Social Innovation Lab

Discord is not only for gamers and Web3 enthusiasts, it processes features that allow brands to focus on passion points rather than products to build communities. In this episode, we talked with Media.Monks' SVP of Social Media - APAC, Werner Iucksch about the ins and outs of Discord. Put your headphones on and let's experiment together!

What is play, and why should brands care? In our most recent Social Bite edition, The State of Play and the Augmentation of Self, the Social Innovation Lab explores digital spaces and how they influence users to explore their personal capabilities. For this podcast episode, we brought on two Phenomena.Monks contributors, Carla Gatica, Brand Strategist, and Domingo Aguilar Mendiola, Social Media Strategist. Together with our host, Dulce Mattos, the group discusses how Web3 expands the capabilities of gathering and interacting through play. --- Check out our most recent Social Bite here: The State of Play and the Augmentation of Self.

Some brands are struggling to see the bigger picture when it comes to the Web3 movement. Put on your headphones and let's explore how brands can unlock this “brand superpower” and utilize Web3 to gain intimate access to their consumers. In this episode, our host Dulce Mattos sits down with Dan Lewis, Strategy Director at FLUX.Monks, to discuss the importance of community building and which fashion and luxury brands are realizing the potential of Web3.

Brands need to define what the metaverse means for them as a starting point toward reaching success. For this episode, Dulce speaks with Lewis Smithingham, SVP of Innovation & Creative Solutions, Media.Monks and Tim Dillon, SVP Real-time & Virtual Worlds, Media.Monks about how digital worlds are changing how we enjoy, consume, and interact with entertainment, and also, what that means for brands across the globe. Put on your headphones and let's walk through the new era of virtualization. Let's experiment together! Head over to Mediamonks.com and get a copy of our newest report, “The Transformation of Digital”, a look into: Understanding how virtualization is redefining experience, community, ownership and identity. Learning experience design principles to enable more collaborative, personalized and user-driven experiences. Navigating new ethical standards and a transformed privacy paradigm that will vet virtual-first brands.

Virtual influencers have caught the spotlight and are making an impression on social media and beyond. Put on your headphones and let's explore the rise of virtual influencers and how they interact with users across the globe on social platforms, including the metaverse. In this episode, Amy Luca, SVP Social Americas, Media.Monks and our host, Dulce Mattos talk through the dynamics behind working with virtual influencers and what to expect in the future. Let's experiment together! To learn more about the next frontier of digital influence, check out our social bites edition: Virtual Influencers: A Career Revolution

How does a brand's content strategy need to evolve in order to be relevant? Put on your headphones and let's explore the ambitions brands should have when creating content for social. In this episode, Paulo Yanaguizawa, Regional Editorial Creative Director, Media.Monks talks with us about how some brands can be sucked into platform-specific ‘best practices' and shares some successful goal-driven strategies for making content. Let's experiment together!

Gen-Z spends 68% of their free time inside of video games, this means that understanding the culture of gaming is going to be crucial for every brand out there. In this episode, we talked with Media.Monks' Category Lead - Gaming, Funs Jacobs as he shares light on how Gen-Z and the generations coming after are growing up online and how that has a huge impact on how they interact with physical and digital worlds. Put your headphones on and let's experiment together!

Can a brand be glorified or killed over a Tweet? Put on your headphones and let's walk through brand building on social media. In this episode, Caio del Manto, Global SVP Creative AOR, Media.Monks breaks down the interactive nature of telling brand stories through action and interaction. As well as the challenge brands face balancing global cultural relevance. Let's experiment together!

How does Netflix continue to move culture? For this week's episode, we brought on Guillermo Rivero, Director, Editorial and Publishing, Netflix Mexico to talk about the success Netflix has had driving culture through social. Guillermo walks us through how he approaches balancing the social conversations surrounding global and local products. 

NFTs have broken through to the mainstream in a big way. Currently, brands such as Lamborghini, Prada, and Nike are figuring out that NFTs can be seamlessly woven into their marketing strategies and used for brand loyalty. In this episode, Media.Monks Lead Creative Strategist, Michael Litman discusses why NFTs are in the spotlight, how they're used today, and how they translate into social.  

