Daily Archives: September 27, 2022

Noah Frank landed his dream job with a consulting firm right after graduating in May from the University of Connecticut, and he immediately stepped into the online working world.

Working fully-remote wasnt much different from jobs Frank held down during the pandemic in college, but he soon found he craved interaction with people, though he did not want to go into the office five days a week.

So, in July, Frank moved from Connecticut where hed lived all his life to Atlanta to be closer to his employers offices with a hybrid work schedule.

Frank, 22, joined a workforce across the country that is in the midst of the most dramatic shift in working in decades, moving into working some or all of their jobs at home, spurred on by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Informal, collaborative spaces at insurer Travelers Cos. in downtown Hartford provide different work options. Here, chairs with high backs afford privacy. (Douglas Hook)

Workers were abruptly sent home at the start of the pandemic. Some soon started enjoying the freedom and were mixed about coming back to the office full-time. Others like Frank wanted to see colleagues in the office but didnt need to do that Monday through Friday.

Some experts say work schedule flexibility, with hybrid options part at home, part at the office is high on the list for employees and had already been gaining popularity even before the pandemic.

Those experts also say that work flexibility in the coming years is likely to emerge as critical to both attracting top-notch employees and retaining them.

Greg Reilly, a professor of management and a department head at the UConn School of Business in Storrs, said a broad cross-section of employers didnt have a lot of choice.

Its something the top talent will look at and say, I can live with that. I want more flexibility and freedom and I dont want to waste my time commuting, " Reilly said. So, I think, thats why the strategy that companies are using for hybrid are now in place.

Chef Tim Dooley serves customers at the new 53,000 square foot cafeteria at the Travelers building. Twice a week the company offers a free lunch to draw employees back to the workplace. (Douglas Hook)

In its annual survey of college graduates, Chicago-based staffing firm LaSalle Network found a majority of 2022 graduates did not want work remote full-time. However, 60% said they preferred to work from home two or three days a week.

Frank, a strategist at BCG Brighthouse, said his decision to move to Atlanta was first tied to the job, but flexibility was a major consideration.

Ive gone in five days a week, and that has been great, but at other times, two-three days a week, Frank, who grew up in South Windsor, said. Some weeks, Ill go in and work with my teammates face-to-face. Other times, the real charm is being able to stay in the workflow, stay connected and still have time to get out to a coffee shop.

Frank said going into the office provides the camaraderie with peers, interaction, experts say, that helps build trust among members of a team.

There is something very real, just being able to have small conversations, in and outs, with your colleagues, Frank said.

The evolution of the workplace already in motion before the pandemic also is forcing employers to take another look at their space and how it can be reconfigured for a workforce that spends only part of the time in the office.

Even before the pandemic hit, property-casualty insurance giant Travelers Cos. started moving away from the traditional office-and-cubical configurations. Travelers, at its campus in downtown Hartford was well into emphasizing more informal, collaboration spaces characterized by groupings of chairs and tables.

On an average workday, Travelers has about 2,500 employees on its Hartford campus, divided between those who are working full-time in the office and those who have chosen hybrid schedules. The hybrid schedule allows up to two days a week for working at home and employees opting for that schedule represent the greatest number of Travelers workers on the downtown campus, the insurer said.

Travelers Cos. was moving to emphasize informal, collaborative spaces over traditional cubicles even before the pandemic, the insurer said. (Douglas Hook)

Travelers Chief Administrative Officer Andy F. Bessette said the push into hybrid dovetailed with how the insurer was transforming its own campus in Hartford before the pandemic, one that is dominated by the iconic, 1919 Travelers Tower.

The business world is adapting to this new world, too, and were all just trying to figure it out, Bessette, who is based in Hartford, said.

The centerpiece of the campus renovations is the year-old, 53,000-square-foot food market, with 10 restaurants stations, offering everything from salads to sushi. The food market is an amenity for making the return to the office more attractive.

There are 700 seats in different groupings and designed for more than dining, one even with a gas fireplace. Lingering and collaborating with colleagues is encouraged some of groupings are secluded, quiet, nooks and crannies, as Travelers describes them. The environment is far from the days of buying lunch and eating it at a desk.

