Melissa Palazzo, President, Ant Farm

There’s a question that all advertising agencies must ask themselves on a daily basis. How can we truly connect with our audience? More specifically, how can we have an authentic emotional connection with the viewer while still retaining the uniqueness of the brand? We live in a time where technology is perpetually evolving and if one cannot keep pace, it’s simply adapt or die. As an agency, embracing this constant state of change allows for inventive creative solutions in crafting groundbreaking campaigns that not only resonate with viewers but also help foster growth and innovation within the agency itself.

Many say we exist in a post-digital age, one where the ubiquity of digital devices and information renders mechanisms of dissemination uninteresting to users. In this argument, devices have become invisible as they’ve fully integrated into our lives; one no longer marvels at the digital world, but assumes it. It is in this situation that innovative advertising can speak to the imagination and desires of its viewers.

To be able to service clients with individualized approaches, the infrastructure of an agency needs to be focused on flexible modular solutions to complex, ever-changing dissemination points. The nucleus of an agency that is ever-changing, demands robust augmentation, standardization of components, and the flexibility of back-end customization.

Innovative storage solutions like Qumulo, a scale-out NAS storage system, and industry-leading content creation products like Avid Media Composer and Autodesk Flame allow agencies to pivot quickly and create modern, efficient work flows to provide clients with a leading-quality product.

Certain technological advancements have allowed organizations to not only change the way they create content, but change the way the audience experiences them

By implementing this technology, an agency’s infrastructure can allow them to route video from multiple sources throughout the facility as well as out to various studio clients through video fiber networks.

The modular aspects of an agency’s workflow must allow one to respond dynamically to various clients' needs in a relatively short turnaround time.

Agencies need to utilize that flexibility to increase productivity across their organization, from early editorial work through the finishing pipeline. When time comes for delivery, the incredibly robust encoding system of Harmonic's Rhozet provides a unique technological advantage that allows agencies to output nearly any type of file footage needed for delivery.

Certain technological advancements have allowed organizations to not only change the way they create content, but change the way the audience experiences them. Through stunning immersive content and astounding revolutionary technologies, agencies can now take the concept of experiential marketing further than ever before. In terms of projection, content can be delivered across colossal screens at events and expos—including a 10k resolution screen, the size of multiple IMAX screens linked together.

In order to add impact to the immersive screen size and immense visuals of the creative output, technology can aid in the development of a four-dimensional experience that implements technologies like floor rumblers, fog effects, wind, and pyrotechnics. When all of these elements combine, they can deliver an all-encompassing production, capable of electrifying audiences and transporting them through an absolute thrill ride.  

Projection mapping allows video projection to transform common 3D objects into groundbreaking, interactive displays. By harnessing this technology across a sprawling conceptual landscape, agencies can turn a massive three-dimensional stationary model into a living, breathing world of wonder. While the model itself is static, the visual content projected on such a canvas can provide a futuristic experience that communicates information in exciting, creative, and inventive ways, while also allowing audiences to feel as if they each have their own path of discovery when experiencing such an exhibit.

In 1938, the French poet and playwright Antonin Artaud described in his collection of essays “The Theatre and Its Double” the illusory nature of characters and objects on stage as “la realité virtuelle.” This is widely viewed as the first known reference to the term we hear so much today: virtual reality. Words and images, no matter how well crafted, are only pale approximations left to the whims of the viewer’s interpretation. With the slow-arriving, but highly anticipated, technology of virtual reality, we now have the possibility of evolving our storytelling to a point where we can literally show someone what we mean, rather than just describe it. “Haptic” communication, which re-creates the sense of touch, will soon complete the illusion of telexistence. Understanding that this emerging technology has the potential to eclipse all other traditional mediums of advertising has anchored us in our commitment to exploring the fathomless depths of its potential.

One of the many keys to standing out among the competition is create something that has never been done. By continually seeking out and delivering unique creative content that infuses emerging technologies and changes the way advertising connects with an audience, one can push the boundaries of innovation and creativity in order to craft not just memorable advertisements but unforgettable experiences. Agencies can continue to prosper by implementing these ever-evolving innovations, delivering content that resides firmly at the harmonious intersection of marketing, entertainment, and technology.

Check Out:

CIOReview Client: Nous Infosystems

Overview: Overview | CIOReview