Marketers stormed CES in preparation for next innovation wave
The big mobile news at this year?s International Consumer Electronics Store included wearables, robotics and the connected world.
But the array of gadgets, systems and ideas for living better were a cue for forward-looking mobile experts to ramp up their efforts to reach tech-savvy consumers on mobile.
?Wearables, virtual reality, connected cars and robotics dominated in 2015,? said Jeremy Sigel, director of mobile, North America, Essence.
?Although mobile will continue to play an important role as the central hub for many of these connected devices, for marketers who intend to stay ahead of the curve, now is the time to pivot and start thinking about the next generation of branded experiences.?
Here are mobile experts? choices for the biggest mobile happenings at CES 2015:
Ross Sleight, chief strategy officer, Somo
One key theme we are seeing at CES this year is that everything is becoming a connected Internet of Things.
Billions of connections, through embedded sensors, are being integrated into the world around us: in our clothing, our cars and our homes, enhancing dumb objects and making them smart through automation or data collection and aggregation.
Dodge Ram connected-car technology.
The big issue with technology is not the current focus on ?because.? The real need is to focus on ?why?.
We need to make sure we?re looking at the technology and the trends that will help solve real world problems and not technology for the sake of technology.
We are seeing health and medi-care incorporate some innovative technology that goes way beyond tracking steps and sleep, to focus on long-term health problems and long-term care. It?s only a matter of time before we see, for example, health insurance companies fully embrace the data consumers are collecting on their lifestyle and cater for them accordingly.
Thomas Husson,?vice president and principal analyst for marketing and strategy, Forrester Research
I don't recall any product announcement or any new mobile marketing solution to specifically stand out at CES 2015.
What's really striking, though, is the interest among marketers, who increasingly visited the show to get ready to evolve their marketing approach and to prepare for the next wave of innovation. From cars to dishwashers via clothes and watches, every object will be connected and this alone opens up totally new opportunities for marketers.
From a mobile marketing standpoint, smartphones will act as the hub of these new connected experiences. In fact, what is so powerful with mobile marketing is that it forces marketers to take a client-centric approach to rethink the value they can add throughout the customer journey instead of thinking in terms of channels or campaigns.
This will be about delivering utility marketing. This was true on small screens. This will be even more true on wearables and connected objects.
Maani Safa, vice president of innovation and creative, Somo
First thing we?ve seen here at CES is connected cars. It could pretty much be a car show, if you look at it carefully enough.
We?ve seen the Mercedes AMG GTS with the new interior and tablet style interface running elements like Google maps for navigation. We?ve seen Audi, always driving VTS (vorsprung durch technik), and some phenomenal work getting CarPlay running adjacent to its NMI units, so whether you have an iPhone or an Android device, you plug it in and you have the choice of whatever you wish to use.
Seeing big, big brands like LG, Panasonic, Samsung, Sony, all gunning to own the entire ecosystem tying in to the connected world of the Internet of Things.
We?re seeing connected robots that come and clean your house. We?re seeing a BMW tying in to an Android watch, created by Samsung that enables drivers to park their car, start it up, drive it out in the morning and start defrosting it, ready for you to go to work in the morning, just at the touch of a button.
We?re seeing washing machines that when they break down, they?re able to fix themselves. So really we?re talking ecosystem, which means big brands owning the whole thing.
But the question is that would you be willing to have a house that?s entirely LG, is the brand strong enough? Or would you prefer Apple? Who weren't even here!
Chris Paradysz, co-CEO, PM Digital
One thing that comes to mind is the fusion between cars and mobile marketing from GM?s At Your Service initiative, which will offer local suggestions for coupons and deals based on partner providers.
The car is the next big frontier for brand connection and community. In step with vehicle automation, which will lessen dangerous driving and accidental decisions, access to interactive screens will become more akin to a desktop or mobile experience.
With this advancement, cars will become the next personal space where privacy invasion will be in the hands of marketers, not consumers. This era will also accelerate technology and design advances in audio and video electronics, gaming, film and other entertainment, streaming and even vehicle design, itself.
Andy Monfried, CEO, Lotame
There have been no shortage of jaw-dropping new devices this year, but what?s really interesting is the connective tissue between many of the new devices on show ? specifically data.
Steven Smith, chief digital officer, AccuWeather
We are really excited to see the realization of the new ways people are using our cutting-edge weather data.
AccuWeather Android Wear promotion.
AccuWeather works with all major connected device manufacturer in the world and by collaborating closely with our innovative partners we have rolled out weather with superior accuracy for everything from connected cars to smart radio, Android Wear wearables to universal apps for iOS mobile devices.
Final Take
Michael Barris is staff reporter on Mobile Marketer, New York.