In case you’ve been digital detoxing, Apple announced iOS12, personalized emojis (“memojis”), and a Siri app to make your life easier at WWDC 2018. For those of you who’d rather watch the highlights, a 14 minute recap on the conference can be found HERE.

In other tech news, Instagram Stories has a new repost feature that allows you to share stories you’re already mentioned in.

Crayola Beauty launched out of the crayon manufacturer’s latest partnership with ASOS. The 58 piece collection emphasizes inclusivity and embodies the brand’s spirit of self-expression and personal creativity.

Swedish brand Sioo:x is putting its product to the test with The World’s Most Boring Billboard. The home improvement brand purchased billboard space for 12 years to show just how durable its wood protection products are.

#BACKDATSTATUP In 2017, 74% of consumers chose a store based on a strong loyalty or discount program. Business Insider rounded up the top 15 loyalty programs HERE.

Lastly, to kick off the World Cup next week, Gatorade released its animated short highlighting Lionel Messi’s path to soccer superstardom.

Happy Weekend!
#strategysquad

Ad Agency or Derby Horse? Hofburg — Ad agency or derby horse? In a Jimmy Kimmel-esque challenge, AdWeek asked people on the street to differentiate agency names from Derby horses.

40% of food in America ends up in the trash. Atlanta-based startup Goodr is reducing waste by leveraging blockchain technology. The app uses blockchain to track the shelf-life of surplus food, and connects overstocked restaurants and those in need. Morton Salt also raised awareness for this issue by making a custom font from tossed food.

Oculus Go promises to bring the world closer together. Sounds oddly familiar to Mark Zuckerberg’s testimony, right? The Facebook-owned VR brand wants you to experience something that’s a little different from your own life, to connect more deeply with the world out there.

Feel the View. Ford Italy and Views International have developed a device prototype that allows blind people to feel visual landscapes. Using a camera, AI, and sensors, the device transforms landscape images into haptic vibrations to “feel the view.”

You’re not imagining it, Stan’s are everywhere. Adidas latest earning report revealed that sales has grown by over 20% for a ninth quarter in a row. The ongoing streetwear trend and celebrity partnerships continue to fuel this brand’s momentum.

What to Expect from Google I/O. Google’s annual developer conference begins on Tuesday — with new announcements about Android, Google, and Google’s many first party apps expected. Check out the full schedule of events HERE.

Hope you all have lovely weekends, and…

#strategysquad

He’s back. | Nike’s spot for the Master’s takes a look back at Tiger Woods’ career, featuring his highs and lows. Finally, a comeback story that doesn’t compare someone’s career to damaged hair.

Sponsorships Reinvented | Anheuser-Busch’s new sponsorship model uses performance metrics to trigger larger investments, and is expected to revolutionize the sponsorship market.

Machine Learning Made Simple | Google’s AutoML lets brands and users develop machine learning without the hassle of AI coding. If you’re wondering what machine learning can be used for, check out this data scientist who uploaded 48,000 photos of ramen to create a noodle ID tool.

#TooLaterGram | WWF partnered with travel influencers to bring awareness to the destruction of beautiful sites around the world. Illusionary before shots juxtaposed with the current state of these sites allows WWF to transform wanderlust into awareness to prevent future destruction.

#BACKDATSTATUP | 87 million = the number of people affected by the Cambridge Analytica scandal. While this may seem like old news at this point, the scandal has future implications on data access — affecting the ability to target consumers.

BONUS Zlatan Ibrahimović now plays for the LA Galaxy and he’s kind of a big deal. Check out his epic goal from last weekend:

LA Galaxy on Twitter

Let. Him. EAT. #ZLATAN https://t.co/sf4SYLKC9m

Have a great weekend!
#strategysquad

International Women’s Day across the world — Workplace nonprofit Catalyst partnered with businesses across the world to transform city skylines for International Women’s Day. From Bogota to London, skyscraper façades featured the female symbol (♀) as a sign of dedication to advancing women in the workplace.

Let’s-A Go — Ahead of Mario Day tomorrow (Mar10) Google Maps partnered with Nintendo to turn that boring old navigation arrow into Mario himself. The integration will be available for the next week.

More sports on social media — Facebook signed a deal with the MLB to exclusively stream 25 games this season. This is the first major sports league to come to Facebook, while YouTube has already captured rights to a streaming a couple MLS teams.

A dangerously cheesy world — How orange would your fingers be if the entire world was made of Cheetos? Cheetos released its “Cheetos Vision” AI camera app at SXSW — and it transforms your photos into carved cheeto masterpieces.

#BACKDATSTATUP In Pew Research’s new survey, YouTube narrowly beat out Facebook as the most used social media platform amongst American adults. The top used platforms are YouTube (73%), Facebook (68%), and Instagram (35%). See the full 2018 Social Media Use report HERE.

BONUS Here’s the official SXSW livestream and schedule.

Have a great weekend!
#strategysquad

1/ Thin Ice — Toyota’s newest “Start Your Impossible” spot beautifully illustrates perseverance. “Thin Ice” features figure skater Ashley Wagner, who failed to qualify for the 2018 games. While she may have missed a spot on the team, she is the perfect person for this spot and go Toyota for snagging her as ambassador.

