what use is the internet of things to marketing?
TRANSCRIPT
Anthony J James | Chief Innova3on & Growth Officer, DDB Asia Pacific Republished September 2015
What Use is the Internet of Things to Marke3ng? | Published Aug 24, 2015
Anthony J James | Chief Innova3on & Growth Officer, DDB Asia Pacific Republished September 2015
What Use is the Internet of Things to Marke3ng? | Published Aug 24, 2015
Why does it ma-er that a toaster can talk to the fridge?
Why should objects in your office know where you are, and when you might need them?
They may seem trite, but these are more than just philosophical ques3ons. They are the meat of the
maVer when it comes to the Internet of Things (IoT). And as an innovator, I have to have answers to such ques3ons from my peers in the marke3ng community, and I need to communicate who are
the leaders in the field.
Why Does It MaVer?
Anthony J James | Chief Innova3on & Growth Officer, DDB Asia Pacific Republished September 2015
What Use is the Internet of Things to Marke3ng? | Published Aug 24, 2015
Last weekend, one of my challenges was addressed by a list of the Top 10 Most
InnovaCve Companies for the Internet of Things. Most marketers would know the
names of the companies in the mix – everyone from Microso\ and Intel, to
Salesforce and Tesla. But there is s3ll a lot of doubt in corporate circles and the
marke3ng sector about the value of the Internet of Things. There’s understandable
concern about the personal privacy of ci3zens, and the possibility that the Internet
of Things might further fragment the media landscape, so for marketers, the task of
aVrac3ng aVen3on becomes harder than ever.
Anthony J James | Chief Innova3on & Growth Officer, DDB Asia Pacific Republished September 2015
What Use is the Internet of Things to Marke3ng? | Published Aug 24, 2015
"But this is key: the reason why marketers need to embrace the Internet of Things is because it makes marke7ng simpler.”
Anthony J James
Chief Innova9on & Growth Officer, DDB 2015
Anthony J James | Chief Innova3on & Growth Officer, DDB Asia Pacific Republished September 2015
What Use is the Internet of Things to Marke3ng? | Published Aug 24, 2015
In essence, the Internet of Things is a collec3ve term for technologies that allow almost anything with a chip in it, or a barcode on it, to communicate with a network. And the technologies already exist.
There are already devices that track your loca3on (mobile phones) and there are ‘smart homes’ and ‘smart offices’ that will turn lights and hea3ng on and off, depending on where people are. And there are barcode readers, QR code readers and so on, that work not just at the checkout of your local supermarket, but at the entry to your home, or even your fridge.
What Is It Anyway?
Anthony J James | Chief Innova3on & Growth Officer, DDB Asia Pacific Republished September 2015
What Use is the Internet of Things to Marke3ng? | Published Aug 24, 2015
IMAGE SOURCE: ‘Marke3ng and the Internet of Things, closer than you think’, hVp://chiefmartec.com/2015/06/marke3ng-‐internet-‐things-‐closer-‐think/
Anthony J James | Chief Innova3on & Growth Officer, DDB Asia Pacific Republished September 2015
What Use is the Internet of Things to Marke3ng? | Published Aug 24, 2015
So to answer the first ques3on posed in this post, if your toaster can talk to your fridge, it can register how many slices of bread have been toasted from the loaf you normally keep in the fridge. And if the fridge is connected to your online shopping list, it can tell when you’re going to need to have a new loaf of bread delivered to your house. Or, from a marketers’ perspec3ve, it makes buying easier, by taking the decision maker out of the buying process. It automates the process, reducing the likelihood of the customer changing brands or outlets for purchasing. It’s not just convenient for the householder. It’s easier for the marketer.
Anthony J James | Chief Innova3on & Growth Officer, DDB Asia Pacific Republished September 2015
What Use is the Internet of Things to Marke3ng? | Published Aug 24, 2015
The biggest issue that proponents of the Internet of Things have had up 3ll now has been the
number of devices that can be linked. But since the development of apps that can read
barcodes and the increasing number of devices that are shipped with network capability,
enterprises in par3cular are taking advantage of the Internet of Things to track resource use
and improve sustainability in the workplace. There are several case studies of IoT devices now
being used to make workplaces greener, and to reduce costs of opera3on. And this all goes to
answering the second ques3on at the top of this post – when objects in your office know
where you are and when you might need them, they can be programmed to switch off, saving
power, and reducing the costs of doing business.
What Are The Immediate Opportuni3es?
Anthony J James | Chief Innova3on & Growth Officer, DDB Asia Pacific Republished September 2015
What Use is the Internet of Things to Marke3ng? | Published Aug 24, 2015
For marketers, too, these sustainability ini3a3ves are a great way to prove the value of IoT
devices to consumers and businesses. Once customers are used to the cost-‐saving benefits of
connec3ng devices at home and at work, it becomes easier to introduce new IoT applica3ons
for purchasing. And as data tracking from IoT devices improves and intelligence is collected
on prac3ces and needs, there will be improved capability to predict when a customer may
need a par3cular product or service.
What Are The Immediate Opportuni3es?
Anthony J James | Chief Innova3on & Growth Officer, DDB Asia Pacific Republished September 2015
What Use is the Internet of Things to Marke3ng? | Published Aug 24, 2015
In short, marketers should be finding ways to use IoT devices that can improve home and
business efficiency as a means of learning more about
consumer behaviours. In an age where aVen3on is
so divided, it makes sense to follow where aVen3on
is being drawn, rather than trying to aVract
aVen3on. This way marke3ng messaging can be
focused en3rely on need fulfilment rather
than trying to convert a scep3cal consumer base.
What Are The Immediate Opportuni3es?
Anthony J James | Chief Innova3on & Growth Officer, DDB Asia Pacific Republished September 2015
What Use is the Internet of Things to Marke3ng? | Published Aug 24, 2015
And of course it’s not just marke3ng
messaging that improves. From an innova3on
perspec3ve, IoT can be used to iden3fy
boVlenecks in communica3on, or opportuni3es for
process op3misa3on. The risk of innova3on ini3a3ves is
reduced, because problems are observable, and solving them
becomes a priority. Again, because it’s a maVer of needs fulfilment,
innova3on and innova3ve product adop3on becomes a simpler
decision for businesses and consumers alike.
Why The IoT Improves Innova3on Efficiency
Anthony J James | Chief Innova3on & Growth Officer, DDB Asia Pacific Republished September 2015
What Use is the Internet of Things to Marke3ng? | Published Aug 24, 2015
You can read a hundred ar3cles online that tell you that the Internet of Things is the next
stage in marke3ng. But for marketers, focusing on the devices misses the point. It’s all about
efficiency; of data intelligence, of fulfilling customer needs, and of customer acquisi3on. The
marke3ng community need to move from considering the Internet of Things as an intrusive
and difficult content plajorm for messaging, to understanding its power as in making
marke3ng simpler.
Why The IoT Improves Innova3on Efficiency
Anthony J James | Chief Innova3on & Growth Officer, DDB Asia Pacific Republished September 2015
What Use is the Internet of Things to Marke3ng? | Published Aug 24, 2015
What Use is the Internet of Things to Marke3ng? Published by:
Anthony J James Chief Innova3on & Growth Officer, DDB Asia Pacific
originally published on LinkedIn