JWT makes a move into wearable tech

J. Walter Thompson Company (JWT) has inked a strategic partnership with Mio Global – a wearable technology company. The Mio partnership will be overseen by the agency's Innovation Group.The unique alliance with Mio will give J. Walter Thompson Company the ability to communicate directly, connect and innovate with one of the technology sensor brands. As Mio’s strategic communications partner, JWT will have preferential access to Mio’s cloud-based health optimisation algorithms and its breakthrough metric, Personal Activity Intelligence (PAI), along with the ability to take advantage of Mio’s best-in-class wearable biometric sensing technologies.Mio recently unveiled PAI, a groundbreaking algorithm that finally makes sense of heart rate data for the ordinary consumer. PAI leverages artificial intelligence and has been clinically proven to reduce the risk of lifestyle-related diseases, extending lifespans by a decade on average.Gustavo Martinez, JWT’s Worldwide Chairman and CEO, said of the new partnership, “As we embrace new and innovative technology mediums in order to offer pioneering solutions to our clients, it is critical that we have partners like Mio that can help us stay on the cutting edge."He added that combining JWT’s "pioneering spirit and creative expertise" with Mio’s data-driven solutions and reputation for tech innovation will also help the agency respond to the human challenges that are impacting clients’ brands.PAI is an activity metric to track your body’s response to all activity – not just steps. By implementing PAI into its devices, Mio has found a simple way to present a deeply personalised metric, one simple number that makes the app unique and meaningful to each user. It translates real-time heart rate data and personal profile information like maximum heart rate, resting heart rate, gender and age into a weekly PAI score.Mio Global’s CEO, Liz Dickinson, said, “Mio’s mission has been to make heart rate training accessible to all athletes and consumers alike. This partnership with JWT allows us to reach more people and impact more lives, and help other brands do that as well."