If you're like me and pretty much all of my Adweek colleagues, you've probably tried multiple videoconferencing tools over the past week or more. While I still fire up Google Hangouts, Facetime and UberConference on occasion, I've quickly gravitated toward Zoom.
I'm clearly not alone. In a fascinating piece on our site that declared Zoom "king of the quarantine economy," Adweek emerging-tech writer Patrick Kulp chronicled the video chat tool's rapid rise to dominance. While the app's execs have kept specifics on growth under wraps, we've already seen it soar to No. 1 on Apple's App Store leaderboard.
And if you've used Zoom with any regularity, you've probably seen its most addictive and occasionally distracting feature: virtual backgrounds.
Even if you don't have a green screen, Zoom can effectively fake a backdrop for you that's mildly convincing, or at least entertaining. The app comes with a library of options, but the real fun, of course, is in finding your own.
Brands and agencies have been quick to spot this trend and are already starting to flood the zone with (lightly) branded Zoom backgrounds. Today, our writer Sara Spary looked at the trend and which companies have been early arrivals to the land rush.
Behr and West Elm take the somewhat simple route of just offering up nice home-decor photography, which obviously isn't a bad idea when you're faking a background and your house is a mountain of dirty dishes and stinky laundry.
But these examples just scratch the surface. They're clever in opportunity, but they haven't filled the entertainment gap that fuels most virtual background selections.
So who will be the first to create truly custom-designed and animated virtual backgrounds for the quarantine era? Obviously, as with all areas of innovation, you should never rule out the adult sites. :)
David Griner
Creative and Innovation Editor, Adweek
[email protected]
