Holograms, Cisco Comms, and an Applebee's 🤦

Insider Comms for internal comms

Apr 8

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Why Not Experiment With the Future?

The Wall Street Journal is out with a new video report on how companies, tired of Zooms, are experimenting with holograms for in-office communications. The 3-D light projections are popping up in workplaces around the world, especially in fields like medicine, education, and entertainment.

The idea isn’t far-fetched. Back in September I made the case for internal comms to experiment with holography because the technology exists but is not yet fully developed and not mainstream, which means holograms have the potential to be a disruptive technology.

Big Tech—Facebook, Microsoft, and Google—are pouring resources into leading commercial and consumer holography software, hardware, and experiences. Mainstream television entertainment companies are investing in and experimenting with the technology. And startups (like Voxon) are starting to offer their first line of hologram products to affluent customers.
Holograms appear to be edging their way into consumer and enterprise experiences, but whether they will stick around remains to be seen. The costs need to come down dramatically. The base model HoloLens 2, for example, costs $3,500. Magic Leap prices their first set of glasses at $2,300 and Voxon’s initial offering, the VX1, will set the consumer back a staggering $9,800.

What about holograms at the office? There are two companies that specialize in creating meeting experiences using holography. Organizations as diverse as WeWork, DHL, Moneris, and NATO are using ARHT Media’s HoloPresence technology for internal corporate communications.

I interviewed Andrew Dorcas, SVP of Global Sales and Marketing for ARHT, about the company’s hologram technology, its uses in corporate settings, and additional benefits to beaming busy execs around the world. Dorcas says:

Our product is not for the brainstorm or internal company meeting. It’s for the event where you want to present an idea where action is expected as a result.
Town halls are a great means of getting top brass closer to regular employees because employees get to ask questions in a much more compelling and meaningful way. Body language is over 50% of communication, after all. Our technology allows that realism to come through. You can’t hide from someone who is standing in front of you.
DHL is a great example. Their CEO hosts a quarterly town hall with employees using our technology where he also makes time for Q&A. They have also used HoloPresence™ for annual meetings and an Americas conference. All of these events were internal only. Another company, Moneris, has used our technology for their sales conferences.

Read my interview with ARHT about how their hologram technology is being used in internal comms.

I’m not saying holography is inevitable for internal comms. But I do think hologram technology is worth looking into, if not for practical use, then at least to help drive creativity and innovation within your internal comms team.

Internal Comms Adjacent

🙊 Leaked: New Amazon Worker Chat App Would Ban Words Like “Union,” “Restrooms,” “Pay Raise,” and “Plantation” (The Intercept)

🔁 4 Employee Alumni Programs We Admire (Brilliant Ink)

🏆 April 15 is the deadline to submit to the Davos Communications Awards

🕰️ We’re meeting more often and for longer times (Reclaim.ai)

Insider Comms

Ellen Thornton reacts to three scenarios

Ellen Thornton is a Senior Manager of Employee Communications at Cisco, a title that does nothing to convey the depth and breadth of her experience, to say nothing of her passion for storytelling.

In my interview, Ellen: