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
Initiative’s Fein, Geer, Colter Depart For Accenture Song
It's great news for Accenture Song, very bad news for the Initiative company card with this triple leaving do.
Pizza Hut Fined $2.5m For Spamming Customers
To be honest, if you're going to spam customers, cheap pizza deals is probably on the low side of the dodgy scale.
Jetstar & Qantas Perception Ratings Soar After Bonza Cancelled Flights, YouGov Finds
This poll is further proof nothing builds a positive brand image like your competitor monumentally f@cking up.
Pedigree Launches AI-Powered Ad Initiative To Give All Dogs A Home, Via Colenso BBDO & Nexus Studios
B&T encourages this dog adoption initiative. And that's despite us barely being able to look after our own selves.
Apparent Launches “All Heart, No hassle” Integrated Campaign For Flight Centre’s Corporate Traveller
Apparent charged with Flight Centre's Corporate Traveller creative. Has avoided any gags about stolen hotel bathrobes.
South African Tourism CMO: ‘We Want Consumers To Experience SA Through The Eyes Of A Child’
B&T chats with South African tourism's Aussie CMO. Admittedly, we had to quickly rectify our Barossa Valley questions.
Market Research Firm TRA Names KFC’s “Look On the Fried Side Of Life” As Australia’s Favourite Ad
A poll of everyday Aussies has revealed our favourite ads. And it'll make difficult reading for the Harvey Norman team.
‘A Big, Big Step In The Right Direction’: Media Buyers React To News Corp’s D_Coded
There was a universal thumbs up for News' D_Coded event. Although there were calls for glitter bombs at the finale.
CommBank Announced As Presenting Partner Of Vogue Codes 2024
Vogue Codes is a top initiative encouraging women into STEM-based careers. All while wearing Jimmy Choos, apparently.
Brad Garbutt Joins OMA As Marketing Lead
Seasoned adlander Garbutt joins the outdoor association. Says he's got the DOOH down pat, but working on the PDOOH.
TV Ratings 15/5/24: Gruen Pulls A Crowd For Aunty As It Enters 16th Season
Although B&T typically shuns predictions, we're expecting big numbers for Peter Dutton's Budget reply speech tonight.
D_Coded panel: ‘If You Are A Marketer Handling Data And Haven’t Spoken To Legal, You’re In Trouble’
This fiery panel was a highlight of Tuesday's D_Coded event. Not that it spilled out into the carpark.
SBS Audio Campaign Tells The Stories Of New Australians, With Multilingual Content Offerings To Assist Migrants
SBS Audio has launched a new marketing campaign for its ‘Australia Explained’ service which supports new migrants to successfully navigate life in Australia and achieve a greater sense of belonging and social cohesion. SBS’s flagship service for new migrants, Australia explained, has launched a multi-platform marketing campaign that reaches into the heart of the migrant […]
Tracker App Launches, Promising Consumers A Read On Brand’s & Products Sustainability Chops
Shoppers can now get access to sustainability information at their fingertips through Tracker, a first-of-its-kind mobile app. The Tracker app centralises sustainability data into a single, easy-to-understand format, helping shoppers make informed choices about the brands and products they support. Shoppers can simply scan the barcode of their favourite supermarket, chemist or department store item […]
Channel Factory Expands Team Across Australia & New Zealand By 20%
Social media agency Channel Factory announces a significant lift in staff numbers. Doesn't thank Tuesday's Budget.
Jaywing Extends Strategy Team Appointing Fran Martin As Senior Brand Strategist
As is often said, you can never have too much strategy. Same can't be said of programmatic & AI.
Tourism Tasmania Taps Broadsheet For Latest “Off Season” Campaign Iteration
Do you like to drape yourself in sheepskin, flannelette & weird, wooly hats? Tasmania in winter is for you.
