Discoveries big and small

It looks like the world of beauty pageants is following the trend of going virtual! FanVue, a British platform for content creators, is launching the first-ever "Miss AI" contest. No more swimsuit parades and questions about world peace; now it's all about AI-generated avatars.

How does it work?

Participants create ultra-realistic AI models that exist only on social media, primarily Instagram. These virtual beauties share their "thoughts" and "lives" through posts, photos, and even videos. A jury of four people selected 10 finalists from 1,500 applications.

But what's the point?

FanVue aims to highlight AI content creators and give them a chance to join the influencers’ economy without having to put themselves on display. It's also a way to test the limits of AI technology in creating ultra-realistic characters, riding the wave of artificial intelligence in the world of influence.

And what are the stakes?

While the concept is generating buzz, it also raises questions. The same stereotypes as traditional contests are present: all the finalists are young, thin, and voluptuous. Some people hope that future editions will showcase more diversity.

In the end, "Miss AI" is not just a simple virtual beauty contest. It's mainly a showcase for the marketing potential of AI influencers. With the influencer market expected to reach $200 billion by 2032, AI avatars could very well become the new stars of Instagram!

And you, are you ready to follow an influencer who doesn't exist? Prospekists are keeping a curious eye on this trend that could revolutionize influencer marketing!

To read the full article: https://www.npr.org/2024/06/09/nx-s1-4993998/the-miss-ai-beauty-pageant-ushers-in-a-new-type-of-influencer

How many times do you need to refine your request on AI tools to get good results? While crafting prompts is an iterative process, it's possible to start with a solid foundation and gradually refine the results. By mastering these rules, you can optimize interactions and obtain more precise and relevant answers from the first attempts. During a Whiteboard lunch session, we learned the 6 rules of the art for creating an effective prompt.

Key Takeaways To ask something clear to our friend ChatGPT, Claude, or Poe, you need to follow a list that goes as follows:

1. Define the task: To ensure the desired result, you must first state what you expect.

2. Clarify the context: To personalize the response given by the platform to your reality.

3. Provide examples: So the tool can mimic something you particularly like.

4. Establish a persona: Specify the expertise the text should communicate.

5. Request a format: Do you want bullet points? A table? Continuous text? Just ask!

6. Recommend a tone: Add a layer of personality and emotion to your text.

Of course, this list is not exhaustive and depends on the AI used. However, by using these basics, you are sure to have a good start that will shape your thinking. Now it's your turn to create good prompts and receive the expected answers!

To see the initial list, click here:https://ibb.co/xSPNWDf

As a boutique agency in Montreal, we always love to see what our peers are capable of achieving. During one of our Whiteboard sessions, the spotlight was turned on the Montreal-based company Off/Script, which has truly figured out how to innovate. The company has developed an AI to boost the creation of designs by its community, composed of ordinary people.

For her 65th birthday, Barbie scores a big goal in the field of women's empowerment! The brand is celebrating 9 exceptional athletes by creating dolls in their image. And guess what? Our very own Christine Sinclair is part of the team!

Why are we talking about it?

• It's a brilliant marketing move ahead of the Paris Olympics.

• It highlights inspiring women in sports.

• It shows that Barbie is evolving with the times (goodbye stereotypes!).

What we love

• Christine Sinclair, our Canadian pride is recognized as one of the best soccer players of all time (190 international goals, impressive!).

• The diversity of the chosen athletes, including Venus Williams.

• The strong message sent to young girls: you can be whoever you want!

Who knows, maybe we'll see a Barbie in the image of a prospekiste soon? In the meantime, we applaud this initiative that highlights the role of women in sports, even though we would have appreciated even more body diversity to match the profiles of the athletes in every detail.

Bonus

For those who prefer video games to dolls, Christine is also on the cover of FIFA 16. She's truly everywhere!

Despite the entertainment possibilities, virtual reality faces certain limitations in its immersive capabilities. To overcome these limitations and enhance the user experience in its parks, Disney presents HoloTile. This new technology revolutionizes the augmented reality experience!

