The trends from CES 2017 and what they mean to us…//

CES 2017 has yet again revealed some really innovative products and tech for us in the marketing world to get excited about.

For those of you that don’t know, CES is THE global consumer electronics show that takes place every January in Las Vegas. It is the world’s gathering place for all who thrive on the business of consumer technologies and where next-generation innovations are introduced to the marketplace. Marketers attend to get a sneak peek at how consumers interact and engage with the latest technology and brands.

The following themes emerged from the show, providing us with an insight into the future of marketing.

Voice AI and smarter homes

An overwhelming amount of products have now been integrated with the Amazon AI assistant Alexa, creating smart homes that can be controlled by voice commands. Currently only 1% of digital integrations are voice-activated, however this is expected to rise to 30% by 2020.

The show clearly demonstrated that Amazon is currently winning the battle of the voice platforms. However, it will be interesting to see how Google, Apple and Microsoft respond.

How brands bid to be the default recommendation on voice activated assistants is still the unknown, however the rebirth of audio advertising via bidding for voice activated keywords is inevitable.

Facial and gesture recognition

Yes, ‘Minority Report’ tech is on its way. Some tech like Netamo and eyeSight are making it possible to recognise, track and RESPOND to who we are, what we like, how we look, where we look, what we do, how we feel and how we move.

Arrrgghh! This gets a bit scary, if you ask me. However, imagining your favourite wine ready to drink on arrival at various restaurants makes this (and the wine) easier to swallow.

This creates a massive opportunity for retailers to provide real time personalised recommendations based on the consumer’s actions and emotions.

Security, privacy and trust

With the increasing amount of connected devices (set to rise to 80 billion by 2025) and wearable tech means more and more personal data is being created and stored about us. With large scale hacking in 2016 being well reported, CES featured companies dedicated to security including Bit Defender Box, a network device that prevents hacking into connected home devices.

Privacy needs to be taken seriously by marketers. Data protection should be revered at all costs and marketers need to respect the individual with the continued evolvement of data-driven, programmatic media.

Automation, automation and automation

Basically, if it isn’t already automated, it will be. We, and the companies we work for need to become technology and data led to survive. In ten years most new cars will be autonomous, and our job titles will be completely different to what they are now.

The future of marketing, is one of utility, automation and deep personalisation.

So, without wishing to scare you anymore, let us excite you with some of the tech that we rather like the look of…

Hair Coach

Experience the world’s first smart hairbrush that empowers you to track and improve hair health over time. This product results from a collaboration between Kérastase and L’Oréal, who bring worldwide hair expertise, and Withings, which brings state of the art sensors and app connectivity to everyday products. The resulting innovation is a brush that syncs seamlessly to your smartphone to provide valuable insights that can help revolutionize the home beauty routine.

Toyota Concept-i UX

Photography by Rex / Shutterstock

Toyota’s brand new concept car, the Concept-i UX, drives home the sci-fi future you were promised. With everything from artificial intelligence system called Yui that’s capable of learning your preferences, to an aesthetic design that resembles something out of Will Smith’s iRobot, the Concept-i is an inspiration in polished white. Toyota.com

Razer’s Gaming laptop with 3 screens

Three screens for one laptop may sound crazy, but it is doable as shown by Razer. The laptop is a prototype hence no price details or estimates have been release as yet.

Razer’s Gaming Projector

Photo source: https://www.engadget.com/2017/01/05/razer-puts-its-chroma-system-in-a-projector/

Razer is also working on a concept Chroma projector, dubbed Project Ariana, which will use a wide-angle fisheye lens to broadcast real-time video of your game onto an adjacent wall, creating drive-in movie-levels of immersion in your living room.

Fisher-Price Smart Cycle

Fisher-Price is preparing the next generation for a life of apps and exercise bikes with its latest innovation in the way children play. The Smart Cycle is a miniature exercise bike with a tablet stand mounted on the front – kids pedal to play the attached game.

Wine cellar with a different temperature for each shelf

Although not actually an underground room, this ‘cellar’ is a cupboard that can be set to offer a different temperature and humidity for each shelf.

This way, white wine, red wine and different types of saké can be kept in the right conditions. The glass door features an embedded computer screen (a theme of this kitchen) that can be configured to display information and pairing suggestions for each drink stored inside.

This is just one product featured in Panasonic’s Smart Kitchen.

Credits: https://www.engadget.com/ http://www.ibtimes.co.uk/ https://www.theguardian.com http://www.campaignlive.co.uk/