So we are bridging something here, said Edward J. Howard, a Travelers second vice president of administrative services, who headed up the food market project. We move from the pandemic. Now you can come back and you know what? This doesnt feel exactly the same as when I left.

So we are bridging something here, said Edward J. Howard, a Travelers second vice president of administrative services, who headed up the insurer's new, 53,000-square-foot food market in downtown Hartford. We move from the pandemic. Now you can come back and you know what? This doesnt feel exactly the same as when I left." (Douglas Hook)

Howard said he had to give employees a good reason to come back to the office. Free lunch twice a week is a potent draw, given the culinary options.

Youve proven you can work from home, so if youre going to come to the office, youre going to come to collaborate, youre going to come to mentor, Howard said. Some people like being at home, but some people there was a little bit of isolation occurring. So what this space does, you get out of your home office. When you want that quiet time, there are all those nooks and crannies.

Hybrid work schedules are forcing employers to take a hard look at the space and how much they are going to need with fewer employees in office five days a week.

In downtown Hartford, those decisions are already sending shockwaves through the city, as office building landlords scramble to line up tenants for space that will be vacated. Tenants are responsible for paying rent until their leases expire, but they can sublease space, often at discounted rates.

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UnitedHealthcare, a major tenant at downtown Hartfords marquee CityPlace I office tower, is downsizing to about one-tenth of its current 350,000 square feet. Other tenants elsewhere in the city are pursing significantly less space as they renew space.

Those decisions will have major implications for restaurants and other businesses that have long depended on office workers. The conversion of former, vacant commercial buildings into 2,800 apartments in and around downtown is helping to build a downtown residential base, but more units are needed, city leaders say.

United Healthcare is dramatically downsizing its space in CityPlace I, at left, in downtown Hartford. (Rick Hartford | The Hartford Courant)

Strides are being made to develop Hartfords potential as an entertainment destination. One focus is using pandemic relief funds to fill long vacant storefronts along Pratt Street, in the heart of downtown, pairing it with residential conversion on the upper floors of buildings on the north side of the historic street.

Not all employers are downsizing. For instance, Hartford HealthCare, the parent of Hartford Hospital, is establishing its headquarters and other operations at 100 Pearl St., diagonally across from CityPlace I.

Companies are doing the balancing act of square footage under management, Daniel Newman, founding partner and principal analyst at Futurum Research, said. Getting the right size inside of different markets is going to be scrutinized heavily over the next few years.

Newman said employers are going to have to weigh " Do we want to continue to pay this huge, expensive cost of having these beautiful offices with juice bars, snacks and smoothies, if no one is going to come to work. "

Kenneth R. Gosselin can be reached at kgosselin@courant.com.

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Top Workplaces 2022: The evolution of the office in Connecticut - Hartford Courant

In 2016, LSD was reported from Russia and South-East European nations. In the Indian subcontinent, it was initially observed in Bangladesh in 2019, followed by China, India, Nepal, Bhutan, Vietnam, Hong Kong and Myanmar

In 2016, LSD was reported from Russia and South-East European nations. In the Indian subcontinent, it was initially observed in Bangladesh in 2019, followed by China, India, Nepal, Bhutan, Vietnam, Hong Kong and Myanmar

Lumpy Skin Disease (LSD) is a viral disease that predominantly affects cattle. First identified in an outbreak in Zambia in 1929, the disease is caused by the LSD virus (LSDV), a poxvirus of the genus capripoxvirus. Until the 1980s. multiple outbreaks of LSD were confined to the African continent. The first reports of infections outside Africa were in 1989 from Israel. In 2016, LSD was reported from Russia and South-East European nations. In the Indian subcontinent, the disease was initially observed in Bangladesh in 2019, followed by China, India, Nepal, Bhutan, Vietnam, Hong Kong and Myanmar.

The first complete genome sequence of LSDV (Neethling strain) was available in 2001 and suggested a large DNA genome. This strain was originally isolated in Kenya in 1958. Adaptation of poxviruses are dominated by genomic mutations, deletions and recombinations. Subsequent genomes from major outbreaks have provided quite interesting insights into the virus and its evolution.

