Cheap influencers, the transformation of automotive and Ninja, the world’s most famous man – TugLife IV, day four
We’re consumed by technology and addicted like never before – it’s become impossible for us to live without it. Tech influences many of our day to day decisions without us even thinking about it.
How can we break free from technology’s grip on society and focus on achieving more in our everyday lives? How can we become a healthier, more active generation?
Or are we so gripped and engrossed by tech that there’s no way of turning back? Here’s what we’ve learned from our speakers during the final session.
Social Proof influences decision making
Neil Bayton from Trustpilot walked us through how Social Proof has evolved and developed in advertising, and how it impacts upon our decision making. Social Proof can come in many shapes and sizes, from judging a restaurant on how busy it is, to reading product reviews online.
Trustpilot say, ‘behind every review is a story that matters’, which Bayton supports: “try to tell a story, they are far more memorable than statistics.”
He explained how a study by The Washington Post showed that people are more likely to do something if they discover a large number of people are also doing it – we’re prone to following the crowd.
The crowd we follow in the modern age are led by online reviews, star ratings and influencers, which are impacting upon our decision making more than ever.
Esports is the number 1 consumer growth industry
Adam Whyte from Edge Esports told us how the professional gaming is now the world’s number 1 consumer growth industry – with almost £3bn invested in 2018 alone.
Older generations may fail to see the draw of watching other people play video games, but as Whyte explains “it’s far more interactive, thats why its taking us away from binge watching our favourite TV shows – everyone can get involved and play games with their friends.”
Esports chalked up well over 400m unique viewers on the live streaming video platform Twitch in 2017 – with data proving that kids are now watching more Esports than they’re watching traditional sports on television. “Professional matches on Twitch get more viewers than BT sport”, explains Whyte.
Adam Whyte from Edge Esports
What’s drawing younger generations to the world of Esports? It’s free to watch online. Whyte says that “it feels more authentic to millennials” compared to modern broadcasting.
Influencers and celebrities that kids idolise are playing the games they love – Fornite streamer Tyler ‘Ninja’ Blevins played live online with Drake, with over 230,000 active viewers.
Ninja is “the most famous person in the world”, who has more than 8m followers on the live streaming platform. Twitch alone has over 15m daily active users. “If you’re going to buy ad space, maybe think about Twitch” says Whyte.
The immersive technology sector will be worth £120bn by 2022
Max Cleary joined us from Digital Catapult, a government-backed immersive technology agency, to talk us through a bright future on the horizon for his industry. “We have the only dimension studio in Europe” – equipped with 136 cameras, you can create fully immersive VR and AR experiences.
These experiences are already having major impacts on the health, gaming and manufacturing industries – and business is set to be booming. The sector is currently worth an estimated £3bn, which Cleary predicts to be worth well over £100bn by 2022.
Nationwide access to the latest technology is hindering growth. “The introduction of 5G will open the door to VR and AR tech taking off, it’s 10x faster than 4g, and offers real time connectivity to live experiences.”
A massive thank you to everyone who has been a part of Tug Life IV, including our fantastic speakers who have shared their thoughts with us across the week, our guests and our sponsors.
