Latest news with #GameTheory
Campaign ME
20 hours ago
- Business
- Campaign ME
Game Theory – an answer to agency woes?
Relentless pitching, constant battle for client retention, pressure to deliver 'more for less'. Sounds familiar? Now add the pressure of AI and consulting firms wanting a piece of advertising action, and what you have is a ticking time bomb. Agencies are locked in intense competition, not just with rivals, but often with their own clients and even media partners, leading to a fragmented, inefficient and increasingly less profitable industry. How do you find a way out of this conundrum? I think one exists in John Nash's Game Theory. Not the fancy math, but the simple truth it holds. Ever heard of the Prisoner's Dilemma? It's simple: two guys, caught. If they both keep their mouths shut, they get off easy. But if one squeals, he walks free and the other gets hammered. So, they both squeal, because they don't trust the other. And they both lose more than they should have. For a second, take a deep breath, close your eyes and imagine, if you are able to set standards on fair pricing, pitching processes and more, collectively as an industry. 'Impossible!' you say. But it's not. How do you think the price of gold is set? Influencing factors – think supply, demand, interest rate, inflation etc. – notwithstanding, it's established twice daily by a group of five major international banks, known as the LBMA – The London Bullion Market Association. That determines the base rate of gold. Jewellers etc, then add their making charges etc. to determine the value of their final product. And make no mistake, the jewellery industry is as fragmented and super competitive as ours. When I say Game Theory, I'm not talking about some socialist fantasy here. Agencies will still compete. We'll still prove our worth by hitting those client KPIs, using every tool we've got. Bring on the consultants, bring on the AI – there's always room for good talent and good tools. The question really is, if our ideas are worth their weight in gold, why should their going rate be decided by the cheapest bid? Let's assume we never come together as an industry. Will the core issues be solved over time? Will pitches become fair? Will margins be protected? Will resource burnout reduce? And most importantly, are you helping sell your client's products and services the best way you can? Or are we going to keep hiding behind performance metrics that make us all feel happy, but hasn't moved the needle on sales. As John Nash famously said (or maybe it was the writer in the movie, A Beautiful Mind), 'The only thing greater than the power of the mind is the courage of the heart'. The question is, who's going to be courageous enough to take the first step for the collective good. By Vinay Mahadevan, Client Services Director, Rain Creative
USA Today
30-07-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
Should Nets' Drew Timme been on one of the All-summer league teams?
Brooklyn Nets center Drew Timme was arguably the best player for the Nets in the 2025 NBA Las Vegas Summer League that happened earlier this month. Timme not only showed that what he did last season was not a fluke, but he also showed Brooklyn that he's ready to contribute. Timme did not make either of the All-Summer League teams, but maybe he should have. "Timme was (expletive) amazing at summer league. I thought Timme was the best like offensive big I saw at Summer League. Just point blank," The Athletic's Sam Vecenie said on his "Game Theory" podcast. Vecenie, along with his co-host Bryce Simon of Motor City Hoops, was discussing how Brooklyn's rookies performed in the summer league before getting pleasantly sidetracked while talking about Timme. "I thought Timmy was (expletive) unbelievable. We have an all summer league team snub in Drew Timme. Drew Timme was so (expletive) good at summer league, guys," Vecenie continued. "Timme had 22 (points), 30, and 24. We'll talk about him tomorrow, but I thought he was so good. I thought him and Flip (Utah Jazz forward Kyle Filipowski), like they were the two guys, and I thought he was like a little bit more efficient than Flip. It was awesome. He was so good." To Vecenie's point, Timme seemingly performed like one of the best players in Las Vegas when you look at his production that he put up in just three games worth of action. Timme played 30.7 minutes per game and averaged 25.3 points, 8.0 rebounds, and 2.7 assists per game while shooting 55.4% from the field and 21.4% from behind the three-point line. Despite what Timme did, he did not make either of the two NBA All-Summer League teams, an action that feels like the league snubbing the former Gonzaga Bulldog. Timme's performance was so convincing that former NBA center Kendrick Perkins posted on X that Timme should be getting real minutes in the NBA for some team if not the Nets. Timme's performance in Sin City could be the start of him having his breakout season in the NBA.