Netball WA Appoints 303 MullenLowe As Brand Strategy partner
Netball WA appoints 303 MullenLowe for its brand strategy. Any mention of Gina also now strictly forbidden.
RyvalMedia Flies Off With RedBalloon Media Account
Got family or friends working at RyvalMedia? Say ta-tah to shit birthday presents as agency pricks RedBalloon's media.
“First We Get Plastered Then We Fill Your Holes” – Tradies Face Ad Standards Ire
As juvenile as this plasterer's tagline is, it does sound like the plot to most adult films.
ANZ, Lyre’s, Uber, Adam Ballesty & An Australian Of The Year – More Big Names Join Cannes in Cairns, Presented by Pinterest!
Judging by this cavalcade of A-listers set to star in Cairns, a selfie stick is now mandatory for all attendees.
Grab A Sneak Peek At Pinterest’s Special Guests This Cannes in Cairns!
It's another teaser to the awesome talent you can expect in Cairns. Oddly, no sign of the B&T staff barbershop quartet.
M&C Saatchi Sport & Entertainment’s Steve Martin & Jamie Wynne-Morgan Sign Off From Agency They Set Up
Will Steve and Jamie ape Maurice and Charles with their new agency name? Stay tuned to B&T to find out.
Netflix Has Google & Amazon In Crosshairs With Ad Server Launch
Is your dream weekend Uber Eats & a Netflix binge? More toilet breaks are on the way, as streamer amps up ad offerings.
Boom, Boom, Boom! Get Ready For the Boomtown Bus Whisking You To Cannes in Cairns, Presented By Pinterest In Style!
Worried your hibiscus print kaftan might overshadow things in Cairns? Fear not, as you can see this bus from space.
On The Menu Joins Forces With TBWA\Melbourne To Melt Freezer Shame
This campaign "fights misconceptions about frozen food". Ice-cream, pies, Sara Lee! What misconceptions, B&T asks?
IMAA Announces Digi-Byte Event Featuring Industry’s Top Talent Plus “Immersive” Gaming Competition
The indies fan group unveils plans for its newest event. Says anyone in a WPP running singlet will be refused entry.
Bowel Cancer Revealed As Australia’s Deadliest Creature In New Campaign, Via Ogilvy Health
Does your office have a secret & serial farter? Possibly lure them out with this important bowel cancer campaign.
Who’s In Charge? B&T Reveals The Best Of The Best Industry Association Chiefs!
B&T's acknowledging the 10 very best industry association bosses. Discover if your membership dues are worth it here.
TEDxSydney Splits Into Two; Check Its New Creative Program
TEDxSydney moves to Luna Park's Big Top in June. Get motivated & throw up on the Wild Mouse at the very same time.
TV Ratings 14/5/24: Punters More Interested In Farmer Wants A Wife Drama Than Jeremy Clarkson’s Agricultural Adventures
Think sheep husbandry programs are TV's missing link? You can't complain with Farmer Wants A Wife AND Clarkson's Farm.
Paper Moose and Innocean Australia launch Love Our Work Industry Charter
It's a top initiative fostering harmony in the creative space. Not to downplay the unbridled joy of destroying a rival.
IAB: Privacy Act Changes Might Lead To “Nonsensical Outcomes” For Digital Advertising As Industry Wrings Hands
B&T front row at the IAB's Data & Privacy Summit. So private, in fact, attendees were wearing fake moustaches.
Fortress Games Hits Play On Partnership With Havas Network’s Organic And One Green Bean
The games culture destination names local agency roster who'll hopefully explain what a games culture destination is.
Fabulate Launches New List Of Fastest Growing Aussie Creators, Including Leah Halton, Across Social Media
A list of who's hot in Australia's influencer/creator world's here. And it's bad news for foodies angling for a freebie.
Find Your Work-Life Balance: ‘Airbnb’ Your Next Job With ViewJobs
Farmer Wants A Wife piqued your interest in all things regional? See who's hiring with this regional job initiative.