The Future of Technology and What it Means For Marketers

With all of they hype coming from Google Glasses and potential Apple iWatch coming to surface in the near future, I decided to look at a few of the current and upcoming technologies and devices that will change the marketers and advertisers reach their customers.

Augmented Reality

Augmented reality is defined as a live, direct or indirect, view of a physical, real-world environment whose elements are augmented, or supplemented by computer-generated sensory input such as sound, video, graphics or GPS data. Essentially this technology modifies your view of reality. A good example can be found in the video sample below in which IKEA has implemented the technology in hopes of enticing the consumer to purchase one of their products for their home.

This type of technology is already being implemented for everything from catalogs, advertisements, and even business cards. With smartphone and mobile device ownership only increasing in the future, look for this to be the next big thing in reaching customers.

Google Glass

Using augmented reality as one of its main components, Google Glass seems to be the next step in mobile devices. The abilities of having what is essentially a hands-free computer on your head seems to open up endless possibilities for advertisers and marketers. One example that I am excited about is the potential use of the glasses to record a "day in the life of" series. Could you imagine a sports star such as Travis Pastrana or Lebron James wearing these glasses during a racing event or NBA Finals? Fans would then be able to literally "walk" in their idols shoes for a day. Once Google Glass becomes available to everyone I would expect a massive increase in videos uploaded to YouTube, similar to when video became available on phones.

Oculus Rift

Similar to the Virtual Reality centers in the arcades of the 90's, but with less hardware and better graphics, Oculus Rift seems to be the next step in how we play games, watch TV and more. With the ability to display a stereoscopic 3D perspective to users, look for this piece of gaming equipment to quickly adapt into a way to surf the internet, watch TV and more. A good example of how this system can help marketing or advertisers is in terms of gaming and exercising. Using the Oculus Rift system, users could run through the New York Marathon route, or bike through the Tour de France without leaving their homes.

These are just a couple pieces of technology and devices that I expect to make an impact within the marketing and advertising world within the next 5-10 years or sooner. As marketers and advertisers it is important to stay on top of  the ever changing technology and social media landscape in order to provide clients and customers with unique and one of a kind campaigns, and I feel that these devices will be leading the way in those categories for the foreseeable future. What other types of technology and devices do you see changing the way we market and advertise? Feel free to comment below.