Lockdown made home the one-stop-shop for all activities, and businesses pivoted overnight to reach customers virtually, within the safety of their own four walls. As social-distancing measures continue and consumer confidence remains wary, short-term behaviour change looks set to outlive the pandemic. For companies willing to mix “real” and “reel”, the financial payoffs are far from imaginary. Disney Plus brought Broadway’s “Hamilton” to screens worldwide, becoming the most popular streaming platform in July. Peloton USA enjoyed a 66% sales increase in Q1, and as the Premier League restarts, Sky Sports is teaming up with EA Sports’ FIFA on virtual fan attendance. What can we learn from companies that have cracked the code to leisure and entertainment 2.0? For those that can’t go digital, what does the future hold and what trickle-down effects can we expect? Is the customer king in the digital world?
- Megan Jones Bell, chief strategy and science officer, Headspace
- Joan Murphy, chief executive and co-founder, Frame
- Daniel Danker, senior director and head of product, Uber
- Moderator: Tom Wainwright, media editor, The Economist