Yahoo
30-07-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Nets' Egor Demin still has question marks after solid summer league
Brooklyn Nets guard Egor Demin had a solid performance in the Las Vegas Summer League after being taken by the Nets with the eighth overall pick in the 2025 NBA Draft. Brooklyn was hoping to see Demin play well against the available competition in Las Vegas and while he had some surprising developments, he still has some questions that he has to answer. "Played three games at summer league. I thought that it was up and down, I think is what I would say. The good news is that he drilled 43% on eight attempts per game from three," The Athletic's Sam Vecenie said of Demin on his "Game Theory" podcast. As Vecenie alluded to, Demin impressed many by not only shooting 43.5% from three-point land, but by also shooting that well on 7.7 three-point attempts per game. "I think that if you're bullish on Egor because of the shot, you've got real reason to be bullish based on the shot falling," Vecenie continued by diving into the bad news regarding Demin's performance. "My issue with Egor was never just the shot. It was the shot that fell here (in Vegas), but I still have some questions about (Demin's shot) long-term mixed with the fact that he doesn't really get by anybody." Vecenie, along with his co-host, Bryce Simon of Motor City Hoops, then delve into some of the concerns of Demin regarding his activity inside the three-point line. Simon goes on to note that Demin attempted just four two-point shots and two free-throws in over 75 minutes of floor time for the Nets. Demin finished his time in Las Vegas with averaged of 11.3 points, 4.3 rebounds, and 1.3 assists per game while shooting 40.7% from the field overall. "How does he ever get by anybody if he's not using a ball screen? That kind of showed itself in summer league," Simon said. Vecenie added that "he averaged 1.3 assists per game at summer league because again, he just couldn't get by anybody. My worry is that he's just not going to be able to actualize the passing in the way that we want him to despite the fact that he has this amazing vision which is incredibly real in my opinion." This article originally appeared on Nets Wire: Nets' Egor Demin still has question marks after solid summer league
USA Today
29-07-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
Nets' Egor Demin still has question marks after solid summer league
Brooklyn Nets guard Egor Demin had a solid performance in the Las Vegas Summer League after being taken by the Nets with the eighth overall pick in the 2025 NBA Draft. Brooklyn was hoping to see Demin play well against the available competition in Las Vegas and while he had some surprising developments, he still has some questions that he has to answer. "Played three games at summer league. I thought that it was up and down, I think is what I would say. The good news is that he drilled 43% on eight attempts per game from three," The Athletic's Sam Vecenie said of Demin on his "Game Theory" podcast. As Vecenie alluded to, Demin impressed many by not only shooting 43.5% from three-point land, but by also shooting that well on 7.7 three-point attempts per game. "I think that if you're bullish on Egor because of the shot, you've got real reason to be bullish based on the shot falling," Vecenie continued by diving into the bad news regarding Demin's performance. "My issue with Egor was never just the shot. It was the shot that fell here (in Vegas), but I still have some questions about (Demin's shot) long-term mixed with the fact that he doesn't really get by anybody." Vecenie, along with his co-host, Bryce Simon of Motor City Hoops, then delve into some of the concerns of Demin regarding his activity inside the three-point line. Simon goes on to note that Demin attempted just four two-point shots and two free-throws in over 75 minutes of floor time for the Nets. Demin finished his time in Las Vegas with averaged of 11.3 points, 4.3 rebounds, and 1.3 assists per game while shooting 40.7% from the field overall. "How does he ever get by anybody if he's not using a ball screen? That kind of showed itself in summer league," Simon said. Vecenie added that "he averaged 1.3 assists per game at summer league because again, he just couldn't get by anybody. My worry is that he's just not going to be able to actualize the passing in the way that we want him to despite the fact that he has this amazing vision which is incredibly real in my opinion."
