HYPRTELL: AdTech Gunslingers On The Horizon

HYPRTELL: AdTech Gunslingers On The Horizon

Adtech is about to transverse the void between stars to alternate dimensions – Get in techie, we are hitting the Hyprtell button.

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Hypertell was a term introduced from fringe Google events back in 2016 via office squads called Google Zoo. Which is kind of a think tank of technologists trying to push the creative envelope. Hypertell was a concept foretelling a future of storytelling where the user is in complete control of advertising, co-authoring their own curated digital experience with brands moment-to-moment in real time. Writers scripts for example, become more like in-moment decision trees rather than forming into obnoxious billboards. The term started to enter the ether of marketing and ad tech circles where it raised eyebrows before hitting a desert of aloofness. Well, at least until this gang found it on a crumpled up napkin so to speak. 

Picture this: It’s 2016, you hang a badge on your neck with your name on it, attend fringe Google events in the name of corporate visibility, maybe you've had a few cocktails. The last thing you want is another end of day keynote with this term hypertell on the reader board. *Groan.* But, as much as I hate to say it, these vainglorious suits were on to something, they just missed the punchline: It is not just an advertising technique, it is a striking concept pointing to a more useful, responsible, and ethical internet controlled by you, and not Big Tech. It is almost a call to arms if you can scratch the basic advertising veneer off of it. But when you couple that with today's emerging litigation and increasing privacy policy, the joy of marketing and technical innovation seems to finally be peaking out again. It’s like distant satellites transmitting light years away unveiling a world we cannot see. But the static breaks coming back, raise our pulse on the idea of a better, new world. Perhaps something different than the cookie infused, surveillance vacuum of today. And that excitement is a beautiful thing for tech workers everywhere. 

Let’s Double-Click On That

Gathering around campfires to hear wise elders spinning awe inspiring stories is fading. It is very much a “give me what I want now in this zeptosecond before I unfollow” type of world. Hypertelling still involves gathering around the campfire, but y’all are the ones authoring the story and it resolves in the moment. Digital execution then is like an invisible hand interjecting the next step of the story at just the right time based on what the listener is conducting them to. All ideally sans unethical surveillance or cookie pushing. Users, unbeknownst to themselves, feel as if they are seamlessly in control with joint authorship, and secure without leaks of hate-mongering looming in comment sections. Psychologists call this “locus of control”. Which is fancy talk for saying humans want to feel as if they have control over their life, decisions and experience. Whether that's true or not to varying degrees, should this not just be the way? Did we just become best friends?

Here’s Some Lipstick And Lightplay:

Imagine walking down the street with your new Ray-Bans or wearable of choice, crossing a street corner you could care less about. Afterall, it's just a street corner to cross, and you are en-route to happy hour. But in your vision, there suddenly appears a memory reminder playing a reel where you had your first ice cream cone at 3 years old on this exact corner with your dad! It folds into your vision, sparking memory and emotion that maybe gets you to call up ol’ dad and say “let‘s go get some ice cream” (after the happy hour hangover passes, of course). Now at the same street corner, at the exact same time, a different person sees their favorite scene from the movie The Matrix, which was filmed right here in front of them. Well now, it's Netflix and Chill night immediately as they flash a surprised grin to the moment of stumbling into the scene of a movie they watched incessantly. The same moment, two totally different experiences - both are useful, meaningful, and absolutely delightful. 

Let’s think about this in advertising: Imagine walking into your local mom-and-pop café and seeing a normie menu because you didn’t sign up for newsletters from them. You are usually the soy chai and vegan muffin provocateur preferring the local small business place, so wouldn’t it be nice to get some premium love here? In contrast, the person next to you sees a “secret” menu with discounts and that sweet vegan muffin, because they do subscribe to the local style drip. This would be the holy grail of what media people refer to as “aligning investment to opportunity and lifetime value”. But on the human side, you are getting better experiences with your favorite brand as opposed to being treated just like the next person in line - and that handshake of value, regardless of your cup of joe choices, always feels nice. We are talking about the story being delivered via augmented reality here, but your standard search, streaming, social, app, email, or electric tactic of choice all apply. 

It's The “Your Data.Your Story” Era.

There is a reality where commercial profit and human benefit intersect. We may be daydreaming through static today, but it’s at least a future we can see and get behind. The intangibles on the journey are unknown, but it’s surely better than staying in place. Perhaps more competing media platforms will enter the field, maybe big tech disjoints will force interoperability. Maybe prioritization of privacy, usefulness, and creativity to end-users drives us back to a place where the internet can actually be good again and we deshittify adtech. Also, can we please end the 3P cookie? But most importantly, wouldn’t it be cool if the change agents that kept tech accountable actually return to taking the reins: Those bold few, riding off in the sunset… The tech workers. 

What do you think? Have some fun with us. Welcome to Hyprtell. We removed the [e] because it's just. so. rad. We aim to unite, inspire, innovate, connect, change-make and entertain. Join us, won't you?

Images AI generated