers: Experiences with our customers that take the brand forward.

Can you talk about some of the thought that went into the rebrand?

It’s important, for me, to say it’s more than a logo. [It was important to ask] what exactly we’re doing and more importantly, why are we changing? [It] is about coming back to my foundation, and my North Star is always about the customer. If you look at our customer and ask the question: “What do we want to be with our customers?” and “What is our purpose with our customers?” I summarize it around the following: We are in the business of creating prosperous futures.

If you look at our core business of student loans, it’s about helping our customers achieve one of the most important dreams of their lives in getting a post-secondary education. It’s mostly college, but it’s more than that. It’s all about creating a prosperous future. Our customers are changing, they’re evolving, and it’s important for us to stay relevant with our customers to go on this journey. What are their other needs, and what is their “what’s next?” Mobile is one manifestation of that [customer journey]. We will see product diversification; we will be launching a new product shortly. You’ll see brand experiences that come to life. This is the start of what’s going to be an exciting journey for the brand.

What is the core brand message for Sallie Mae and 2019?

We articulate it as: Equipping inspiring minds to achieve their dreams and to create the life that they want. But I think about what that means. We are here to be with our customers on their journey to building their prosperous futures. It’s their journey, and we are the coach and the partner along the way.

Walkers Gives Millennials Something To Talk About In New Spice Girls Campaign

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British snack brand Walkers partnered with the Spice Girls on a video spot that launched its #BestEverFan competition. The campaign is part of the brand’s effort to promote its reformulated cheese and onion flavored crisps and appeal to a Gen Z and millennial audience.

To coincide with the Spice World reunion tour, Walkers is giving one fan the chance to meet the girls on tour. The 90-second spot promoting the campaign shows the girls live televised as they surprise their Best Ever Fan, played by comedian Guz Khan. Much to their chagrin, the fan refuses to share his Walkers cheese and onion crisps resulting in the girls leaving without him, and instead with the fan’s mother who agrees that he should’ve shared his crisps.

“We want to rejuvenate the brand. Although we are in a very good position as the number one crisp brand, we are really trying to reconnect with customers. The whole idea is to not make this an ad but make it a story that people want to be part of,” Walkers marketing director Fernando Kahane told Marketing Week.

With promotion across television, social media and movie theaters, Kahana estimates that the spot will reach 17 million in the first eight hours post-launch, and 70 percent of the British population in the first week. The spot first aired during Britain’s Got Talent.

Walkers announced the competition on its Twitter with a 23-second video spot of the girls encouraging entrants to “Sing us a song, show us your moves—whatever it takes” and tag Walkers with the hashtag #BestEverFan. The video garnered 1.45 million views in nine days.

The campaign marks Walkers’ first ad with the Spice Girls in 22 years and a push to increase engagement with younger customers, likely resulting in ample user-generated content. In 1997, the brand partnered with the pop sensation to launch its cheese and chives flavor crisps with the Spice Girls featured on packs. As part of the campaign, one 20-second video spot gives a behind-the-scenes glimpse of the girls in their makeup room, Walkers bag in hand, talking about a handful of the 16 million prizes fans could win when purchasing one of their limited edition Walkers Crisps.