Four Trends That Will Impact Marketing

1. Touch: From the iPhone and Google Nexus One to the iPad, the coming plethora of touch-tablet computing validates that we are moving away from fixed computer work stations. Along with that, the constructs of using a keyboard and mouse will quickly go the way of the dodo bird. Some are saying that kids today will learn to type on glass, others think that kids will soon be learning to type on air, and that all manipulation and creation of media and information is going to be multi-touch in a simple and intuitive way…think of Tom Cruise in the film, Minority Report. Get ready for the humanization and personalization of hardware as we begin to touch way more than type.
2. Analytics: Walmart’s success is driven by its data. As the Internet creates multiple touch points where any individual can report and publish to everyone else, like we are already doing with Facebook, Twitter, or blogging… imagine what real-time analytics are going to do for business. Think about how we're going to be pushing well beyond static data into understanding the social side of information as well. What are we talking about? It's not just about knowing who is doing what on our websites, but it will be about knowing who those people are, who they are connected to, how much of an influencer they are and what that could mean to our businesses - all in real time. If you thought we were already drowning in data, prepare to be swamped with valuable insights on top of that.
3. One-line: You will no longer be "online" and then on your mobile device. It's just one-line. Many businesses still divide how they develop, strategize and execute on the Internet with what's happening in the mobile space. Yes, the iPad is one kind of link between a desktop or laptop and a mobile device, but the bridge is extended even further as all devices become untethered from wires and fixed locations. The "online experience" is just that - something you can experience in front of a big screen at your home or office, or in the palm of your hand. How we adjust our websites for this coming shift (and coupling it to trend #1) is where the rubber will meet the road.
4. Location-aware: The recent hype and excitement over Twitter and Foursquare is really more about mobile and location-aware online social networks than whether or not Jesse James is actually following one of Tiger Woods' mistresses on Twitter. The ability to not only publish information, but to receive and engage with content based on where you physically are changes everything. From the value of the content while you're "on the ground" to how search, information and referrals are displayed to you based on where you're presently situated. Whether or not Twitter and Foursquare become as irrelevant as Friendster and Second Life is secondary to what these platforms really offer the real estate world - the ability to connect and publish to those who are physically close to us and interested in what we have to sell.