As new technologies are showcased at CES in Vegas, the biggest fad right now is for wearable devices that measure some sort of detail about you, and log it. Adrian Moxley, CMO and co-founder at visual classification company WeSEE looks at how wearables will redefine how consumers view and interact with the world around them. While this opens up doors for targeted recommendations from brands, it will be important to show consumers that their data is being mined in order to provide superior user experiences – quashing any “Big Brother” fears.
These devices will become a more personal extension of our smartphones and tablets by being worn on the body. Fitness is an obvious use for these – taking things like pedometers and exercise tracking apps one step further. The other main area that this technology is developing is ‘visual wearables’, such as smart watches. With the launch of Google’s Glass product set to be announced too, visual wearables are likely to burgeon in the coming year. Once we begin to see mass adoption of these products, it will redefine how we view and interact with the world around us. Based on use, the devices will be able to offer personal recommendations for entertainment, shopping and dining, and of course, keep us plugged into social.
While wearables offer a great opportunity to reach a large cross-section of early adopters and on-the-go consumers, brands must be consider consumer concerns regarding the amount of personal data being collected on them. With many individuals fearing a “Big Brother” style future, successful brands will be those that mine data and show consumers that they are doing so to provide superior user experiences.
Undoubtedly, these hyper-aware and location-based devices will open new advertising opportunities and the less intrusive these are the better. For example, if the devices are used as personal media streaming devices, advertisers have an opportunity to offer smart, overlaid targeted adverts depending on the content that is accessed via the devices.
Alternately, if consumers are viewing lots of images of clothes using Glass, sponsored ads could be targeted at their device. How brand advertisers will make the most of these new technologies still remains to be seen, but wearables could shake up media consumption habits, and therefore digital advertising, as much as smartphones first did a few years ago.
By Adrian Moxley
CMO and co-founder
WeSee
http://www.wesee.com/