OPINION: 13 digital trends for 2013
VML Australia's digital and social planner Tiphereth Gloria shares her 13 techie predictions for 2013:
1. Endorsement. Have you been in LinkedIn lately? From September, it’s all about others endorsing you for your skill sets. Twitter uses endorsement of the crowd, by recommending who to follow. The more people following a particular Twitter account, the more likely you will see them in the “who to follow” lists. Facebook have built a revenue model on endorsements – Facebook ads, particularly Sponsored Stories are all about serving you ads based on your friends endorsing/liking a particular page.
2. Personal data, aka The Quantified Self. Since 2005, Nicholas Feltron has been inspiring data nerds including the creators of Foursquare with his published personal data annual reports, and Daytum a platform to do the same. Fast forward to 2013, and its all about the apps and interactive personal gadgets – to measure the quality of your sleep, the steps you take in a day, how many calories you consume your surroundings and your possessions, to give you a bigger, ‘quantifiable’ picture of your actions. See Jawbone UP, Nike Fuelband, LarkLife and a stack of others including FitBit.
3. The Internet of Things, aka “smart” objects. CES 2013 was all about household devices that connect to the internet and share and receive information. Expect big things from the whitegoods and light switches in the connected home.
4. Crowd funding goes mainstream. Witness the impact that Kickstarter is having on creativity and product development. See also Indiegogo and Pozible doing the same for film, music and other creative projects. Dodge takes it to the product level, consumers can get their friends and family to fund their very own car.
5. Smart clothing. You know that when Apple files a patent on shoes that have embedded sensors to track your activity and tell you when you need a new pair, the days of dumb clothes are numbered.
6. Data expectations. Consumers want more personalised customisation in their communications from companies. When customers sign up to your database, they are expecting you to know more about their tastes and habits – and they want recommendations. Amazon has shown the way. So chances are you need to up the ante on your CRM system in 2013.
7. Social search. Three words: Facebook Graph Search.
8. Interactive social TV. Late last year, Mercedes ran a TV commercial in the UK that gave viewers control of the action via Twitter and #youdrive. This year, program makers get in on the act, with a recent episode of Hawaii 5-O having different endings. The endings that went to air were location driven and based on the volume of tweets and votes.
9. Digital to real world products. Instagram has inspired a whole ecosystem of companies bringing your photos off the app and the cloud and into the real world with a bunch of printers, fridge magnets, books and projectors.
10, Retail customer tracking – via mobile phones. The behavioural metrics that online stores collect is now in the grasp of “meat space” retailers in shopping malls. Starting on Black Friday in the US, trials began collecting data about shoppers’ behaviour in malls by tracking the closest thing to ‘cookies’ that human beings carry—their mobile phones. Made possible by UK firm, Path Intelligence.
11. Smart Wallet. Yes, in the same vein as smart clothing and smart home, the smart wallet tracks your consumer habits in a mobile CRM. But it doesn’t live in your wallet – it lives in your smartphone. So it’s a platform battle at the moment with Google and Apple duking it out. Apple has Passbook and Google has Google Wallet. The US also has Square Wallet, compatible with both Android and iOS.
12. Mobile. Tablet. More mobile. Shame on you Australian companies. Too many of you ignore the mobile consumer. Yet at least 25% to 30% of your website visits will be via mobile and tablet. Also, where’s the contextually driven landing pages when consumers are using mobile search to find your store locations? No more excuses – 35% of global shoppers surveyed by IBM were unsure whether their next purchase was going to be physical or internet-based. If you don’t have a decent ecommerce site, you are even more likely to be losing customers to online stores thanks to showrooming.
13. Disruptive innovation, or “Always be in beta”. The mantra of developers should be the mantra of marketers in 2013. Kickstarter and the other creativity crowdsourcing platforms prove once and for all it’s a race to get your products and ideas out there because, if you don’t, someone else will. These platforms also work double time by showing investors there’s a market ready to consume the product when it’s launched. A business model for disruption, anyone?
Please login with linkedin to comment
Latest News
The Mars Agency Announces Latest Findings Of Retail Media Report Card
The Mars Agency has developed a scorecard that assesses the capabilities of leading platforms across key criteria required to optimally plan, execute, and measure effective retail media programs. The scorecard aims To help brands efficiently evaluate their spending options across retail media networks in Australia (and New Zealand). With spending on retail media advertising in […]
‘It’s The Lesser Of Two Evils’ – NRL Eyes US Betting Market As Aussie Regulators Circle
US betting firms will be delighted by the circa 50,000 Americans who could soon watch the NRL on their favourite app.
A-League In Deep Discussions With New Partner To Keep Games On TV After Production Company Enters Administration
The A-League's insatiable appetite for scoring own goals continues.
TV Ratings (27/03/2024): Jungle Members At War Over Concealed Lipstick
A heated argument between two jungle members did the numbers for Ten last night, with I’m A Celeb obtaining a total national reach of 1,282,000. Fans were delighted as Candice Warner and influencer Skye Wheatley got into it over a stick of lipstick, leading Warner to dub the Instagram star “selfish.” Wheatley, best known for […]
Is The Australian Music Industry In Trouble? Inquiry Launched Following Splendour Cancellation
Earlier this week, an inquiry was launched into the challenges and opportunities currently facing the Australian live music industry in the wake of multiple festival cancellations. On 25 March 2024, the Minister for the Arts, the Hon. Tony Burke MP, asked the Committee on Communications and the Arts to inquire into and report on the […]
Liana Dubois, Leandro Perez, Aimee Buchanan & More Gather For Inaugural Compadres Leadership Event
Didn't get the invite? Perhaps you're not as important as you thought.
