How do you start, build, or preserve a brand where the rules of “touch” have flipped? When “look and feel” has defaulted to the “virtual” realm? When consumers are antsy about touching screens or even moving a commercial package into the home? Pete Blackshaw — award-winning digital strategist, recent Cannes Innovation Juror, customer service author, and CEO of startup catalyst Cintrifuse — led a fast-paced, highly interactive webinar on the new rules of branding and venture-building in a contact-free world. We define “contactless experiences” as touch-free, voice activated, AI-enabled interactions for a post-outbreak world. He explained why now is the perfect time for brands to embrace “voice activation” — an area estimated to soon represent 50% of global searches. He also ran several brands through a gap-analysis framework to pinpoint vulnerabilities — and identified specific opportunities for immediate action.

Below is a fast-paced recap video of the session. If you want to hit the highlights, we recommend: “Contactless Experience Curve” (1:42), the Kroger use-case (3:25), and the Alexa/Google voice assessment of select brands (5:42).

Interested in further exploring this topic through our Corporate Innovation Services? Please contact Alisa Smith.