LSD outbreaks were reported in Russia during 2015-2019. The virus isolated from 2015 and 2016 was similar to the earlier genomes. However, the use of homologous (attenuated) LSDV vaccine in 2016 did not end theoutbreak and subsequently vaccine-like isolates were obtained from affected cattle in 2017. By 2018, all field isolates of LSDV in Russia were replaced by viruses bearing genetic signatures of the LSDV vaccine, suggesting that the outbreak of LSD in Russia during 2017-2019 was due to a novel LSDV recombinant variant.

LSDV infections in China were first reported following outbreaks in several regions in 2019. Whole-genome sequencing revealed another vaccine-recombinant strain with 25 recombination events between a field strain and a vaccine strain. However, the strain from China was distinctly different from the vaccine-recombinants detected from Russia, implying that a virulent recombinant of LSDV with unknown origin was the cause of LSD outbreaks in China in 2019 and subsequently in 2020.

Recombination events are now well catalogued in poxviruses and mediated by the poxvirus DNA polymerases in cells being co-infected by viruses of same or different genus. Recombination of pathogenic and vaccine strains are, therefore, likely when an infected animal is immunised or infection occurs in the pre-immune phase after vaccination. Utmost caution and followup genomic studies are therefore essential before full rollout of homologous attenuated vaccines.

In August 2019, suspected cases of LSD were observed in Odisha. The first laboratory-confirmed outbreak of LSD was subsequently reported in November 2019. The overall infection rate was estimated to be 7%, with little mortality. Sequences of particular genes of the isolated virus from the 2019 outbreak were genetically similar to strains from Kenya.

In July 2022, large outbreak of LSD was reported from Gujarat and Rajasthan, which subsequently spread to 11 other States in a short span affecting Punjab, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Jammu & Kashmir, Uttarakhand, Uttar Pradesh, Delhi, Madhya Pradesh, Jharkhand, Maharashtra and Andaman & Nicobar with over 80,000 cattle deaths.

In collaboration with the Department of Animal Husbandry in Rajasthan, CSIR-IGIB reported the whole genome sequences of six isolates of LSDV collected from five affected animals. A total of 177 unique mutations were found compared to the Neethling strain from Kenya. Out of these, 47 were not present in any other global genome sequences of LSDV, implying that the mutations are unique to the 2022 outbreak of LSDV infections in India.

Phylogenetic analysis of the isolates showed that the current virus strain is unrelated to the virus found in India as well as other global genomes of LSDV. The closest genomes to the viral isolates from the current outbreak comprise 12 sequences belonging to other Asian and European countries that were collected from 2012-2022. Further, the presence of an additional mutation in two samples from the same animal and the large number of mutations potentially suggests that LSDV may be able to evolve fast within the host.

COVID-19 pandemic underlined the importance of continuous genomic surveillance for evidence-based public health strategies to combat the disease, and development of diagnostic tools and vaccines. Establishing genomic surveillance of transboundary and emerging infectious agents of high consequence is thereforeessential for early detection as well as devising evidence based interventions for limiting their spread and minimising economic and strategic losses.

We need to accept that animal and plant health are key to human health and well-being, and forms the basis of One Health. As we move towards industrialised agriculture and animal husbandry in the era of climate change, the need has never been acutefor preparedness with newer and better tools like genomics, molecular surveillance and digital technologies to warn, inform, identify and stop emerging pathogens in their tracks.

(The authors are researchers at the CSIR Institute of Genomics and Integrative Biology (CSIR-IGIB), Delhi. Views expressed are personal)

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The evolution of lumpy skin disease virus - The Hindu

Image: RNA, via Illustra Medias documentary Origin.

Editors note: We are delighted to present a series by Walter Bradley and Casey Luskin on the question, Did Life First Arise by Purely Natural Means? This is the sixth entry in the series, a modified excerpt from the recent bookThe Comprehensive Guide to Science and Faith: Exploring the Ultimate Questions About Life and the Cosmos.Find the full series so far here.

