#lasselindstrom

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SXSWi reflection: Who will rule AI?

By: Lasse Lindstrom

I was really excited to be selected a SXSW ambassador for MRM and the London office. Before my trip to Austin, I tried to plan ahead and be really smart about the tracks and sessions I’d follow. There was so much I wanted to hear and learn about, but also share relevant learnings with you all. Not everything went according to plan, and I had to adjust as the days went along.

My track was SXstyle, which focused on fashion and technology. Last year, this track was not available. It was nice to see technology being incorporated so immensely in an industry not seen in this environment before. I attended panel discussions about the future of the automotive industry and the connected transportation as well. It was good to see the discussion from different points of view to understand what is actually going on. While talking to other MRM ambassadors and people at the SXSW Interactive festival, my notions were verified.

I expected to hear a lot about AR and VR (don’t get me wrong there was a lot of that and it’s pretty exciting!), but the clear winner was AI. Machine learning, automated content curation and personalised information — these are what artificial intelligence enable already today. For customers, this means relevant information about the products being served at the right time and place. For companies, this means streamlined processes and a better view into their customer’s mindset.

What’s the agency's role in this? Even though AI will eventually be autonomous, marketers still need to understand what is happening with their customers and what is the impact to the business. And that’s where you need someone to visualise and contextualise the information, the data. Data Scientists and Technicians were referenced in almost every discussion. They can see something others may not and visualise it in a way that makes it accessible for the rest of us.

There might be a new social media app or technology invented overnight that changes how consumers behave and interact with their friends or brands. But it’s still a human who is interacting with a technical solution, so that interaction can be mapped and put in a helpful and relevant use by the Data Scientist and Technician.

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Hacking Connected Vehicles

By: Lasse Lindstrom

One of the most interesting discussions I’ve attended at SXSW this year was definitely about the security side of being connected. Like Lauren shared in her post “Smart cars. Smart cities. Smart Users,” even entire cities are now being planned with connectivity being at the center of attention. When all smart things (cars, airplanes, buildings) are communicating with one another, they all need to have the same level of security.

The panelists on “Hacking Your Ride: Transportation Safety and Risk” were Andrea Basora, Mikko Hypponen, Jonathan Matus and Robert Hartwig — covering institutions, security and malware software, transportation technology and insurance.

The two main questions are: who is doing the hacking, and who would be responsible for the security breach?

Mikko Hypponen listed five types of hackers — traditional hackers, hackers with political motivations, cyber criminals, intelligence agencies and extremists. Cyber criminals are the majority of this, and their motivation is purely to make money. These criminals do not target the connected vehicles, but appliances that are connected to them. For example, a smart water heater can be used to hijack the network connection, which is then used for criminal data transfer hub. The solution is to understand the motivation behind the hacker — is there a reason or benefit for a hack?

Robert Hartwig explained how the insurance industry is analyzing past security breach data and doing future modeling for new value chains. It’s not only OEMs who manufacture vehicles, as technology companies have now started to invest in this area. The software used in a vehicle might be from a different service provider, for example Nest in your home. Who then owns the security standards and regulations? With so many product and service providers in the overall ecosystem of transportation, new rules and standards are needed to manage the security.

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Reset and Engage – How to Manage Expectation

By: Lasse Lindstrom

I’ve attended several sessions focusing on data and how machine learning can improve content curation and target messaging. It was refreshing to hear about the human brain for a change and the difference between the rational and emotional thinking during the purchase process. This was the topic of discussion for “Heads and Hearts: Consumer Engagement Where it Counts.”

The electrochemical process the human brain is able to absorb and adapt is based on the information it receives. The capacity to handle the information is limited, though. The brain can make a decision in 115 milliseconds by going through two streams – where and what? This is the context for understanding the information.

Humans go through rational and emotional thinking when they are purchasing a product. Value is associated with features or price, whereas values are what trigger emotion. Even seeing something that a person can relate to will trigger the emotion. Communication from brand should focus on portraying what the experience with the brand would be, not what the latest product features are.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e-r7gp51KQU – New Cadillac ad focusing on lifestyle and aspiration instead of product features.

This is why retailers are changing the experience with the brand around the expected value instead of experienced value. Experienced value is with the product, and it can be fulfilled with online shopping. The experience in-store is improved by resetting the mindset and the engaging with the right cues. This is considered storytelling. When the expected value is high, the customers are more loyal and able to endure poor service.  

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Mikko Hypponen, Chief Research Officer at F-Secure, shares what he thinks is the most impactful innovation.

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Lasse Lindstrom, Account Director at MRM Meteorite in London, discusses how mobile phones have changed and why he believes they are the most impactful innovation.