Social is becoming the entry point for everything we do online. It's where we get our news, entertainment, communication and now commerce, too. Inspired by these trends, our Social Innovation Lab teamed up with the Phenomena.Monks, a community of strategists providing exploration of social phenomena, to explore this trend further and summarize their findings in their latest report: “Social Commerce Commences.” Get the report --> https://learnfrom.monks.com/social-commerce-report?hsLang=en

US retailers and brands are starting to jump on the live commerce bandwagon. In this episode, Media.Monks SVP, Group Account Director, Erika Lang discusses shifting consumer behaviors, gamification of shopping, and tips on how brands can leverage live commerce as a piece of their overall marketing strategy. Put your headphones on, and let's experiment together! 

Managing a global social ecosystem is no easy task. With 40+ Instagram accounts, how does Nespresso do it with keeping local relevance in mind? For this episode, we welcomed on Thomas Dutreive, Global Digital and Social Media Project Manager at Nestlé Nespresso SA to offer fresh insights into this global challenge. Thomas walks us through how he approaches global vs local strategies, winning attention online and leveraging social media management tools to administer a global ecosystem. Put your headphones on, and let's experiment together!

With the introduction of new mobile privacy updates, like Apple's ATT, the paid social landscape is quickly changing. In this privacy-first era, how can social marketers create relevant, personalized ads that resonate with their audiences? In this episode, Media.Monks' SVP, Paid Social Americas Rhian Ryan walks us through the evolving media landscape and how first-party data and creative must come together to build better customer experiences. Put your headphones on, and let's experiment together!

As we kick off a new year, we're taking some time to examine the foundational trends that will shape the social media landscape in 2022. In this episode, Media.Monks Head of Social Strategic Planning Asahi Ruiz breaks down the top five social trends to watch in 2022 from privacy to social commerce to virtualization. Let's break down the biggest trends to watch in 2022 and experiment together! 

When you think of traditional brand building channels, social media probably isn't at the top of your list—but it should be. In this episode, Media.Monks' SVP, Social Americas Amy Luca explains why the next evolution of social media will be focused on brand building. Amy guides us through a holistic look at brand strategy, audience building, and brand values through the lens of social media. She also explains why the next era in social data and measurement will be tied to brand health. Put on your headphones to understand whether social media is helping or hurting your brand, and let's experiment together!

Remember when social media was only used to catch up on what our friends and family were up to? Well, those days are behind us—social platforms are changing and so are its users. In this episode, Media.Monks' Head of Social Media Strategy Daniela Gonzalez deep dives on two of the most important macro trends shaping the new era of social: the rise of social commerce and the new consumer behaviors brought about by Generation Z. Put your headphones on to hear her insights on what actually moves this digital-native audience to checkout, and let's experiment together!

We often hear that brands that are on social media need to be a part of the conversation. But what does that exactly mean? In this episode, Media.Monks' Partner and CCO Jouke Vuurmans discusses how to best tie your social presence together with your brand narrative and full marketing engine. His insights on how social should fit into the overall brand strategy will help you connect the dots and see the full picture of your marketing mix, ultimately leading to a better integrated digital experience for your consumer. Put your headphones on, and let's experiment together!

If you think a social planner is a person who schedules social posts, think again. In this episode, Media.Monks' Head of Social Strategic Planning Asahi Ruiz will explain how his team of social planners finds powerful insights through analysing human behavior and contextual cues, that help in the creation of work that is entertaining, informative and resonates with the community. Join the conversation and check for yourself how Asahi decodes social signals to develop memorable social experiences. Put your headphones on, and let's experiment together! 

TikTok recently reached a billion monthly active users, becoming the template for the next era of social media innovation and development. In this episode, Media.Monks' TikTok expert Aga Domagalska explores the elements that make the platform stand out in the social media crowd. From its unique algorithm, to its well-thought features and collaborative environment, you will learn strategies you can leverage to resonate with the app's community and get inspired by native creators like @khaby.lame and @ramblingsanches. Put your headphones on and let's experiment together!

It's curious how social media innovation often starts in Asia-Pacific, don't you think? In this episode, Media.Monks' SVP of Social in APAC Werner Iucksch joins us directly from Singapore to share his insights about the region's characteristics, platforms, and behaviors that make it so unique. You'll learn what types of strategy do or don't work in APAC markets, key trends worth taking into account, and what the future looks like for the region. Put your headphones on, and let's experiment together!