Americas

The future of TV: five innovations to look out for

The box, the tube, the telly, the television. Are any of us sure the set is set to evolve?

The television is one of those unifying pleasures and most people are already happy with the experience of watching it.

Additionally, advertisers still think of television as the big hitting ad medium, rightly or wrongly. 

So, if it’s not broken, why fix it? Or is that the kind of reasoning that stymies innovation?

I think it’s fairly obvious that although we can choose to think of television as a constant, it has changed significantly since it went digital. FreeView in the UK, TiVo, Sky+, on-demand services like iPlayer and Netflix, Apple TV and Chromecast, the impact of Twitter and social TV, Roku, there have been many developments.

But what’s next? Here I’ve tried to sum up some of the innovations for advertisers and viewers I’ve seen in the last few months. See what you think..

The 10 coolest Google Business Views

Earlier this year, I was surprised to find this post on Indoor Google Maps was quite popular.

Maybe it was because lots of people weren’t aware of Indoor Google Maps. Maybe it was because we’re all quite nosy, fans of MTV Cribs and the old British favourite, Changing Rooms.

Well, I thought I’d collect some of the coolest examples of Google Business Photos, the indoor equivalent of Google Street View.

These are the weirdest, most wonderful and beautiful 360 degree interactive tours. They appear in Google searches, Google Maps, and Google+ Local.

Anyone can use Google Business Photos (and be successful with them) apart from legal establishments and museums (this imagery is supported through Google Art Project). Admittedly a few of my examples aren’t businesses.

Econsultancy London even got involved (though we’ve recently upped sticks).

So heck, why travel, why leave the house when you can experience all this from your desktop? Enjoy!

The internet of things: five new products changing the market now

I am subtitling this post, ‘products become services, services become transparent’.

Econsultancy researcher Andrew Warren-Payne sent me a list of internet of things developments, products that have emerged over the past year and are now available.

He knows I’m interested in internet enabled things as I’ve written a few posts before about what to expect and about why everyone is so fascinated by the IoT.

I’ve tried to keep the discussion rooted to what marketers need to know about IoT. It’s easy to get carried away talking about fridges that know when you’ve run out of milk but realistically there’s no demand for that. It won’t be happening any time soon.

But what will be happening is the gradual transition from one-off purchases where the customer is never to be seen again. This will transition to services, where a customer’s purchase ‘talks’ to the store or manufacturer and a relationship is established throughout the product lifecycle.

Whether it be refills, repairs or upgrades, the seller can keep in touch to potentially make you a more loyal and valuable customer.

Additionally, customers will be able to demand accuracy and transparency from many service providers, as internet enabled devices afford greater data analysis, or life-logging. Cost-saving could be a major benefit, for consumers and suppliers.

So what are these emerging products Andrew has spotted?

Google

12 inspiring marketing campaigns from Google

Google helps us all market our services. That statement can start a healthy debate amongst many in the media, but I think I’ll stick with it.

Of course, Google has to market itself, too.

Even the biggest and most successful companies must market themselves in some channels. Apple, for example, may shun social media, but it’s all over the television and out-of-home and has a distinctive presence on many high streets.

So, I thought I’d round up some examples of Google’s marketing that have stuck in my mind and continue to leave me mindful of Google’s all-conquering innovation.

Hope you enjoy!

CPM is dead: a guide to viewability in online advertising

We are all exposed to display and video advertising and we all have a view on its efficacy.

In this post I’m going to take a beginner’s look at measurement in display and video advertising and ask if advertisers are finally getting a good (read ‘transparent’) deal.

How is improved measurement across display advertising changing the nature of the web? Will it start to feel lighter on ads as advertisers demand their ads are not just served but viewed by a human being?

What are the standards for viewability and if the networks are adopting them, is this the death of the impression?

Do big retailers need to create social value to succeed?

The high street debate is one that attracts much comment on the Econsultancy blog.

Feelings run high when it comes to ensuring the survival of stores in our towns. The situation has yet to crystallise, though it’s clear there are business models that aren’t best suited to bricks and mortar any more. 

Alongside the trend towards experiential retail (shops doing more than simply selling stuff that consumers can buy cheaper online), a trend towards creating social value in the community may be emerging. 

High street vacancy rates are steady in the UK at 14% in 2013 and independent stores such as cafes are on the increase. Part of the reason for this is social and local. 

Most of us still value our retail centres as places to take a ‘humanity bath’, meeting people outside of the office, the church/mosque/synagogue and your neighbourhood. 

But what else can big retailers do to engender a closer community? Does every store have to get involved? What about digital technology, can it play a part at a community level?

The RSA (Royal Society for the encouragement of Arts, Manufactures and Commerce) has released a report detailing the business case for socially aware retail. The report includes the results of six months of research with three ASDA stores. 

Whilst most of the findings are relevant mainly for larger focal points, chiefly supermarkets, here’s what I gleaned…

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