The Maker Movement delivering cutting-edge marketing tech

Anthony J. James

Admap

January 2016

 

 

The Maker Movement delivering cutting-edge marketing tech

Anthony J. James

Trinity Consulting

We have now entered the golden age of the Maker Movement – a futuristic open-source technology-based DIY

subculture that encompasses electronics, robotics, wearables, Virtual Reality and 3D printing. Anthony J. James of

Trinity Consulting Services explains how to apply this new movement to advantage in a marketing context.

When looking to the future, there's a tendency among commentators to talk about technologies as if they were part of some

distant Utopia – exciting, but just beyond our reach. As marketers, we see these innovations as an indicator of behaviour to

come, but we often miss the fact that there are tools and behaviours that are already prevalent, and that we can deploy now

as part of marketing strategy.

Right now, we are in a golden age of what's generally called the 'Maker Movement'. It's characterised by inexpensive, easy-to-

build kits and projects that generate automated machines, robots, games, drones, wearables – almost anything you can

imagine. And while the movement is still populated by DIY types, for those willing to experiment, the results can be

extraordinarily creative and compelling. Indeed, one project that grew out of the Maker Movement may well be the top-selling

toy this Christmas. But more of that later.

The Maker Movement is a gift to marketing. Cheap robotics, app-driven products and electronic build projects mean that

marketers have at their disposal a wide array of tools and resources to improve brand experiences, to attract and delight

customers as they progress through their days. Here are just a few of the technologies and projects that are on offer, and

some of their applications in a marketing context.

Arduino

Arduino is an open-source platform based on hardware and software. That essentially means that with a little board starting at

around $20 and going up to $120 per unit, you can start to build physical devices that will respond to external input. That input

could be anything from changes in light conditions, to data inputs (such as a Twitter post) or even the flick of a switch.

The applications of Arduino are extremely wide-ranging. There are examples of Arduino being used to open boxes and lockers

in response to a cellphone app request, a secret knock, or a tone sequence. There are Arduino controllers running on digitally

lit surfaces, responding to movement. And there are examples of fire-breathing animatronic ponies and jack-o'-lanterns, all

running on Arduino kits. Perhaps more practically, you can fit a jacket with indicator signals if you're a cyclist, or create a

wireless power meter for your home.

   Title: The Maker Movement delivering cutting-edge marketing tech

   Author(s): Anthony J. James

   Source: Admap

   Issue: January 2016

 

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From a marketing perspective, the first and most obvious use of Arduino projects is as part of an experiential marketing

campaign. Arduino projects can help guide customers through product experiences in an interactive setting, and they can help

the user feel more in control of their environment, watching their impact on a system in real-time.

Probably the simplest example of Arduino for a marketing campaign is an automated photo booth, where customers could have

their picture taken in a branded environment and have that image uploaded to Instagram on a branded account. The entire rig

of an automated photo booth can be built for around $150 and left to engage an audience without being intrusive. Creative will

still be needed to encourage participation, but the cost of booth hire and staff management is cut profoundly with the use of

simple tools.

Of course, marketing projects using Arduino don't have to be limited to public activation campaigns. They can be used in retail

outlets, as part of an exhibition or conference promotion, or even as a means of distracting customer attention from the tedium

of waiting for time-consuming business processes to be completed.

The advantage of Arduino is the lowcost, highly interactive experiences that can surprise and delight customers. Beginners

can learn how to build and program an Arduino kit in less than a day and installations can be executed as soon as the creative

component is built. It's fast, cheap and effective. (Full instructions on how to set up your own photo booth are available online

at http://www.instructables.com/id/A-Makers-Wedding-Photo-booth/)

Raspberry PI

The Raspberry Pi is a fully operational computer packed onto a board the size of a credit card. Selling for around $50 a unit, it

was originally designed to teach children about the basics of computer science. It was adopted by the Maker Movement as a

tool to run complex operations, and to act as an experimental machine.

