Page 14 - AeM_April_2021

BEST PRACTICES & STRATEGIES

The avatar appears “free”, without a background or en-
vironment, and can therefore be added at will on the
computer. In contrast to video and photo shoots, the
digitized recording can be fundamentally changed after-
wards, just as the respective measure, campaign, or
the selected channel need it.

Another form of this "cut out" is used in social media
and is the basis for augmented reality. The interaction
with the content is created by mixing the video graphed
material and the live image from the smartphone cam-
era. If you take this approach one step further, you can
integrate any artist, model, or celebrity into ever differ-
portant than recommendations from social media and ent scenarios. In such a way that it does not seem like
even friends & family the report revealed. And interest- a video would run on the screen in the online game, but
ingly, while Gen Z has a global reputation of being pos- as if the protagonists themselves or their deputies were
sibly the most environmentally conscious generation, it actually "inside".
seems that only 7% of Singaporean Gen Zs see envi-
ronmental impact as an essential factor when making a There are generally two main application scenarios for
purchase decision, as compared to other considera- 3D models: (1) the relocation of the location, out of the
tions like reviews and price. studio and into the concert hall (e.g., as a hologram) or
into the online game; (2) digitization is the prerequisite
Break physical boundaries with avatars for alienation that goes beyond the realistic. The su-
preme discipline in 3D business is then the next step,
Lockdown and social distancing have clearly changed namely a universally applicable 3D figure that can be
the music industry since more and more artists are try- altered completely. It’s kind of a digital barbie doll—
ing to entertain people with the help of a digital doppel- even as a video with image, movement, and sound,
ganger. A growing number of companies is using ava- because that's exactly what the animation world is
tars in marketing now as well due to the obvious bene- working on. The animation machines are connected to
fits. Due to the many restrictions on people's freedom AI systems that, for example, transfer a written text to
of movement, the screen and the Internet managed to the 3D model in such a way that a video is created from
squeeze themselves in between end customers and it. Critics call this deep fake, and it would probably be
providers, and this in industries that have so far wise to label an avatar as such
seemed largely immune to digitization, especially con-
certs and events. If we thought, nothing could replace One of the most exciting developments in this area
the physical encounter between the artist and his audi- comes from Samsung. In 2020, a project called Neon
ence, we were already proven wrong. was presented at the CES in Las Vegas. In 2021, Neon
will be its own company and its software is already run-
Currently, the most prominent artist who has already ning as a private beta test. There are a handful of ready
proven the opposite is The Weeknd. The singer of the -made avatars that you can put anything in your mouth.
top hit Blinding Lights and halftime act at the Superbowl This could be the answers to Frequently Asked Ques-
performed in Tiktok last year. And not as a video, but tions, for example. The avatar adds a visual face to the
live. And not him personally, but his digital double. The bot.
artist himself performed in front of a green screen in the
studio while the audience saw him on a virtual stage. And if one assumes that dialogue systems and bots are
Since the event was live, the audience could interact getting better and better, i.e., that machines actually
with the artist and he with them. enter into dialogue with people freely, then it becomes
clear how logical it is to produce a human or human-
Certainly, the avatar of a prominent testimonial can be like output medium for this—an avatar.
used if the celebrity personally has no time, is in anoth-
er location, is ill, or the trip would be too expensive. The But there is one thing the machine does not take away
big difference to a video greeting is the fact that the from the marketer: without a good idea there is no good
avatar can be largely integrated into the scene thanks animation, no matter how good the technology might
to the green screen. be.◊ By Daniela La Marca

14 April 2021: Immersive Technologies in Marketing