In an undergraduate seminar taught by Stanley Miller that I (Casey Luskin) took as a student at the University of California, San Diego, Dr. Miller taught us that making compounds and making life are two different things.1Many variants of Stanley Millers experimental setup have been used in attempting to demonstrate the conversion of energy-rich, gaseous-phase chemicals into amino acids and other biomolecular monomers. But this is not nearly sufficient to generate life. Any origin-of-life explanation must include plausible biochemical paths from individual bio-building blocks like amino acids or nucleic acids to functional polymers such as proteins and DNA. The origin-of-life explanation must also include ways to speed up chemical reactions that are naturally slow. In living cells, long chains of amino acids fold up into 3-D structures that allow them to function as enzymes that greatly accelerate chemical reactions, as seen in the figure below. How could these arise before life existed? More importantly, any origin-of-life model must account for the very particular sequencing of the molecules i.e., the ordering of amino acids in proteins and nucleotide bases in RNA and DNA that allows them to function properly. This means explaining a crucial aspect of life: the origin of its information, or what proponents of intelligent design (ID) call the information sequence problem.

For some theorists, the origin of life is defined as the natural origin of a self-replicating system capable of undergoing Darwinian evolution.2The most popular proposal for the first self-replicating molecule is RNA where life was first based upon RNA carrying both genetic information (akin to modern DNA) and performing catalytic functions (akin to modern enyzmes), in what is termed theRNA world. Before we delve deeply into that, it is instructive to use the proceedings of a conference organized by the International Society for the Study of the Origin of Life (ISSOL) at the University of California, Berkeley, in 1986 to measure the progress that has been made in origin-of-life research from 1952-1986.

I (Walter Bradley) attended this conference and watched one of the plenary sessions devoted to a spirited debate between scientists who believed that the first life was made of DNA (DNA-first) and those who believed that the first biomolecules were proteins (protein-first). Neither group had yet been able to synthesize under plausible conditions either protein or DNA. Proteins can act as a chemical catalyst. DNA is the repository of information that is used to make functional protein. One of the outcomes from the conference was the sense that neither protein-first nor DNA-first were promising pathways to explaining the origin of life. But the difficulty demonstrating a plausible biochemical pathway for the origin of life that went through DNA-first or protein-first created an openness to new alternative possibilities. In 1986, the RNA world was just emerging as a popular alternative to protein-first or DNA-first models.

At the concluding plenary session, leading origin-of-life researcher Robert Shapiro addressed the RNA world and traced citations in the biochemical literature of the synthesis of RNA molecules under conditions thought to represent the early Earth conditions. The results were shocking. He cited a 1986 paper indicating RNA synthesis under prebiotic conditions had been demonstrated repeatedly, citing a 1985 paper and alluding to others. But that 1985 paper did not present original work rather, it cited a 1984 paper and went all the way back to 1968 without any original work cited. A close reading of the 1968 paper indicated that the authors thought that they might have synthesized RNA molecules under prebiotic conditions but had not actually found any.

Shapiros talk subsequently presented five huge barriers to this biochemical pathway from prebiotic chemistry to the first living systems. At the end of his dramatic presentation, the room of most of the worlds most active origin-of-life researchers fell silent. The chair of the session, who was also the editor of the premiere journalOrigins of Life and Evolution of Biospheres, repeatedly invited questions from the stunned audience. It was the only time in my (Walter Bradley) professional lifetime that I attended a plenary session of scientists and engineers where there were no questions. The chair closed the session without any questions offered, and he closed with the comment, Robert, do you have to be so pessimistic? Robert did not reply, but might have said he was letting the data do the talking, and the data told a very pessimistic story.

History has confirmed Shapiros pessimism. Despite these difficulties, to this day, the RNA world remains the most popular model for the origin of life. But there are major problems with the RNA world hypothesis and claims that a self-replicating RNA molecule appeared by pure chance.

