- Rebooting the bedroom
- Upending the curriculum
- Gaming has become less about the games
- The virtual world's growing allure
What
They say home is where the heart is, but these days, it’s where the office, classroom, and happy hour are as well. As more universities confirm the continuation of online learning for the impending Fall ‘20 semester - many college students who returned home to quarantine are realizing they’ll be stuck at their parents’ house for [at least] the remainder of the year, and it’s inspiring them to breathe new life into their childhood bedrooms. A recent YPulse report found that 61% of young consumers have become more interested in decorating/furnishing their homes during COVID. YouTube has seen a boom in how-to videos for furniture refreshes, and Tik Tok is now home to endless posts of college students’ bedroom before-and-afters. Home furnishing giant Bed Bath & Beyond launched a new College From Home section on their website last month in hopes of capturing this renewed enthusiasm.
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Takeaway
More time spent at home has led to an increased focus on turning home into a place of comfort. How can we capture this fervor and inspire students to use Adobe products to turn their bedrooms into a space of creative inspiration?
What
As the new school year approaches, students across the country are campaigning for more diverse textbooks and ethnically rooted courses/programs that better reflect underrepresented groups. One of the student-led groups at the forefront is Diversify Our Narrative, which boasts 1,700 students across 200 school districts. The push doesn’t stop with students, though. Alumni and even teachers are aggressively petitioning their local governments to incorporate reading materials from more writers of color, increase teacher diversity, and implement initiatives to reduce the racial achievement gap in schools. There are even student-led Instagram pages, leveraging eye-catching visuals to drive awareness for these movements. Overhauling century-old curricula is an unprecedented feat, so students are looking to start by making small, incremental changes with the goal of ultimately leading to broader fundamental changes in the education system.
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Takeaway
This serves as another unique example of how students are tapping into the power of creativity to effect changes they want to see. We also know that Gen Z expects brands to play a role in helping actualize those changes. How can we leverage the extensive relationships Adobe has with schools to help advocate for more diverse representations in creativity-based courses and curriculums?
What
By now, it’s become abundantly clear that the gaming phenomenon is very real, very mainstream, and very much here to stay. But as this wave continues to grow, so does the essence of what drives its appeal. Gaming has arrived at a threshold where it’s become more about culture and entertainment than actual game play. This year, we saw early signs of this, as far back as January, with the TikTok and Fortnite collaboration, #EmoteRoyaleContest, which invited people to share videos of themselves doing original dance moves for a chance to have their dances immortalized as permanent emotes (the dances characters do in Fortnite). Now, VENN has entered the group chat. The name stands for Video Game Entertainment & News Network, and the startup behind it is a 24/7 content network, targeting Gen Z and Millennials—aiming to become the MTV of gaming culture. VENN is launching with six original shows, including the daily news program The Download and the interactive fitness show Looking for Gains, among others. The network will be available on Twitch, YouTube, and Facebook Gaming, in addition to its own website, VENN.tv.
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Takeaway
The world of gaming does not stop at the games themselves. In fact, the games have become something of a backdrop to the entertainment and star power gaming culture now attracts. As we delve further into this space, what are some unique ways in which Adobe can explore these expanding sources of momentum that drive interest to the gaming world, as a means to make creativity more relevant to our audience?
What
According to a Wall Street Journal/NBC News poll from June, 8 in 10 Americans feel the country is spiraling out of control. This has led to an increased desire for escapism, prompting people to turn to virtual spaces to reclaim a sense of stable autonomy. While 2D video games have certainly had a breakout year, there is also a fair amount of exciting activity brewing in the world of virtual reality. Somnium Space is a newly developed, open virtual world, where users can communicate, do business, and explore each other’s virtual creations in a seamless reality. Through a combination of VR headsets and custom avatars, Somnium’s world allows users to buy and rent virtual spaces or “land parcels”—where they have the freedom to do anything from ambitiously building and trading items, such as virtual art or private villas, to choosing more relaxing activities, such as hiking in the virtual outdoors. These kinds of unique virtual excursions are not confined to the world of techies in VR headsets, however. Just last week, Complex Media announced ComplexLand, a commerce-enabled 3D theme park that will allow users to virtually shop items from different brands, explore food vendors, interact with talent, engage in discussions, connect with others via a chat feature, and experience musical performances like never before. The experience is set to go live in December.
Takeaway
A 2019 study found that 88% of Gen Zers want omni-channel brand experiences, and social media has become a less compelling avenue to engage them due to the over-commercialized experiences brands have created on it. The need for fresher forms of online consumer engagement is growing. What could an Adobe-created digital world look and feel like? How can we create new touchpoints and experiences of escape that excite our Gen Create audience?