How does it work?

HoloTile is a multi-user, omnidirectional, modular and expandable treadmill designed to deliver an immersive virtual reality (VR) experience. This innovative system enables several users to participate simultaneously in a VR experience, allowing unlimited movement in all directions without the risk of colliding or running off the platform. Once you've put on your VR headset, you can walk in any direction without ever moving in space.

The use of this technology goes far beyond augmented reality. According to the creators, it could be used in shows or stage performances to offer artists a new way of moving. We can still imagine many uses for it in the future!

TikTok is currently working on a new tool that would make all items in videos shoppable. Here's why this new feature caught our attention.

How does it work?

TikTok uses a technology that identifies objects in videos and then adds links to similar products on TikTok shop. This feature will enable merchants to be more profitable.

Why this tool?

In the past, you had to be an approved influencer to insert product links in your videos. Now, TikTok is looking to increase its marketing efforts, and with this feature, which is still in development, would be able to increase the number of e-commerce links available on the platform.

Since TikTok has the capacity to reach millions of users, we can expect this feature to have a major impact on online commerce. However, users are divided over the impact of TikTok Shop on the application. Many claim that TikTok Shop is detrimental, as it increases the number of ads on the platform. It remains to be seen how users will react to the new TikTok Shop update once it becomes available, and how much it will cost for businesses.

Predicting the future of marketing? Gartner's report aims to do just that. According to the report, several key trends can be expected between now and 2028. 

For a start, a decline in the use of social media can be expected between now and 2025. Users see a deterioration in the quality of the platforms attributed to misinformation, user toxicity, the presence of bots and growing concern over the integration of generative AI within the platforms. Also, according to the report, the use of AI-powered search engines will lead to a decrease in organic search traffic for brands. Although generative AI is widely adopted, the report suggests an increase in distrust among consumers, driving them to favor brands with authentic, human positioning. The use of AI-generated content will require transparency to preserve consumer trust.

The Gartner report underlines the importance of marketing professionals revising their strategies to adapt to these evolutions.

Where technology and indulgence meet, OREO is once again causing a stir with its latest initiative, OREOCodes. Imagine this scene: barcodes on milk bottles transform into magical portals to special offers on your favorite cookies. The campaign strengthens the inseparable link between OREO cookies and our beloved bottle of milk.

How does it work?

It couldn't be simpler! Curious gourmets simply scan the barcode on their milk bottle via the dedicated OREOCodes.com website. The magic happens, and you unlock special offers. An initiative made possible by the cookie brand's partnership with over 1,000 dairy companies around the world.

Results that speak for themselves

The results of this campaign are simply amazing. Sales of OREO cookies rose by a remarkable 7.3%. Over 83% of participants happily used the unlocked coupons, and on social networks, engagement soared by 230%. A resounding success that goes far beyond the simple in-store purchase.

Slack has become a must-have for many businesses, providing a collaborative communication space that makes life easier for teams. If you're not yet familiar with this platform, imagine a tool that allows you to instantly chat with your colleagues, share files, integrate tools, and organize conversations into channels.

• Return to the line by pressing "Enter": By default, when you press the "Enter" key while writing a message, it is sent to your colleague. To avoid the embarrassment of an unfinished message, simply click on your photo, then "Preferences." Next, go to the "Advanced" tab, find the line "When writing a message, press Enter to..." and select "Start a new line".
• Schedule your notifications: Receiving a Slack notification can sometimes be stressful, especially when you're working out or sharing a meal with family. In your preferences, under the "Notifications" tab, you can schedule the times you want to receive alerts on your screen, to avoid unwanted interruptions.
• Exclude certain channels from your searches: You're desperate for an Instagram stats report we shared with you a few weeks ago, but the company's "Cute Kitten" channel is flooded with Instagram videos that the whole team swaps? Go to your preferences, in the "Advanced" tab, and simply exclude some distracting channels from your searches.
• Create reminders: When your colleague asks you an important question or asks for the latest creative for client X, but you're immersed in a crucial file, don't worry. Click on the "..." next to their message, select "remind me" and choose when you want to receive an alert so you don't forget anything.
• Keep your notes and to-do lists handy: Rather than juggling between different apps and windows, you can open the Canva tool directly from your chat by clicking the icon in the top right. So you can add notes or to-do lists after a conversation with a colleague.