First, RNA has not been shown to assemble in a laboratory without the help of a skilled chemist intelligently guiding the process. Origin-of-life theorist Steven Benner explained that a major obstacle to the natural production of RNA is that RNA requires water to function, but RNA cannot emerge in water, and does not persist in water without repair due to waters rapid and irreversible corrosive effects upon RNA.3In this water paradox, Benner explains that life seems to need a substance (water) that is inherently toxic to polymers (e.g., RNA) necessary for life.4

To overcome such difficulties, Benner and other chemists carefully designed experimental conditions that are favorable to the production of RNA. But Robert Shapiro explains that these experiments do not simulate natural conditions: The flaw is in the logic that this experimental control by researchers in a modern laboratory could have been available on the early Earth.5Reviewing attempts to construct RNA in the lab, James Tour likewise found that [t]he conditions they used were cleverly selected, but in the natural world, the controlled conditions required to generate RNA are painfully improbable.6Origin-of-life theorists Michael Robertson and Gerald Joyce even called the natural origin of RNA a Prebiotic Chemists Nightmare because of the intractable mixtures that are obtained in experiments designed to simulate the chemistry of the primitive Earth.7In the end, these experiments demonstrate one thing: RNA can only form by intelligent design.

Today, RNA is capable of carrying genetic information, but RNA world advocates claim that in the past, it also fulfilled the kinds of catalytic roles that enzymes perform today. A second problem with the RNA world is that RNA molecules do not exhibit many of the properties that allow proteins to serve as worker molecules in the cell. While RNA has been shown to perform a few roles, there is no evidence that it could perform all necessary cellular functions.8As one paper put it, proteins are one million times fitter than RNA as catalysts and [t]he catalytic repertoire of RNA is too limited.9

The most fundamental problem with the RNA world hypothesis is its inability to explain the origin of information in the first self-replicating RNA molecule which experts suggest would have had to be at least 100 nucleotides long, if not between 200 and 300 nucleotides in length.10How did the nucleotide bases in RNA become properly ordered to produce life? There are no known chemical or physical laws that can do this. To explain the ordering of nucleotides in the first self-replicating RNA molecule, origin-of-life theorists have no explanation other than blind chance. As noted, ID theorists call this obstacle the information sequence problem, but multiple mainstream theorists have also observed the great unlikelihood of naturally producing a precise RNA sequence required for replication. Shapiro puts the problem this way:

A profound difficulty exists, however, with the idea of RNA, or any other replicator, at the start of life. Existing replicators can serve as templates for the synthesis of additional copies of themselves, but this device cannot be used for the preparation of the very first such molecule, which must arise spontaneously from an unorganized mixture. The formation of an information-bearing homo-polymer through undirected chemical synthesis appears very improbable.11

Elsewhere, Shapiro notes, The sudden appearance of a large self-copying molecule such as RNA was exceedingly improbable with a probability that is so vanishingly small that its happening even once anywhere in the visible universe would count as a piece of exceptional good luck.12A 2020 paper inScientific Reportssimilarly notes, Abiotic emergence of ordered information stored in the form of RNA is an important unresolved problem concerning the origin of life because the formation of such a long polymer having a correct nucleotide sequence by random reactions seems statistically unlikely.13Steven Benner refers to the Information-Need Paradox, where self-replicating RNA molecules would be too long to have arisen spontaneously from available building blocks.14Benner raises an additional logical difficulty in that generating an RNA molecule capable of catalyzing its own replication ismuch less likelythan generating RNA molecules that catalyze the destruction of RNA. This suggest a grave theoretical difficulty where RNA world theorists are faced with a chemical theory that makes destruction, not biology, the natural outcome.15

The paper inScientific Reportsproposed a solution to these quandaries that showed just how intractable this problem is: It concluded that because the formation of a single self-replicating RNA molecule is prohibitively unlikely in the observable universe, and therefore the universe must be far larger than we observe an inflationary universe that increases the probabilistic resources until such an unlikely event becomes likely. This is just like the materialist response to the fine-tuning of physics: When the observed specificity of nature appears to indicate design, they invent multiverses to overcome probabilistic difficulties. When RNA world theorists are appealing to the origin-of-lifes version of the multiverse to avoid falsification, its clear that their project has fatal problems.

Next, Still Unexplained: The First Living Cell.

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Origin of the First Self-Replicating Molecules - Discovery Institute

Intranasal vaccination is an interesting and increasingly attractive alternative to improving the delivery of therapeutic vaccines. It comes with the promise of better efficacy by stimulating local mucosal response, needle-free delivery and could be self-administrable. These qualities present several opportunities for future immunizations but there are still several challenges to overcome in their development and future commercialization.

