Facial recognition companies and brands endeavouring to use the technology have been put on notice by Australia’s privacy commissioner after two rulings determined such data collection to be a breach of consumer privacy.

It’s critical enterprises have a higher-level purpose which can be translated by the individual employees into their work to aid productivity and engagement, according to the founder and executive director of the Centre for the Future, ​​Dr Richard Hames.

Bega Cheese has expanded its product line-up and now moved into the honey aisle with the arrival of B honey, its 100 per cent Australian honey sourced directly from local beehives. And in the process, developed a high-tech bee hive to protect local honey bees.

Smart wearable devices, from smartwatches to health trackers, are giving brands interactive ways to communicate with customers and leading to new types of insights from real-time and location-based data. And with COVID-19, we could see new devices and services developing to address some of the emerging health and medical issues.

Scaling consumer trials on-premise, lifting product awareness and increased distribution are in the sights of South Australian beverages brand, Bickford’s Group, following a new partnership with fellow SA tech startup, Shouted.

Online eyewear platform, Clearly, has embraced augmented reality (AR) Facebook advertising, claiming a first for shoppable ads with virtual try-on features on the social platform.

New Zealand company, Soul Machines, has raised US$40 million in series B investment to help with its quest to re-imagine how humans connect with machines.

One of the challenges of bringing any advanced technology to market is that it can sometimes be ahead of customers’ ability to use it. That problem is further compounded when the technology is capable of solving problems clients are not yet aware they have.

Australian consumers are known for their love of sport. But for any new team that wants to build an audience, establishing a brand among so much competing noise can be a difficult challenge.

Adopting a freshly minted document and data extraction technology is enabling MYOB to tackle a whopping big customer pain point while improving SMB tax time compliance, its product chief says.

Taylor Swift doesn’t immediately spring to mind when thinking about facial recognition. Yet the Grammy award winning singer has reportedly used the technology at her concerts to identify stalkers.

​Domino’s has launched a new AI-powered tool that scans, checks and grades every pizza before it goes out the door to ensure it matches its picture in all Australian and New Zealand stores.

​In an effort to get ahead of consumer behaviour, Starcom is undertaking an Australian-first ethnographic study into the connected home of the future.

​Virtual reality (VR) is becoming a game changer in the events industry, pre and post event, said a leading events management company.

SXSW 2019 has confirmed the extent to which technology will impact every aspect of our lives in deep and profound ways. I’m 15 sessions in, spanning a range of topics from flying vehicles, smart cities, neuro-science, nano-technology, to how the CIA uses creativity to solve complex counter-terrorism challenges.

UBank has launched its third artificial intelligence-based customer assistance offering and what it claims is the first digital human home loan application assistant.

Bankwest customers to have adopted the financial institution’s Halo ring are now undertaking more than a quarter of their purchases via the wearable device.

The rise of embedded technology in consumer products has changed the very nature of brand building and could finally kill off advertising as we know it, P&G’s chief brand officer, Marc Pritchard, claims.

​With organisations more focused on the consumer, and consumers demanding products that improve lifestyle while being socially responsible, CES 2019 has seen the launch of a number of smart products and devices that put the consumer firmly front and centre.

A fresh report on voice usage in Australia shows 1.35 million Australians now have a smart speaker with voice activated assistant at home, 200 per cent growth in just four months.

CMO takes a look at 10 real-life examples of brands utilising new technologies such as augmented reality, NFC, facial recognition, 3D scanning and more to breathe new life into their campaigns