Three Digital Marketing Tech Trends To Keep An Eye On
“We don’t believe brands are built from advertising anymore. They are built from an amalgamation of customer experiences, so that is what we are focused on.”
Digital is no longer just about what happens on our phones and computer. It's also about how we move around the world and make everyday decisions.
Now everything is connected.
There are three broad trends in the world of digital marketing, some more advanced than others, but they're already shaping the world, so are worth understanding.
1. The Internet of Things (IoT). Right now, over a quarter of homes in the USA have at least one or more IoT devices. IoT is simply about connecting more devices to the internet and then linking them all together to become smarter. (e.g. Your fridge being able to tell you when you are running low on milk and then even just order some more for you automatically)
Currently, the most commonly used IoT devices are smart speakers, like Amazon's Alexa or Google's Home. And according to Google, thanks mostly to IoT devices, 20% of all searches are now voice!
2. Machine Learning (ML). This is often incorrectly referred to as AI (Artificial Intelligence). If AI truly existed, you would know, because the world would be a very different place! When people use the term AI, what they actually mean most of the time is machine learning.
ML is the use of computers to look at data sets. We tell the computer what our desired outcome is and it then optimises the information accordingly. We use this every day, from our Netflix or Amazon recommendations, to watching a computer beat people at the game Go.
One company that seems to be at the forefront is Google's UK based company, Deepmind.
3. Virtual and Augmented Reality (VR and AR). Facebook, Apple and Google have all invested many millions of dollars here, and the common belief was that it would be the next big thing in 2018/2019.
AR is when you use computer generated display, sound, text and effects to enhance your real-world experience (e.g. You look through a device and see the real world around you, but with augmented digital elements. So your living room wall could become a large tv screen, or you could even change the colour of your sofa using a digital overlay)
VR is more about taking you to another world separate to the real world you're in. So when looking at VR you could be transported to the surface of Mars, or go back in time to look at the dinosaurs, or be in a spaceship...you're imagination is the only limitation (This is part of the reason why Elon Musk thinks we are all living in a simulation!)
Although millions of people have tried AR and VR, it's still a bit clunky and there aren't enough game-changing uses for it to be used at scale. Yet.
Some day, when the devices are less bulky, cheaper and the web is faster (5G etc), or the device can be as small as a contact lens, then it will go mass-market. Until then, let's just keep an eye on it and test it out whenever we get the opportunity.
The video below from Media Monks helps explain AR and VR.
So, the next wave of innovation in digital marketing is probably not going to be on computer screens, but using sensors, and devices that listen for our voices, sense movement, and track changes and give us new ways to look at and experience the world.
And to think back in the 1980s we thought we'd have flying cars by now!
Until then, so many exciting brands are already experimenting and finding ways to create campaigns that deliver results, using powerful tech advanced creative ideas.
This article was taken from a lesson in our Cannes Lions Digital Marketing masterclass.
