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There's a lot of breakthroughs taking place in advertising and marketing right now.  It's hard to keep track of the changes because of the pace at which things are coming and going.  I feel like two years ago all we heard about was myspace, now it's struggling to keep up with Facebook.  In fact, I think myspace is changing its whole strategy to focus its main priority on music.  Now what's changing the playing field?  Twitter.  I saw someone on Twitter the other day that posted, "Every time I'm on facebook it feels like I'm kicking it old school style."  I couldn't agree more.  Facebook now, despite its 92.2 million unique visitors per month, feels like old hat.  

I just recently read a white paper created by Moosylvania, a marketing and advertising agency out of St. Louis (www.moosylvania.com), also home to a state-of-the-art research facility, that explains some of the biggest changes that are going to reshape marketing within the next 10 years.   The white paper was the first of many, and it focused on what they consider the number one game changer - mobile.

Mobile has been an avenue that I have apparently been overlooking.  After reading some of the statistics Moosylvania put together, I couldn't help but be amazed at what mobile will be offering consumers in the near future.  

The smart phone will become the #1 way US consumers will access the web by the end of 2010.  

Cell phones will outnumber computers 3-1.  

40% of all non-smartphone customers intend to purchase one within the next year.

I mean, if you think about it, it makes sense.  People always have their cell phone on them, and with the 3G, Bluetooth, Wifi connections available, people have the internet almost all the time and in almost every location.  More importantly, companies are investing in new ways to reach these smartphone consumers, and I think it something that will truly change the landscape of advertising.  I'll talk about some of these breakthroughs below.

Bluetooth:  Most people have heard this word, but not many understand what it is capable of.  Heck, even I just found out most of my information within the last week and I'm still not positive on what it does.  Here's the deal though.  It will change the game.  Imagine walking into a movie theater with a bluetooth enabled smart phone.  Immediately you get a download onto your phone for a trailer of the newest movie.  Or how about this.  You walk into that same movie theater and you're asked to take a quick survey for the theater.  If you do it, via a mobile website, you can get a free popcorn by presenting a mobile coupon to the cashier.  This will be possible.

Let's take Bluetooth to the next level.  Imagine you're walking by a bar in downtown STL.  While walking by, you get a download on your phone asking you a simple question:  Have you had your Bud Light Lime fix today?  If you click yes, it says "Have another on us at "so & so's bar."  If you click no, it says, now's your chance at "so & so's bar."  Either way, it's presenting you with a mobile coupon for a Bud Light (promoting AB) and a reason to enter "so & so's bar.)  Both the bar and the beer company are winning, as well as the consumer who gets a free beer. 

This could even be applied to a promotional tent at a concert or a venue.  Come into our Coke tent, look around, and receive a free download via Bluetooth.  Apply it to an aisle at a grocery store.  As you walk by the Frito's, you get a coupon for $1 off a bag of chips.  This can happen.  Would you welcome it?

Semacode:  The semacode is also one of the newest innovations happening in marketing.  What is it?  A new type of barcode that allows a product to interact with a smartphone.  How does it work?  You snap a picture of the semacode with your smartphone and it will begin to come alive.  Whether a Youtube video comes up, more information about the product, or a link to a downloadable coupon, the opportunities are endless.  In the video below, you'll see a business card for a freelance graphic designer.  A semacode on the back of her business card allows individuals to snap a picture on their smartphone and have the designer's showreel and portfolio immediately begin to play on their phone. 

How else is this being used?  In movies, magazines, and books.  Buy the book, the magazine, the movie, and have all of the extras available through a semacode.  For the book, the semacode will give you a video featurette about the author.  The DVD, will allow you to access a mobile video game based on the movie you're watching.  For a magazine, you can watch a video to go with the recipe you're reading or a training video to go with the workout.  The opportunities here are endless.

While I could talk and talk and talk about new innovations in mobile, I want to leave you with two more videos of some game-changing ideas in marketing.  They relate more to digital video which I will attempt to cover in a future blog post.  The first is augmented reality.  It allows a product to come alive with a camera and a computer screen.  The video below shows a point of sale piece for lego.  Take the box up to the machine and it allows the product to come alive, showing consumers what the finished product will look like.  Amazing if you ask me.

Next, we have a video for digital projections.   These have yet to be tapped into, but provide a next-gen way of getting messages out.  What better way to advertise than on the top of the biggest skyscraper in the city.  

The game really is changing.  For the better or for the worse?  You decide.  But I'm ambitiously awaiting these new innovations.
For a copy of the original white paper that provided insight and information on this post, visit the Moosylvania website here.
Katie
10/14/2009 08:46:26 am

It's a little bit crazy how technology will eventually change the way that we think about things. I guess in a way it already has, but if I walked into a bar and my phone gave me a coupon for a free drink, I would be totally amazed. All of those ideas are really cool and I am excited to see how companies introduce them to the public.

As for the videos, the business card one is extremely innovative. The Lego video was really cool, too. I have definitely never seen that before. And the projection of advertisements on the side of buildings is a great idea that I am surprised hasn't been thought of before. Great ideas, and I am anxious to see where technology takes us in the future.

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