Advertisers finally know what we, us, the individuals actually want. It’s creepy but also kinda useful. Award winning creative director and futurist Dré Labre talks us through the ways new technology is giving advertisers more of what they’ve always wanted (our money).

We leave our data everywhere; we let our phones listen in on our conversations, we even tell our smart devices exactly what we’re into and we use ‘free’ social media accounts to literally tell advertisers what we ‘like’. Not only has this led to targeted advertising, it might also be changing the way we think of our privacy. That’s just the beginning. Imagine a world where entire cities are turned into interactive, augmented reality adverts during a major sporting event; facial recognition billboards know how you’re reacting to them and react back; products are targeted to your own personal genome. We discuss all this, plus a quick look at the wild world of deepfakes (including some positive takes); some campaigns that have put social change at the top of their agenda (especially those that target packaging waste); and ways advertising can change for the better. Recorded live and produced by David Angell at Giant Sound Toronto.

Dré Labre won numerous awards during his time as a creative director at Rethink Canada. He once placed Molson beer fridges all around the world that could only be opened when someone sang the whole of Oh, Canada! into them. Since leaving Rethink he’s founded TBD.company, where he uses science fiction as a tool to help companies reach their long term visions.

Follow Dré Labre on twitter @drelabre

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