Much like Arduino kits, Raspberry Pi projects are broad-ranging, and can vary from gaming machines to media servers, pet

feeders, garage door openers and weather stations.

For marketing, the Raspberry Pi represents a very low-cost machine to operate a music or video jukebox, a motion detector

system for real-world activations, or an operations centre for digital signage. There are a number of companies that are

offering Raspberry Pi specialist services, and again, the value for marketing is the low cost of implementation as well as the

low skill requirement for adoption and implementation. (See ScreenlyApp.com for examples of Raspberry-Pi-driven digital

signage solutions.)

Robotics

Nothing says the future like robotics. Fear them or embrace them, robots represent, for marketing, the next wave of campaign

gold. And far from being the creepy, clunky devices of 1960s science fiction, modern robots can be built with common tools,

either as remote-controlled (or mobile-appcontrolled) novelties, or even autonomous devices, whose actions are triggered by

external input. Build projects range in price from $50 to thousands of dollars, but sometimes the simplest devices can be the

most charming.

And the most recent research on robots and personal assistants (think Apple's Siri, Microsoft's Cortana, or Facebook's new M)

has demonstrated that, as humans, we can develop strong relationships with robotic devices, because robots prove their value

without needing validation in return. This is significant for marketing. If the advice of a robot in one's home, one's car or even in

 

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a shopping mall can be trusted to be accurate and efficient, then the opportunities of robotics for entertainment, information

and purchase support services are substantial. While robotics won't replace human contact (for a very long time, if ever), the

role of robotics in marketing is growing. We just need to be a little creative about its implementation.

Other technologies

Other technologies that are already on the market include 3D printers (retailing from around $500), laser cutters and engravers

(from $250), Virtual Reality headsets (Google's Cardboard unit retails from $15 a unit and the Samsung Gear VR device retails

for $200 a unit). Each of these technologies offers extraordinary opportunities for marketing. 3D printers allow for scanning

and reproducing simple products for promotional materials. Laser cutters and engravers can be used for signage and for

personalisation of products for influencers or as part of a surprise and delight campaign. Virtual Reality headsets enable truly

immersive worlds to be developed, and for locationspecific information to be transmitted to the customer as they explore real

spaces. All that's needed is for a creative agency or marketer to think about how they might be deployed for the benefit of a

brand.

The sphero

Sphero BB-8 droid: grew from a project combining a 3D printed shell and the innards of a smartphone

Many of you may already be aware of the new Star Wars toy that has been released on the market, mimicking a character that

will appear in the next films of the franchise: the BB-8 droid. The diminutive droid has already captured the hearts of the fans

of the series, and when the authorised Sphero toy was released on 4 September 2015, it was sold out in hours, and it even

became difficult to order the $149 mobile-app-driven toy.

What is less known is that the technology on which the BB-8 droid was built grew from a Maker project combining a 3D printed

shell and the innards of a smartphone. Designed in 2011 and launched in 2013 as Sphero 2 by the firm Orbotix, the

programmable ball is driven by a mobile device application and, again, responds to feedback from its surroundings. It was

promoted as a way to teach children maths as well as a way to entertain and delight, and it attracted a lot of attention from the

technology crowd. But when Disney invited the Sphero team to view their designs of a droid for the new Star Wars franchise,

 

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the company hit the big time.

The reason why the Sphero story is important is that smart marketers are already tapping into the smarts of the Maker

community. These technologies are here, they are cheap and they are compelling. While we may talk about technologies of

the Internet of Things, wearables and robotics as being on the horizon for marketing, there are hordes of enthusiasts who are

already building these devices of the future.

Marketers, take a dive into the Maker Movement. What you'll find there aren't just concepts, but products.

About the author

Anthony J James is Managing Director and Chief Innovation Officer at Trinity Consulting Services. He has experience in

creating digital, creative, brand positioning, and global B2B solutions focused on growth for major brands across Asia-Pacific,

Middle East, and Europe.

aj@asktrinity.com

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