Vocalize

1 STEP FORWARD, 4 STEPS BACK. TECHNOLOGICALLY SPEAKING.

So imagine, you uncover this new ground-breaking advancement in technology that can deliver killer ideas for your client. Even better, it fits the strategic brief-now you’re all schitzo on idea espresso and the concepts are flying. You’re thinking; “This one’s gonna land me in Cannes.” It blows away HBO’s Voyeur Project and is more advanced than Whopper Sacrifice.

As you begin to dive further in the idea, your imagination takes the reins. You develop, experiment and test. All initial reports show you have a hit on your hands. Then after months of hard work you go online to check your neglected twitter page and find a link someone posted about a newer piece of technology- your curiosity forces you to check it out. You realize that it’s even cooler and more effective than what you have been working on. I guess, this is what they call the, “Why didn’t I think of that” moment. You contemplate modifying or completely overhauling your idea, but the budget won’t allow you.

And then this is where you must breathe. The point is, technology is advancing at a far greater rate than even us self-proclaimed “tech geeks” can keep up with. And even in an industry that requires us to stay up-to-date on the latest mobile or interactive device and trends, when technology takes 1 step forward we must take a moment to take 4 steps back and evaluate the scope of the project. Are budgets drastically flooding into online mediums? Yes. Do mobile phones outnumber television sets 3 to 1 per household in the United States? Yes. But as advertisers we must be efficient and effective in our ideas. Take Hulu as a prime example, an online company that used traditional advertising mediums to expose itself to the world. Result? It went from 20th ranked online video site to 2nd within 2-3 months. They have exclusive deals with ABC and Fox and now Emmy nominations (they did have a little help with great creative). So let’s not loose focus. Let’s treat technology as another medium at our disposal, and remind ourselves that in the end, great ideas are the most beneficial tool we have to build our clients brands.

Just when you thought you were getting a handle on twitter, social media and mobile marketing, I found 4 technologies that will be out in the next 1-3 years that are sure to really push new boundaries and personal rights limits.

1. Augmented Reality(AR) - Ok, so AR ad campaigns are not “new” but this media channel is being poked and prodded into some pretty amazing things. Check out this AR mobile video game for one.

2. Microsoft/X-Box Project Natal - A full body motion gaming system (no controllers). It scans your face, voice and body so you can play and speak to the game. What you do, the games does. You can even scan your own skateboard and have it uploaded into Tony Hawk’s latest game to shred away.

3. Facial Recognition Phone App - Basically this is a program where people can use their phone cameras to scan your face, the program uses facial recognition to pull up everything you have publicly published online (twitter,facebook,etc.) around your scanned photo in a cool AR style. So at the speed it takes to nab your photo, someone can have access to your entire web entity on their phone.

4. Supreme Court, Obvious Fans of DVR - Though not super cool like the others, this advancement holds a key to the future of broadcast. A few weeks ago, the Supreme Court ruled in favor of virtual DVR’s—that means companies like Comcast can house their own internal DVR systems (we wont’ have them cluttering up our entertainment center space anymore). By doing this, satellite and cable companies can house unlimited space and shows. Basically making it where every show on TV will be on DVR. So in the tormented summer months of tv, you click your “on demand” button and watch the entire season of a show you never gave the time of day in the fall and spring.

I could go on, but this should be enough to either scare or excite you. Who knows, maybe I’ll publish more in the near future. Mostly because by the time this is posted something else cool will be out. To join the conversation submit your comment or find me on twitter@joshmunsee.