In this webinar, we will review and share insights on success factors in developing an intranasal vaccine, and provide an overview of intranasal formulations and formulation strategies for both liquid and powder administration. We will also assess the available options for intranasal device platforms, review nasal deposition models and discuss the latest intranasal vaccine manufacturing needs from development to commercial scale.

Register for 9am London Session

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Aptar Pharma Webinar: Understanding the Evolution of Intranasal Vaccines - Aptar

This means operators will need to invest in the payment methods they offer if they are to meet their customers' expectations, thinking beyond cards to wearables and even just walk out technology.

Advances in technology and growing trends mean there are more methods available to consumers than ever before when it comes to settling the bill, with newer tech such as digital wallets and wearables gaining popularity amongst younger consumers in particular.

This generational shift towards more digital payments can be seen in the rise in popularity of digital wallets. In fact, in our most recent piece of research undertaken with CGA by NielsenIQ, nearly a quarter (24%) of respondents surveyed by us say they now frequently use mobile wallets like Apple or Google Pay while out, and nearly as many (18%) do this via payment apps provided by venues.

This, in turn, has contributed to the rise of wearable payments, with 13% of consumers telling us they use a device like a smart watch every time or most times they pay a bill at a restaurant or pub. Operators should therefore look to promoting this method of payment where it is on offer, especially as such technology becomes more affordable and accessible for consumers in the coming years.

Pay-with-your-face is paving the way in recognition software, with nearly a third of respondents saying they find this appealing. Favourable options across other new technologies, includes digital IDs at 33% and invisible payments or just walk-out technology at 31%.

Perhaps unsurprisingly, the numbers of 18 to 34-year-olds finding such tech appealing are at least twice as high as those in the 55+ bracket. The pace of innovation and more crucially - adoption in this area is swift, however that means operators wanting to future proof their business need to keep up to date with payment technologies as they develop.

Despite this openness to new payment tech, the days of notes and coins are far from over. In fact, recent reports have suggested cash may have a mini revival as people look to manage their money as the cost-of-living soars, according to research by the Post Office. Nonetheless, our research clearly demonstrates that cash is now used much less frequently in pubs and bars, with consumers telling us that they are withdrawing cash less often, with 69% indicating they take out cash less than weekly.

The key, as ever, then is giving consumers flexibility in payment options now and to ensure venues keep pace with new tech as it develops.

For more information on how Zonals systems can help streamline your business take a look at https://www.zonal.co.uk.

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Zonal looks at the evolution of payment from cash to digital - MorningAdvertiser.co.uk

Mad Stars shares a recent Q&A with Richard Smoorenburg, the Managing Director Data and Digital at Media.Monks.

Based in The Netherlands, prior to Media.Monks, Smoorenburg was Chief Digital OfficerIPG Mediabrands

Over the course of the conversation, he shares his thoughts on data regulation, the Metaverse, why he thinks aspects of the agency model are crumbling, and more.

Theres no secret sauce other than having a vision and being perseverant. Right from the start, there was a plan as to how wed like to grow, what type of clients wed like to attract, and what type of entrepreneurs wed look for in acquisitions. Generally, the best thing digital agencies can do is to create a plan, stick to it and work to make it happen.

For starters, its an amazing industry that is known for attracting diverse talent as well as providing breeding grounds for them. I was lucky enough to have seen many companies focused on data, creative and media from the inside, and though they are all different, they share their approach in attracting young people to the industry. So, as a talented young professional, you have the power to determine the direction of your career. Theres one personality trait that Ive always been on the lookout for and that is curiosity. On another note, its not only about starting with whyit goes beyond Simon Sinek.

Obviously, theres a lot going on with regards to data and privacy, including the whole cookie depreciation issue thats been postponed by Googlebut I wouldnt say that thats the biggest issue were facing right now. Recently, advertisers struggle with the unclarity and mismanagement around Google products.

