FutureBrand Labs

Digital innovation capability in a global brand agency

Challenge

FutureBrand is a global brand agency within the Interpublic network. In 2013 I joined the team in London to co-found a product and service innovation Lab, designed to help FutureBrand’s clients understand how their existing products might be augmented by new technologies and new customer behaviours.

Solution

During the first six months, our team developed a hydration prototype which garnered significant interest at Nestlé in North America. This was a connected waterbottle that tracked the amount of water an individual was consuming to understand how hydrated they were. The concept was a deliberately low-cost, lean example of how to create new product ideas within an agency environment.

We also created a service concept for Nespresso based on the idea of a connected coffee machine that could ensure that its user never ran out of coffee pods. The idea was developed into a short narrative and brought to life in a video (see below) that told the story of how loyalty could be rewarded over time to more appropriately deliver emotional experiences to Nespresso’s customers.

My role at FutureBrand also broadened over time to include the delivery of a number of more traditional digital design and build projects in North America and Europe. These projects were either completely stand-alone, in which we competed and won pitches against other pureplay digital agencies, or fully integrated into existing brand strategy and identity projects. 

I’ve included some examples of this work within this portfolio. Check out: Vizient, Cadillac Brand Experience Centre, Time Warner Hudson Yards. 

My role

Digital Strategy Director, Founder