Here are five good reasons to increase your productivity and improve your experience with Slack. So, take advantage of these tips to make your teamwork even more fluid and efficient!

Who hasn't been faced with the challenge of dissecting the 2,452 reviews left on an Amazon product that catches our eye? With each purchase, it is natural to be certain that it is the choice that corresponds to our needs and that the quality will satisfy us.

Amazon has found an ingenious solution to this problem! Thanks to generative artificial intelligence, the famous marketplace now offers summaries of all the reviews left on each product. Better yet, the platform goes above and beyond by highlighting the most frequently mentioned strengths and weaknesses.

This means that with just a glance you can determine whether the product is "easy to use" or whether it offers "good value for money". This initiative is not only time-saving, but it also gives you peace of mind when considering a particular product. No more spending hours reading reviews, Amazon makes decision-making simpler for all of us.

So, if you are overwhelmed by customer reviews for your products or services, consider this tip to make online shopping for your users even more convenient!

Have you seen this huge advertising campaign that rocked Paris, Madrid, New York and London at the beginning of September? The one that announced the mysterious arrival of the iPhone R with all the Apple look and feel, making everyone believe that Apple was behind it all? Well, think again! The campaign succeeded in creating a large number of reactions, especially on the social network X (formerly Twitter), with thousands of people betting on what this mysterious product could be.

But here it is, on September 12, the day of Apple's famous Keynote presentation, Backmarket, the famous brand selling reconditioned devices, a large part of whose sales come from Apple products, revealed the pot of roses. The iPhone R was nothing more than a refurbished iPhone. And there, Backmarket brought out the heavy artillery to make everyone aware of the environmental impact of tech. They pointed out the astronomical quantity of Apple devices thrown away each year, a real threat to the environment with each new product launched.

Their goal ? Raise collective awareness about the ecological footprint of tech, while highlighting the advantages of reconditioned products, which are more durable and accessible to us all.

Perhaps now is the time to rethink our technological choices and opt for more environmentally friendly options. What do you think about it?

Who has never spent too much time searching Google results or opening a variety of links in different tabs to find specific information?

Say hello to Waldo, your new best friend!

Whether you are looking for telephone numbers, statistics, PDFs, or even information coming only from academic institution sites, Waldo offers a series of filters allowing you to quickly refine the results of your query. It is also possible to create your own filters depending on the sites to which you wish to limit the search results.

What's more, you can save results in a side panel to consult later and even create storage lists to keep portions of text directly from websites (and send everything to a Google Doc file by the following). Not bad!

Although the tool requires a subscription to take advantage of the full functionality, the paid version offers very interesting possibilities. Obviously, this requires changing your search habits if you're used to the Google interface, but the try is worth it!

https://www.waldo.fyi

Brave Browser is a web browser that stands out with its advanced ad-blocking and privacy protection technology. In short, it hides all advertisements (including video ads on YouTube) and blocks third-party scripts, preventing online tracking and protecting against phishing attacks. This also helps speed up the loading time of web pages, since the browser only loads the necessary content (by blocking scripts and third-party applications), which requires less bandwidth than other browsers like Chrome.

It is built on the open-source Chromium project and is compatible with all Chrome extensions. It is also possible to import all your settings and favorites from Chrome if you decide to switch!

The browser also offers users the opportunity to be voluntarily exposed to advertising, in exchange for crypto rewards (more precisely Basic Attention Tokens - BAT). Each user can choose the amount of advertising they want to allow while browsing.

On the privacy side, Brave offers a private browsing feature with Tor built-in, for added protection.

Changing browsers can be scary (by force of habit), but in this case, the visual and functional experience is so similar to Chrome that you barely notice the difference.