The EU might be one region, but when it comes to privacy laws its a bit more nuanced. Over the past months, weve seen news articles from other member states that point out GDPR risks in Google Analytics. As a union, were not at a point yet where we can have one directive, which makes interpreting these local decisions difficult for, for instance, cross-border e-commerce companies.

Yes, in all fairness, the model is crumbling. Holding companies face difficulties in finding the right talent for running their digital operations, all the while the number of channels is increasing. Were already seeing that media plans are based on the people and knowledge that agencies have, and thats a problem when it comes to pushing creativity and innovation to the next level.

I believe that in order to succeed, we should focus on building the entire customer journey around data collection and then run campaigns to test hypotheses and validate outcomes.

I always say that if you ask a carpenter to fix a problem, hell likely reach for his hammer and some nails. The same goes for the holdcos; theyre still largely staffed, compensated and foundationally built around offline buying. So, what are you going to get? Theres no one right answer to this question, as the solution differs per advertiser, but generally having a digital agency in either the drivers or (at the very least) passenger seat for your customer journey sounds like a more future-proof solution than having a traditional agency determine the direction.

Well, to be perfectly honest, not many advertisers have reached that point yet, where media, data, creative and technology are seamlessly integrated. Truth be told, its not a simple feat either. The old world tends to look into what has worked in the past, using that for their next creative briefing. In my view, thats too limited, as it assumes a ceteris paribus when thats absolutely not the caseto the contrary, all other factors are typically not the same, so the learnings from previous campaigns are not as relevant as they were when you ran the campaigns.

So, I believe that in order to succeed, we should focus on building the entire customer journey around data collection and then run campaigns to test hypotheses and validate outcomes. This process of constantly being on top of the most relevant target audience and what it is that moves them is ongoing and done in real time.

For those who think that the metaverse is still a long way off, Id say think again. The metaverse is already herethe plane is just being built as we fly it, and its bringing us to a completely new, exciting destination. The metaverse is designed to deliver experiences over ads. In this highly interoperable digital ecosystem, ads wont stick to 2D. Instead, theyll be objects, spaces, skins, avatars and experiences. Both logistically and creatively thats a different approach to any of the digital social media we have seen so far. Games come close, though, and the success of Fortnite and Roblox as digital hang out zones for social activities is an indicator for the need to re-conceive advertising as we know it.

For those who think that the metaverse is still a long way off, Id say think again. The metaverse is already herethe plane is just being built as we fly it, and its bringing us to a completely new, exciting destination.

For the past years, Media.Monks has been working on the elements that lay the digital plumbing and foundations of the metaverse. Were building out to what will be the future of digital commerce and customer experiences, and have already shown what this will look like through digital events such as the second annual Song Breaker Awards. The metaverse is part of the next phase in digital and the next frontier for business growth: virtualization. Weve actually just released a report on it. You can read it here.

As I mentioned, I love all our client work. That said, streamlining Mondelz first-party data, among the other work that we have done for the brand, is one thing that Im especially proud of. Our client Mondelz is one of the worlds largest snacking companies, delivering delicious treats across 37 brands to consumers in over 85 marketsthats what Id like to call true global presence.

Mondelz hired us as its data agency of record, a model designed to help brands access, control and measure their data holistically as it continuously travels through the marketing and advertising lifecycle. Our global scale paired with our ability to work around the clock was ideally suited to help the brand engage better with its ecosystem of paid media partners in each market around the world. In all, with the brands data better organized and collected in an integrated data warehouse, Mondelz teams were better able to parse their and their partners data for campaign performance and media spend.

First of all, providing a visual representation of a case will definitely increase your chances. Make sure that you put as much effort into delivering the case as you can. Second, given Im more of a generalist, I tend to look at the wider craft instead of the deeper craft. If you have considered an omni-channel strategy and have managed to execute that flawlessly, then Im more interested in the learnings than the results. Third, make sure the case has at least some impact. I deliberately stay away from the word purpose, but Id say: show us the impact of the work and always be proud of the results.

This was published in collaboration with Mad Stars, South Koreas annual awards show. You can learn more here.

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Q&A: Richard Smoorenburg on The Future of The Industry, Data Regulations and The Evolution of The Agency Model - Branding in Asia Magazine