Cathay Captures The Unforgettable Thrill Of Cathay/HSBC Hong Kong Rugby Sevens, Via Publicis
Nobody does rugby like Hong Kong, apparently. Certainly nobody does it as badly as Australia.
Cocogun Nabs Christine Watts, Kirsty Reynolds & Shev Tan Bolstering Management & Creative Teams
Cocogun bolsters its team with new hires. Committed to purchasing a bigger sofa, too.
The Media Store’s Jacquie Alley & Sam Cousins Take The Plunge With Pro-Bono Work For Cure Cancer
B&T chats with The Media Store bosses about their great pro-bono work and sponsored swim.
Hawke’s Brewing Co. Taps Rocket Comms For PR Agency Following Competitive Pitch
We're expecting Rocket Comms productivity to crash in spectacular fashion following this win.
Spotlight On Sponsors: Patties Serves Up A Taste Of Home For Olympians & South Sydney Rabbitohs Recommit To Gambling Reform
While the Rabbitohs commits to gambling reform, B&T reckons the team should commit to a decent auto sponsor.
Google: “Inevitable” That Bad Actors Will Abuse Ads Platform As Advertiser Account Suspensions Double
Google maintains it's simply impossible for it to entirely stop bad people placing & paying for ads using its service.
Quantcast Expands APAC Sales Team With Appointment Of News Corp Account Manager
No pressure at all when you are appointed as a client success manager.
Publicis Sapient Tests Microsoft-Powered Gen AI Search Tool With Homes & Villas By Marriott Bonvoy
Given Gen AI's record for mangling stuff, B&T cannot see the problem with letting it decide your next holiday digs.
Volkswagen & DDB Group’s “Roo Badge” To Reduce Kangaroo Related Road Collisions
Watch out for RooBadge as Cannes Lions' most debated campaign this year.
Twilio Launches Unified Profiles & Agent Copilot Features To Boost Productivity & Engagement
Agent Copilot sounds like James Bond's less interesting cousin.
Reebok & Honda Among New Clients For onetwo agency
OneTwo finally lives up to its name with this double billing.
Ogilvy Report: Throw Out The Social Strategy Rule Book, The Rules Of The Past No Longer Apply
B&T was puzzled that all 'influencers' aren't, effectively, 'virtual', but here we are.
WhiteGREY & AKQA Merge In Australia, Lee Simpson Departs
Fortunately, the combined agencies aren't opting for a trite portmanteau for the new name.
Splendour In The Grass 2024 Music Festival Cancelled!
Music fans all over the country reportedly relieved they can pack away their rain coats and gumboots for another year.
TV Ratings (26/03/2024): “Fairy Bread, F***ing Disgusting”: Gordon Ramsay Slams Aussie Food In Food Stars Launch
Ramsay not one for mincing his words, even when it comes to minced meat pies.
Paramount+ International Boss Doubles Down On Aussie Content, Says Ad-Tier will Grow Audiences And Revenue
Good news as Paramount will not be binning I’m A Celebrity for re-runs of Frasier.
Brent Smart: Telstra Pushing For 50-50 Brand-Performance Split But Warns Numbers ‘Won’t Look Great’ Initially
The old brand vs performance debate continues. But here, Brent is firmly sitting on the fence.
Crowded House, Tones And I & Dom Dolla Win Big At The Shure Rolling Stone Music Awards
B&T staffer reports back with humdinger of a hangover & feeling seriously uncool after mixing with music types.
Opinion: Dyslexia “A Hidden Gem” For Brands & Agencies
Dyslexics offer underappreciated benefits in the corporate field, according to this op-ed.
David Jones Taps Criteo To Power Online Retail Media Arm
Want to see ads for things you probably can't afford? David Jones has got you covered with new retail media play.
oOh!media Sets Up Team To Target Business Audiences Across Airports & Offices
oOh! wants brands to harass you every minute of your next business trip.
QMS Launches Australian First DOOH & TV Partnership With Samba TV
Samba TV, of course, is not a channel dedicated to dancing. Much to our dismany.
Slew Of New Hires At Amplify
Four new faces join the Amplify offices. Team say desk scarcity becoming "acute".
Adobe Announces Content Authenticity Initiative Expansions To Counter Deep Fakes
Try as they might to enlighten them, we suspect Trump supporters will continue to watch and believe Fox News.
The PR Group Appoints TechCrunch Senior Reporter Catherine Shu As Director Of Content & Media
Catherine Shu makes the bold leap from journalism to PR. Says inevitable pay bump was "unrelated".
HERO Nabs Ebony Santin From AMPR
Rumours Santin cleared out the stationery cupboard before departing are as yet unconfirmed.
Karena Noble Checks Out Of EVT Hotels & Resorts To Launch Comms Consultancy
Noble still managed to squeezed in a continental breakfast before departing.
Canva Acquires Design Platform Affinity To Bring Professional Design Tools To Every Organisation
Canva & Adobe face off continues. We're not picking sides but keenly aware that Canva's office is next door to ours.
“Lean On Our Team To Help You Find An Audience”: Why Understanding Audience Engagement Is Essential In Journalism
Engaging the audience is critical to journos, apparently. We'd thought self-loathing & alcoholism were key.
Adobe Summit: Major Gen AI Developments, Data Concessions & Partnerships
What happens in Vegas stays there. Unless it's the Adobe Summit and then you get to read about in B&T.