04 One Day
In the course of this journey, we pushed the limits of participants' techno-paranoia, experimenting with concepts that today we consider just prototypes, but perhaps in the future might take part in our daily life. We discussed how Synthetic Media triggers our confidence, how it affects our perception of reality, and how it might help the fashion industry become a more inclusive place. We also learned that novelty is an effective strategy to help brands navigate in the world of OOH, a highly saturated market. But we also acknowledged that it is still not enough for an advert to fully succeed in this context.
Going so extreme with personalisation is risky, and without consent, the so-called hyper-personalisation has no motivation to exist. Particularly in these extreme situations, audiences must perceive the ad experience as positive as possible, and the research showed that consent is only the basis. We obtain the best responses when we provide individuals with the choice to experience the advert - asking twice is better than once.
As this study has demonstrated, we also need a more human approach and direct communication for a well-executed hyper-personalisation. Instead of relying on third-party data, brands should involve consumers in the ad-creation process, informing them about how their data is treated and for how long it will be kept.
Such experiences must be memorable and beneficial for both sides -
we want to hear individuals say it was worth it.
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This time, I opted for the complicated track, applying Synthetic Media within Outdoor Advertising. But given the emerging nature of this technology, there are still infinite directions to explore nowadays.
Would it be worth testing the same concepts within online experiences in the future? In such circumstances, would individuals feel in a safer space compared to OOH? Would they feel more in control of their personal image and information? These may be potential topics of discussion for the time ahead, and perhaps one day we might cross our paths again.
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I wish to thank you for the time you dedicated to reading this project,
and I hope you enjoyed it as much as I did.
This final section is dedicated to the wonderful human beings that I consider part of this project as much as I am.
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To Rosie and Faris, for giving me a voice and for sharing enough pictures on social media so that I could create Faris' deepfake to present my work.
To Paul, Seema, Catherine, and Adrian for challenging my way of thinking, for encouraging me to aim higher, and for being extremely polite every time I presented a new odd idea.
To my family, for... I don't even know where to start. You just made everything possible, allowing me to live the life I dreamed of.
Or maybe you were just tired of having me around 24/7?
To Pietro, a person I highly admire and my point of reference since that silly day. It is such a relief to have him in my life because he believes so much in me that I won't have to force myself to do it anymore. I also appreciate the patience he showed at times I was more impatient than him.
A special thanks to the best interviewees (and friends) I could ask for: Alice, Chiara C., Chiara G., Connie, Gemma, Giulia, and Maria. Your curiosity to see the prototypes was my no. 1 incentive, the more some of you said "I know I will hate it" the more I felt motivated.
To Brad, for not showing any concern when his computer was running non-stop 8hrs a day. It's over now.. until I create a new deepfake.
And to all the friends I did not mention previously, to those who were with me before I started this project and those who I met later on. Thank you for always being by my side and for the excitement you show every time I talk about deepfakes. And no worries, that's not the end, Synthetic Media will follow you in your dreams even after this project is finished.
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I just feel so lucky.