Composing a good meme is a mixture of art and science, but this infographic published by Mashable dives into some of the key ingredients that many successful memes share.

Memes are some of the most popular sticker themes
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But if you think that these whimsical marriages of clever words and opportunist imagery are a digital-only phenomenon, well, think again. Getting your Meme to go viral online is one thing. Seeing it materialize in the real world, however, has to count as an extra achievement unlocked. And that’s what is increasingly happening, with people and companies printing their favourite memes as stickers.

And that’s what one of Canada’s fastest-growing companies is dedicated to catering to. StickerYou recently opened a store in Toronto to complement its thriving online business proviving custom stickers for individuals and businesses of all sizes. StickerYou’s Founder and President Andrew Witkin says that memes are some of their most popular sticker themes, and that this fun element is a big part of what draws people to stickers, and why they often become collectible items.

“People have always collected stickers, but the difference these days, of course, is that technology gives people and small brands not only great content like memes to play with, but also the chance to produce customized stickers much more easily. The design tools are intuitive and you can test the ground with a small batch to start with,” he explains.

Many artists and designers are now turning to stickers as a way of extending the creative reach of their work, which makes sense given the way that our virtual an digital worlds are increasingly blending together, not least due to XR technologies that blur those boundaries between atoms and bits every day.

One of those artists is Ricardo Cavolo, an illustrator native to Salamanca, Spain, who has recently developed a special edition of the iconic blue Chiquita banana stickers. You can see the artist at work in the video below, appropriately using a Virtual Reality headset and Tilt Brush to go about creating the stickers that make liberal use of flamboyant colours, vivid imagery, and graffiti/pop art iconography, as well as Cavolo’s emblematic symbol of a heart with flames, which he says is a representation of the power that lies within all of us to overcome adversity.

Many artists and designers are now turning to stickers as a way of extending the creative reach of their work
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There’s been a surge of interest in streetwear lately and stickers are a core part of those cultures
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Luggage brand RIMOWA has also recently launched a range of stickers inspired by sustainability entitled “A collection of stone, lava, meteorite, ice, driftwood, and lichen stickers.” This came about as a result of the collaboration between Olafur Eliasson’s Little Sun Foundation, a non-profit organization with a mission to deliver solar energy to the most vulnerable communities worldwide. Only 500 stickers were made in numbered units packaged in eco-friendly boxes and became available to purchase online on December 3^rd, as well as at select RIMOWA retailers.

And RIMOWA is certainly not alone. Many big brands are capitalizing on the social and collectible nature of stickers as a medium to engage fickle fans.

Technology gives people and small brands not only great content like memes to play with, but also the chance to produce customized stickers much more easily
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According to a recent article in the Guardian, branded stickers are now among the fashion industry’s most sought-after items, as consumers eagerly slap them onto their laptops and other possessions to convey not only affinity with a label, but to reflect their own tastes and personalities. In other words, it signifies you’re part of a subculture.

Skateboard brand Palace for instance, released a sticker pack that sold out within an hour, and rare versions were reselling online for hundreds of dollars soon after. Other examples include stickers of the classic Calvin Klein Jeans image of Brooke Shields (you know the one) and fashion brand Coach which has produced leather stickers, while Berlin-based magazine o32c published a sticker sheet from Louis Vuitton’s creative director, Virgil Abloh.

Electronic musician James Lavelle says there is something about the tactile nature of stickers that gives them an authentic vibe as opposed to a massive digital marketing campaign, which can often feel rather impersonal.

“There’s been a surge of interest in streetwear lately and stickers are a core part of those cultures,” says Alex Powis co-founder of Stickerarchive, an online collection of popular graphics. He compares stickers to a form of coded messaging that lets people know what tribe you belong to.

Maybe one of the reasons I’ve always liked stickers is because mixing and matching – or even deciding where to place them –  lets you be creative without having to possess outstanding artistic talents of your own. I’m OK with the fact that my skills do not extend to drawing (pray you never get paired up with me on a game of Pictionary) but that doesn’t mean I don’t enjoy visual artistic expression. Stickers are very democratic. Literally anyone can join in the fun on an equal footing.

I am, in fact, writing this on a laptop covered with stickers I bought or collected at various places I visited, conferences I attended, or places I can’t even remember. But the stickers are still here, and long may they endure.

Alice Bonasio is a XR and Digital Transformation Consultant and Tech Trends’ Editor in Chief. She also regularly writes for Fast Company, Ars Technica, Quartz, Wired and others. Connect with her on LinkedIn and follow @alicebonasio on Twitter.

The post The Secret to a Sticky Meme appeared first on Tech Trends.

In previous posts here at Tech Trends we’ve talked a lot about the convergence of the online and offline worlds and how that applies to shopping and the retail sector, where omnichannel marketing is proving the way forward.

A bit part of that is enabling businesses that do depend heavily on having a physical presence to remain competitive. Many of us love shopping in our “mom-and-pop” stores but whether we like to admit it or not, technology has changed our expectations of what a good shopping experience looks and feels like.

Many of us love shopping in our “mom-and-pop” stores but whether we like to admit it or not, technology has changed our expectations of what a good shopping experience looks and feels like
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We want to support local businesses, for sure, but we expect them to cater to our newly found tastes for customized, on-demand, sleekly presented fare. We want to be able to engage with them on social media with compelling video content, and we want them to “look the business” and not like a tired relic from a bygone era.

