Rob Newlan: "Look at people first, not technology"

[Music] I'm Rob Newland and I'm the director the creative team for Facebook and Instagram and oculus a messenger across Europe Middle Eastern Africa and I run a team of creatives who get the amazing opportunity to go and explore the future of where creativity is going on on platforms it's interesting what what does great look like is looking for a singular answer but of course there isn't one so when I look at how people should be building video in a couple of different ways we look at firstly a look at people and you don't look at the technology we look at what are people doing like the best work forever has been built off of really strong powerful human insights and I think a lot of digital work has been built off of technical insights or focusing on the the newness of it so part of what we do is we start with the humanity of the work and then we build for who they are so if they're on the go then it's probably quite snackable that is it is the shorter videos if they're in a lean forward moment if this is something that's interesting to them if they're in the market to buy a car then actually you know what they're probably going to scroll through something and they're gonna want to look at a configurator or they're gonna want to look at the variety of the performance metrics new car and then if they're in a real lean back moment then this is long-form video and they'll watch it for as long as the film is good so I think there isn't a singular answer and no one nor nor should there be and we have to keep on exploring this and then we'll be nimble the way in which we produce work for that to understand it so how do we create production processes that allow us to see that and know as the works going live that watch what's working what's not the demand is on on all of us so the role that Browns can play on Instagram and Facebook is exactly it is exactly that the demand that you just put in the question is they need to add value they need to make sure that they're looking at the reciprocity between themselves and the people who are receiving their message I think the shift of what we've come from is advertising I'm a bit stupid and I don't realising this until a couple years ago it was a diverting attention away from something this is about taking me in into a piece so that it transports me it amuses me it provides something which is useful or an experienced throughout it but you're constantly looking at the reciprocity of value for that for those people so I think brands can play a great role they just have to make sure that they understand where that value sits with people oh I think we're seeing a range and it needs of the brand's who are I suppose exploring and looking for the textures who really get to do it so of course the big digital disrupter brands the Netflix of the world the way in which they are thinking about the content the way in which they're deploying that for multiple audiences are the way in which they've got different work working relationships with their creative agencies and their internal creative teams and their media buying it's phenomenal and really interesting I think you're seeing great work coming through at the luxury sector as well looking at the work the Chanel's are doing or Bulgaria doing and the work where they've really got to understand that that interrelationship of value for people but I think it's probably not as a Singh again a singular answer this is individuals this is individual brand managers or Brown directors briefing for something which is looking at navigating towards the future that they're having to be brave and set up new systems with their agencies so I think this is an open opportunity for the industry to come and build on and create for so taking them over brands taking a mobile-first approach I think is is not just happening because of old-school brands or I think this is just we're in a transition time where and where people are looking to how do they brief or how do they judge how do they assess that works if it's going live so briefing for mobile when you're not sure necessarily of the compliance of how to judge the work going back is it is is an unnerving thing to do as a brand director so I totally understand it but the reality is the only way you get to understand it is by doing it so that it is a very tangible very tactile this is something where you need to start doing it and you need to start building building for this environment and through that you grow your experience you grow your ability to understand to interrogate and also to build upon