In his recent article, 12 Marketing Predictions for 2012, Brian Goffman surveyed a number of important trends in the online world. Here are a few highlights from his 2012 road map:
ULTRA CUSTOMIZED CONTENT
Think of it as the Perfect Storm of data. In the old days of the 2000s, it was up to the customer to do the work. We had to filter the billion and one search results, ask around the office for advice, and make the calls.
- Now the combination of Goffman’s #1 Automation, #3 SoPo (Social Personalization), #4 Multimedia Integration and #5 Location-Based Mobile Marketing is relieving us of those duties.
- Because the all-seeing Hal of the Internet now knows everything about our habits, geographical location and friends, it can tell us exactly what we want to buy (8 of your closest friends and 7 of the people you secretly admire like this item), what it is (there’s a Facebook video app for that) and when to buy it (because you’re standing right next door to the store, dummy…)
You know that old saw about Free Will vs. Determinism? We may have found a winner.
WE ALL LIVE IN A VIRTUAL WORLD
We talked the big talk in the 2000s, but our virtual tools were the equivalent of Stone Age picks.
We’ve skipped the Iron Age, whizzed past the hoverboards of Back to the Future Part II and have arrived at video chat, face recognition, and… the Cloud (insert ooooh here).
Now we’re looking at Goffman’s #11 Virtual Teams and #12 Social Commerce - the world in which we never actually have to physically meet to enjoy each other’s company.
- The Huffington Post covers some of the virtual team ground.
- And some Fashion websites are already tapping into the communal shopping experience.
But the virtual world raises some intriguing questions -
- What do we lose when we can’t smell the fear or sense another person’s mood? Despite the push towards online events in the recession, there is a push-back – people still prefer to be in the same room when it comes to trade shows and first meetings. And Black Friday sales.
- What do we win? With more people at home, will families be closer? Will work-balances be more balanced? Will nations further dissolve into economic partnerships? Will the U.S. ever return to manufacturing?
THE END OF ACCIDENTS
With all this lavish attention being paid to our personal needs, there’s one thing we’re losing — the growth that comes with accidents. You might have met them: the unexpected meeting at a conference, the task at work that forced you outside your comfort zone, the chance discovery in a book or music store that opened up a whole new universe.
- Sure, you can seek out these opportunities online, but here’s the thing about accidents: they find you, you don’t find them.
- Unfortunately, with Hal and the data bots as our guides, we’re not likely to get lost.
Posted on November 18, 2011
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