But all of that costs money, right? Well yes, but not quite as much as you might think. Like with a lot of areas, technology has brought disruption, but also enabled hacks that mean small and medium-sized businesses (SMEs) can achieve dramatic rebranding results with only a fraction of the budget a larger enterprise would spend.

One great weapon in that arsenal is the ability that companies like StickerYou offer to produce customized branding materials which literally enable a business to quickly don a new, fresh skin with no mess and very little in the way of resources.

We want to support local businesses, for sure, but we expect them to cater to our newly found tastes for customized, on-demand, sleekly presented fare
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Companies like StickerYou offer small businesses the ability to produce customized branding materials which enable them to quickly don a new, fresh skin with no mess and very little in the way of resources
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To prove that point, the Canadian company ran a Make It Better contest across North America, inviting small businesses to enter and win a top-of-the-range makeover. Over 700 applicants applied for the prize (which had an estimated value of $10,000) From the 23 finalists, The Knight Butcher was finally crowned the winner, receiving a comprehensive makeover including with window decals, hours signage, floor decals, signs for fridges and freezers and true decals.

The Knight Butcher – a genuine mom-and-pop business owned by husband and wife team Terri and Chad Knight – emerged renewed from its improvements within a single day, highlighting the fact that revamping a bricks-and-mortar shop can be as easy as adjusting the design on your website, as long as you get the right people to help out!

The Knight Butcher - a genuine mom-and-pop business owned by husband and wife team Terri and Chad Knight – emerged renewed from its improvements within a single day
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Revamping a bricks-and-mortar shop can be as easy as adjusting the design on your website, as long as you get the right people to help out!
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For more information on how your business can also get a very affordable makeover, check out the StickerYou website, or if you’re in Toronto, be sure to check out their own brand new store, which is also the largest sticker store in the world.

Tech Trends offers a broad range of Digital Consultancy services to guide companies, individuals and brands in effectively leveraging existing and emerging technologies in their business strategy.

Alice Bonasio is a VR and Digital Transformation Consultant and Tech Trends’ Editor in Chief. She also regularly writes for Fast Company, Ars Technica, Quartz, Wired and others. Connect with her on LinkedIn and follow @alicebonasio on Twitter.

The post Making Rebranding Stick appeared first on Tech Trends.

“Branded content is like the golden pot at the end of the rainbow: nobody knows if it truly exists, but it sounds so beautiful,” says Nicolas Alcala, CEO and director of creativity at Future Lighthouse.

The studio, which has offices in Los Angeles and Madrid, specialises in VR narrative and fiction, and is one of an emerging breed that operates at the crossroads of storytelling and technology. In addition to working with big brands such as Sony Entertainment and Fly Emirates, they have produced original VR content that has been screened at a variety of film festivals such as Raindance.

Branded content is like the golden pot at the end of the VR rainbow
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Now, their latest commercial campaign – BeefeaterXO – has also been nominated for a Tribeca X Award (one of only 10 finalists for the prize that recognises the best in branded storytelling at the intersection of advertising and entertainment), the first and only VR piece to have achieved this accolade.

BeefeaterXO takes viewers on an immersive journey inside the mind of culinary genius, Dabiz Muñoz, the youngest chef to achieve 3 Michelin stars. The 6-minute interactive experience allows viewers to visit Muñoz’s mythical interpretation of the cities of Mumbai, Venice, Bangkok, and London, all the while surrounded by enchanting sirens, fighting Cyclopes and fantastical creatures inspired by Ulysses’ Odyssey.

BeefeaterXO takes viewers on an immersive journey inside the mind of culinary genius, Dabiz Muñoz
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The immersive experience employed over 50 actors and 60 technical and creative staff
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The immersive experience employs over 50 actors and 60 technical and creative staff, took 5 days to shoot, and a staggering 4,000 hours of post-production to bring everything together.

In 10 weeks the VR Beefeater experience attracted more than 20 million downloads
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Beefeater committed a significant portion of its Q1 online spend into creating, launching and implementing the initiative, and the investment seems to have paid off in a big way. During the ten weeks it ran, the campaign attracted more than 20 million views and 75,000 interactions, as well as tens of thousands of downloads. Impressive metrics by any standard, especially for such a new medium as VR.

This campaign is helping brand and marketing professionals understand the power for VR in brand building,” says Raquel Alonso Movilla, senior brand manager of Beefeater. “BeefeaterXO is an integrated transmedia campaign designed to engage with people’s hearts; we wanted to transcend the common storytelling and create a real experience,” she explains

Alcala adds that such content is disrupting the advertising and marketing industry through cutting-edge virtual reality storytelling, and sees huge potential for brands to leverage the new medium creatively.

“It’s one of those moments in history when a brand decides to set a new standard and change how things are done,” said Nicolas. “It’s engagement and creativity taken to the next level, creating a new story world for the brand along with top level artists.”

The campaign was produced and created by Future Lighthouse with the help of VFX Entropy Studio and La Despensa advertising agency and was directed by NYSU. It is available for Oculus, Steam, Gear VR and in-app version for iOS and Android.

Looking to make an impact in VR/AR/MR? Get in touch about our Virtual Reality Consultancy services and see how this exciting technology can be integrated into your customer engagement strategy.

The post How Big Brands are Engaging Consumers with VR appeared first on Tech Trends.