2/ Perspective — How difficult is it to see the world from someone else’s eyes? Rag & Bone’s new film “Why Can’t We Get Along” leverages camera rigs to show the varying perspectives we can all have. Warning: If you easily get motion sick, please proceed with caution.

3/ AR Storytelling — The New York Times recently added AR to its list of technologies used to storytell. In its first AR-enhanced article on its app, readers can make Olympic athletes appear in the room in front of them. The article also showcases ads from Ralph Lauren, letting readers check out their Olympics-worthy outfits.

4/ Show vs. Tell — A phone ad, without a phone in it? Apple’s new iPhone X spot for Chinese New Year is a 7-minute film that doesn’t show a single phone. Instead, it shows viewers what memories can be captured through the phone itself.

5/ #BACKDATSTATUP — 2017’s State of Personalization Report revealed that over 50% of department store shoppers expect a personalized experience, but less than 20% actually get it. The disparity is greater online: over 75% of shoppers expect personalization, but only 23% of stores deliver. The concept of infusing data into service isn’t new. But the ability of retailers to efficiently leverage vast amounts of customer data to enhance service remains an issue in 2018.

Bonus: The IOC has some pretty strict rules. To make everyone’s life a little easier, here’s a breakdown of what sponsors, brands, and the athletes themselves must abide to during the games.

Have a great weekend!

#strategysquad

1/ Lufthansa’s New Look — It seems like every brand is modernizing its visual identity these days, and Lufthansa is no different. The German air carrier’s new plane design will feature a darker blue, a slimmer logo, and none of its traditional yellow.

2/ A Case — Remember all those “This is an apple” spots CNN ran back in October as part of its Facts First campaign? CNN just took all those apples and put them into “A case,” representative of the ongoing Mueller investigation. Looks like the Trump-CNN feud continues.

3/ #LoveBetter Shop — The One Love Foundation opened a Valentine’s Day pop-up shop in NYC to educate people about relationship abuse. The store stocked a wide range of typical Valentine’s themed gifts, but with a negative twist to them — sparking conversation about normalized toxic relationship behaviors.

4/ Ad Blocking + Crypto — Chrome activated its built-in ad blocker yesterday, blocking “annoying” ads, such as autoplaying videos with sound and fullscreen scrollover mobile ads. Publisher Salon Media is now asking users running ad blockers for their unused computing power… to mine cryptocurrency.

NBC Olympics on Twitter

Hey @snapchat users! You can watch Shaun White's final run LIVE on Snapchat coming up if you're not near a TV. #WinterOlympics #BestOfUS

5/ #BACKDATSTATUP — 445 million. That’s how many minutes have been streamed in the first six days of the Winter Olympics, more than all 18 days of the 2014 Sochi Olympics. Unsurprisingly, streamers were younger than before with 76% aged 18–49. #ByeCable

BONUS How far would you go to get a job? Check out this guy’s epic video cover letter for W+K New York:

Have a great weekend! #strategysquad

1/ The ‘High Line’ — Coca-Cola is just one of many brands shifting its focus to Millennials. After two years, Diet Coke finally revealed its makeover — a brand new logo, a “sleek” new design, and four new flavors.

2/ Adidas x BVG — What if you could get a full year of free public transportation by buying a pair of shoes? These limited edition sneakers give you just that, and let your feet blend in with Berlin’s BVG seat fabric.

3/ CES 2018 — As CES 2018 winds down, technology blog Engadget has rounded up some of its top picks from the show, including L’Oreal’s wearable UV monitor to Aflac’s smart toy. See the full list of winners here.

4/ Five Star Lager — Lyft partnered with Chicago’s Baderbräu Brewery to debut its own beer. Each can has a code printed on it that can offer up to 60% off a safe ride home — I’d give that 5 stars.

5/ #BACKDATSTATUP — Women have long been under-represented in technology, and the lack of female keynote speakers at CES 2018 doesn’t help this issue. But, did you know that only 9% of tech startups are founded by women? See how these five individuals are using everything from AI to coding to combat the diversity issue in tech.

1/ Price-Driven Campaigns — Subway is the latest to join Taco Bell and McDonald’s in the food value war of 2018. The sandwich chain is offering a limited-time discount to kick off the new year: one whole cent. That’s right, you can now get a footlong for $4.99!

2/ Commitment — Equinox’s first campaign of 2018 elevates new year resolutions to a whole new level. The fitness brand’s “Commitment Collection”highlights commitments made by some of America’s most dedicated professionals, and turns them into super luxe items.

3/ Chatbots — Beauty brands are leveraging AR and chatbots to provide customers with more personalized experiences. Brands from Estée Lauder to Sephora now offer services from simple appointment booking to virtual product testing using facial recognition.

4/ Mail is Coming — Move over Queen Elizabeth, UK’s Royal Mail created a limited-edition stamp collection featuring everyone’s favorite characters (and dragons) from Game of Thrones. Where does one adhere a stamp on a raven?

5/ #BACKDATSTATUP — Is it just me or is everyone Instagram famous these days? According to L2 research, the influencer marketing industry is expected to grow beyond $2BN by next year, with fashion and luxury brands benefiting most. Instagram already started exchanging engagement metrics for a paid partnership geotag, and it won’t be long before platforms release more tools and monetize these partnerships.

BONUS — Since the Olympics are around the corner, check out Jimmy Ma figure skating to DJ Snake at the US Figure Skating Championships last night. Turn down for what?