As Wi-Fi signals grow stronger and processors become smaller, the connected power of the Internet is creeping into the everyday objects of people’s lives. We are soon entering a Web that is not dominated by people but is instead an Internet of Things.
This ultraconnected consumer can make it hard for brands to reach as they float from device to device throughout their day. But this new environment offers plenty of opportunities to connect and engage with them in all new ways.
In the recent IAB panel “The Connected Consumer: Digital Out of Home, In-Car and The Internet of Things,” moderated by Spatial Shift’s CEO, Tobin Trevarthen, nine experts talked about the future of this hyperconnected world.
As the devices around us continue to connect, here are six important revelations you need to know about the Internet of Things.
1. TV is getting smarter
Smart TVs are currently sitting at a 40 percent penetration rate and will begin to out-ship regular sets later this year or the beginning of next. Users are very happy with these upgraded sets and two-thirds of those who already own a Smart TV plan on buying another within the next year.
2. Connected cars are coming
In the 2015 model year, we’ll start to see an influx of connected cars. Though at first these smart cars will be more akin to iPhones on wheels, they’ll evolve to provide more services and even start driving themselves. This will create many opportunities for brands to reach out to consumers, not only by providing content to entertain passengers with more time on their hands but also to learn about habits and preferences.
3. People love to interact, especially with each other
Interactive storytelling is currently one of the most compelling forms of entertainment. But people love interacting with each other even more than they love playing around with a touch screen.
One example used at the panel described an event where audience members who thought they were going to a movie were treated to a game of BrickOut before the show. Using motion-tracking technology, the audience members cooperatively controlled the game by leaning to one direction or the other. After the event, 69 percent of the audience wanted to learn more about the sponsor and unaided brand recall was at 81 percent versus 20 percent through traditional means.
4. Just because you can doesn’t mean you should
Though we have the technology to create a Bluetooth tooth, not too many people are lining up to get one hardwired into their jaw. Developers need to take a step back and ask themselves what consumers might actually use their products for and what sorts of problems they are trying to solve.
5. Working with your competition might be more profitable than beating them
In the connected economy, companies need to think about how to add value to the users’ networks. Companies can become fixtures in their industry by finding solutions to problems and letting other companies or users build on that solution, creating more value. It then creates an interdependency that is healthy rather than toxic competition.
6. Cars aren’t refrigerators
Shoveling old content into new media can be a good way to gain a foothold in those areas but can also lead to that content being ignored. Brands need to realize the limitations of each media – content that works in a connected car may not work on a smart refrigerator. A fridge screen may never be a good place to offer ads.
The same thing goes for measuring the success of campaigns: not all data is created equal. Website hits are not the best way to track the success of a mailer campaign and a QR code on a bus stop ad isn’t the best way to drive Facebook likes. We already have tons of data about customers and their habits and we are about to gather way more information on them in the near future.
Companies need to take a step back and ask themselves what they are trying to achieve with each of their ad campaigns and figure out the best tools to achieve their goal and measure success, instead of relying on the newest social media fad.