Amplify, the global creative agency that joins the dots between people, brands and culture, has launched FUTURES, a dedicated innovation practice focused on helping brands embrace and navigate creative technology, entertainment and IP. FUTURES will utilise the power of technology to immerse audiences, capture imaginations and co-create worlds.
FUTURES is part of Amplify’s continued mission to help brands build worlds and break formats with a dedicated offering harnessing the power of emerging technologies to create memorable brand stories and experience. As an offer FUTURES is already being woven into the DNA of the agency, influencing and shifting the direction in Amplify’s brand work for clients including Activision, Converse, EPIC Games, Google, Nike, PlayStation and Samsung.
FUTURES will be led by Innovation Creative Director, Ed Hallam and Head of Special Projects, Izzy Kertland, pulling together the passions, expertise and experience across Amplify’s global offices in London, Sydney, LA, New York, and Paris – including Australian-based ECD Tim Baggott, Creative Lisa Aoyama and Group Business Director Kate Maidment.
Innovation Creative Director Ed Hallam brings a passion and proven track record for combining innovation and technology with brand storytelling, building meaningful user experiences. Hallam’s background includes working as an extension to brand-side innovation teams including Google, Warner Media and Nike, the latter on patents resulting in Nike’s seminal Cryptokicks and dot.SWOOSH.
Head of Special Projects Izzy Kertland has over a decade of experience pioneering brand experiences, campaigns, content, digital interactives and exhibitions for brands and cultural institutions. As a specialist in innovation production focusing on new and emerging technologies, Izzy’s work for ASICS has been recognised by Cannes Lions and D&AD.
FUTURES run an experiment series – a program designed to build and test new ideas at speed, creating prototypes to drive the future of experience and campaign storytelling. In the last 18 months Amplify has collaborated with Creative Technologists from across a variety of disciplines – Eoghan O’Keaffe, an AI specialist; Sean Malikides who creates electronic, mechanical and sonic artworks with his design practice Kai Labs; and, Tigris Li, an Artist and Creative Technologist whose collaborative work with FUTURES will be showcased in Summer 2024. Most importantly, FUTURES believe in the power of community so will be inviting brands and audiences to be a part of this work, making it possible to download a code and access research through a series of prototypes drops.
Ed Hallam, Innovation Creative Director, said: “Amplify continues to be known for innovation, pioneering non-traditional forms of marketing and technology. Each project moves the dial forward, infusing technology demonstrating the art of possible. Whether that is for Nike harnessing the power of music and energy from a party to transform a 15-metre sneaker installation into a generative art piece through to helping Converse create a platform for emerging creative technologists to make their craft centre stage”.
Tim Baggott, Executive Creative Director, Amplify Australia, added: “Whilst innovation has always been a central part of Amplify’s global creative culture, the insights and collaborator relationships forged with FUTURES have opened doors to new possibilities for the work we create with our brand partners. In Australia these include Samsung: Chorus of Light, which integrated AI sentiment analysis to deliver an interactive installation at VIVID that responded to the meaning of spoken messages and Sonos Frisson Trigger, which saw us bring neuroscience research to spatial audio hardware to engineer a ground-breaking track that gives every listener goosebumps”.
About Amplify
Amplify is a global creative agency, specializing in experience and culture. Named both ‘Brand Experience Agency of the Decade’ and ‘Global Experience Agency of the Year’, Amplify works with some of the world’s most forward-thinking and progressive brands including; Activision, Airbnb, Google, Netflix, Nike, Pinterest, PlayStation, Porsche and Spotify, creating campaigns and experiences that join the dots between people, brands and culture. Headquartered in London but operating all over the globe, Amplify also has hubs in Paris, LA and Sydney. 2023 saw Amplify launch its worldbuilding thought leadership and film series at SXSW, sharing insights and perspectives from pioneering brands and cultural visionaries on breaking formats and creating culture that lives beyond individual campaigns. The agency is also the creative mind behind Young Blood, a research platform focused on modern youth culture. Amplify’s expertise is complemented by its audience specialist agencies. Seed’s focus is the student, Gen Z and young creators globally whilst Wonder is reimagining the worlds of work, business, education and entertainment for B2B and B2E audiences.
Amplify Australia creates integrated campaigns and experiences designed to connect meaningfully with audiences. They help Google, Converse, Nike, Spotify, YouTube, PlayStation, Campari, and many more of the world’s most prestigious brands to turn consumers into fans. As leaders in youth insight, Amplify is also the creator of Young Blood: a deep dive into modern Australian youth culture that is shaping comms for a wide range of youth-focused brands.
