The 2021 Oscars happened on Sunday. Did you bother to watch? Chances are you didn’t, considering that less than 10% of U.S. households cared enough to tune in. According to the final ratings reported by Nielsen, the ABC telecast only managed to score 10.4 million viewers and a meager 2.1 final ratings among the 18 to 49 demo, down 56% and 58%, respectively, compared to the 2020 Oscars.

Naturally, most people blamed this sharp decline on the pandemic, citing the fact that other awards shows aired in the past few months, including the Grammys and the Golden Globes, all suffered…

Editor’s note: This is an abridged edition of our Fast Forward newsletter. For the full version, please contact our VP of Client Services, Josh Mallalieu (josh@ipglab.com) to send a request.

On Tuesday, Apple kicked off its first press event in 2021 with a slew of long-anticipated product announcements, including updates for iPad Pro, iMac, Apple TV, and even the long-rumored item tracker AirTag. CEO Tim Cook opened the pre-taped event with a brief reiteration of Apple’s commitment to sustainability and eco-friendly design, before jumping into a tight hour-long show full of cool transitions and slick product demos. …

Video games have become an integral part of mainstream culture. Since the pandemic started, many of us have resorted to video games for comfort, distracting ourselves from the terrifying news and the lockdown boredom. As a result, video games and gaming-related content are commending more audience attention than ever. According to a recent report by YPulse, 94% of 13 to 39 year-olds in the U.S. are playing video games in some capacity.

Moreover, 2020’s most popular games, including Animal Crossing, Fall Guys, and Among Us, have become reliable virtual spaces that millions regularly turn to socialize with friends when we…

Why do people travel? A question commonly asked at airport customs, “for business or pleasure?” neatly sums up the two main reasons for travel. However, with the pandemic drastically accelerating the shift towards remote work and turning every meeting into a Zoom call, many companies are starting to question the necessity of business travel. Of course, business travel won’t completely go away — in places like Australia and East Asia, domestic business trips have already tipped back up — but it may never return to its pre-pandemic level due to the diminishing cost-efficiency of international business travel.

That leaves us…

Along with sales of board games, scented candles, and sourdough yeast, another category that received a lockdown boost was pet care. Pet adoption surged during the pandemic as people who are stuck at home suddenly found the need for companionship and had the time to care for a pet, and pet care received a consequent boost. From pet foods to pet toys to pet medicines, all pet care products naturally expanded their customer base and saw an increase in average spending. …

Video has been an important storytelling medium for marketers, but it is also a medium that is only starting its digital metamorphosis. Different as digital video may be from its analog equivalent in terms of distribution channels and scale, video creators are only beginning to explore new formats, viewing contexts, and rules of engagement.

As video channels evolve from linear TV to digital and mobile video, and in the future to emerging channels such as AR/VR, connected cars, and eventually the metaverse, video formats are evolving in tandem to become more personalized and interactive, more social and shoppable, increasingly immersive…

Looking back on the past 12 months, the audio industry leaned further into streaming and subscription as the key monetization channels thanks to the pandemic. The Recording Industry Association of America recently published its 2020 report on the current state of the U.S. music industry, which found that streaming had another huge year with 15.1 million new paid subscriptions — a record number of new subscriptions created in a single year. As COVID-19 disruptions forced many people to spend more time at home and less time consuming audio in-car, the shift of audio consumption from radio to mobile streaming also…

It is now common knowledge that the pandemic has significantly accelerated the adoption of ecommerce and related digital shopping services. U.S. ecommerce sales grew by 44% y-o-y in 2020, nearly tripling the 15.1% increase in 2019, according to the latest data from DigitalCommerce360. 25% of businesses surveyed by Software Advice in June reported having launched an ecommerce sales channel due to the pandemic. Overall, the pandemic has accelerated the shift away from physical stores to digital shopping by roughly five years, per IBM US Retail Index.

Less commonly addressed, however, are the unexpected consequences and new challenges stemming from hastened…