When I returned from Brainstorm Tech, one of the first things I did was put together a list of takeaways to share with my team at 3Pillar. Customer experience and finding talent were major areas of focus; here are a few other tidbits that I picked up.
App Fatigue
Big brands are beginning to get tired of apps. Mobile is on the slowdown. Too much focus. Customers are tired. Brands aren’t seeing ROI. Folks are realizing that Mary Meeker’s stats on the gap between usage and monetization doesn’t take into account that the vast majority of time on our phones is primarily dedicated to email and texting and then, secondarily, to one or two social media apps, which leaves very little eyeballs for others. Watch for the slowdown for things that aren’t truly utilities. P&G and others have already decreased budgets.
AdTech
A totally broken industry, but not for any reason technical. The philosophy behind it is broken and leading to undervaluing of content. Quantity content reigns over quality content today, and advertisers are starting to realize that the eyeballs they are supposedly getting are not the ones they want. Too much of a focus on direct ROI and conversation vs. brand development, which is what advertising used to be all about.
The Sharing Economy
Definitely a growing trend. Much discussion about regulation and the disruptive nature of the sharing economy. This has the chance to be seen as a golden hammer for a while, but it is also truly impactful.
Your EA as a Statistician
This is from a side comment made by Reid Hoffman that turned into a bit of an insightful conversation. Reid makes sure that his EA is also a statistician, proactively providing metrics about where he’s spending time and optimizing his calendar to be incredibly impactful.
Apple Watch Just a Transition
Nobody is really excited about it. They mostly see it as a transition from the phone to wearables that more naturally blend in and integrate with what’s around you. There’s no doubt that soon we won’t be carrying anything around. Perhaps your wedding ring will be a token that allows you to connect with the nearest flat surface.
Have you noticed these trends? Do you agree with the observations? Hopefully you can put them to use.