Indian Express
29-07-2025
- Indian Express
Humane AI pin was a flop… so I used the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 7 as an AI device in my jeans pocket
Hypothesis: Flip phones are the most compact AI smart devices you can buy Test Device: Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 7 The Rabbit R1 and Humane AI pin were flops. But maybe that approach to getting an AI device juggernaut rolling was premature. Maybe the answer lies elsewhere. Maybe the answer lies in a flip phone. The flip has been a popular form factor for early mobile phones for two decades. With the foldables, this form factor has got a new lease of life, primarily catering to those who find it awkward to carry a bulky smartphone. But the fact is that this is a smaller set of people as the 6-inch-plus smartphone has found widespread acceptance across users over the past many years. But a flip phone might be the AI device we can all reach for. The Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 7 is an evolution of what Samsung thinks the flip form factor should be. It has become thinner compared to the earlier generation and offers a much more robust hinge mechanism which leaves no daylight between the two sides of the phone. Folded, the phone is just 13.7 mm, which is the thinnest a flip phone has ever been. I often kept forgetting I had this phone in my pants or jeans pocket, especially since the phone is just 188 grams heavy. It slips in perfectly well into your shirt pocket, too, and does not even make it sag because of the weight. But a smartphone can't just be about the smaller footprint. It is all about having a practical phone despite its smaller size. As someone who has used all flip phones from Samsung so far, what surprised me first was how the cover display had changed. It is now an edge-to-edge display with a 10.48 cm (1048 x 948p) screen that is stunning to look at. There is something about using this screen as a mirror by just unlocking the camera with a quick swipe on the camera icon. I would say this is the most impactful part of this phone. I say this because now you can use all the AI capabilities of this phone without flipping it open. That is a superpower, making this a tiny AI device that can answer all your queries and do research for you. In fact, open the voice mode and you can have a conversation with Gemini even as it is tucked away in your shirt pocket. I think this is the most compact AI device that has been created so far. You can ask Gemini what it sees on the camera, even though it will end up seeing you most of the time. It could not recognise me, but thought it saw a man with spectacles. I can, of course, flip the camera side to face away and get a commentary on what it is seeing. This is an accessibility feature as well as a bridge for those who are travelling to new places and encountering new languages, and the fact is that in the folded form, the camera is going to be staring at you, and if you turn the camera to the other side, you lose visibility of the screen. You can also have the phone in your pocket and you can go for a walk chatting with Gemini, or even ChatGPT, learning Game Theory, or validating an idea you have. The screen offers a lot of widgets that let you keep track of stuff without opening the phone itself. For instance, quick news alerts on the minus screen, then widgets that give you access to stocks, weather, your notes, playlists, and the like. A lot can be covered here. But that does not mean all your apps can be added to this screen. This real estate is limited to some functions. When open, the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 7 is a full-fledged smartphone in all respects. In fact, it is a flagship phone given the 6.8-inch FHD+ AMOLED screen and Exynos Deca-Core processor. At no point do you feel this phone will not be able to take on a certain task. From regular multitasking to running AI and intelligent features integrated in the OS, the phone is capable of everything you expect from a flagship. And as you use the open phone for gaming or typing, once in a while, your finger moves over the part where the fold is, and you realise this is actually a different phone from the ones you are used to. The camera is another aspect of this phone that has gotten better. With a 50MP Wide and a 12MP ultra-wide, this phone offers what most users want. It can click wonderful selfies without you even opening the phone, and by just tapping the cover screen. Plus, the phone offers camcorder-like capabilities where you use one part of the screen as a controller, while the other gives you creative angles. The results were sharp and rich, especially in good light. Despite its form factor, the Galaxy Z Flip7 has a large 4300 mAh battery that lasts a full day with all your heavy lifting. The phone can be brought back to life quickly, and there is wireless charging as well. But, I found the phone has a tendency to heat a bit while charging, and while downloading apps, etc. Maybe Samsung will have to push an update to sort this out. On the lock screen, the Samsung Wallet keeps appearing when you swipe. This can be a bit irritating for users who have not set this up. It would be better if this could be customised to apps the user prefers — I could not find a way to change this. But while on the larger screen, you have the pull-out dock where AI apps are given prominence, along with other custom app settings. This is a good value add for users. Yes, if you are one of those who have had enough of large smartphones and want a communication device that is smart enough to not show you six plus inches of screen all the time. The Galaxy Z Flip7 is great for those who want an AI companion in their jeans pocket or clutch bag that can transform into a large smartphone when needed, doing what large smartphones do. Nandagopal Rajan writes on technology, gadgets and everything related. He has worked with the India Today Group and Hindustan Times. He is an alumnus of Calicut University and Indian Institute of Mass Communication, Dhenkanal. ... Read More
