7 KEY
TAKEAWAYS
CES 2016

1ROBOTS ARE COOL,
BUT THAT’S NOT
ENOUGH
Robots were never more than an arm’s
length away. Yet many seemed more like cool
gadgets rather than the powerful machines
we’d expect them to be. (The one exception
was SoftBank’s Pepper, a humanoid robot
that will “converse with you, recognize
and react to your emotions, move and live
autonomously.”)
Consumers are over technology for
technology’s sake. Instead, brands need
to connect with consumers by delivering
frictionless experiences that provide real
value in their lives — not just cool gadgets.

2THE BIG DATA
BACKLASH HAS
BEGUN
It’s not just ad-blockers we need to worry
about; there’s a proliferation of companies
offering anonymity in an overly connected
world. Companies such as eBlocker offer IP
anonymization and device cloaking across
multiple devices. Coupled with web browser
extensions and software (such as Tor),
consumers can increasingly surf the web like
James Bond.
As we rely on data to better target,
software that stops this flow of information
significantly impacts our ability to understand
consumer needs and serve them up
accordingly. In light of the move towards
anonymity, we’ll need new ways to glean
consumer insights.

3MAKE ROOM FOR
INTIMATE DATA
The potential of handheld devices is that
they’re personal. With wearables and smart
clothing, we’re entering a world where our
heart-rates, stress levels, exercise, and diet are
at our fingertips—and potentially accessible
by brands.
This paves the way for a new era of personal,
useful marketing. As marketers, we must
hone in on the power of intimate data and
better understand what data can do to help
people live, sleep, work, and play better.

4ENTER THROUGH THE
GARAGE, NOT THE
FRONT DOOR
Whether it’s a heating system or a fridge,
smart home tech is attempting to be the
primary source of connection. What they
don’t realize: Home appliances can’t trump
the habit of handheld devices. And bridging
the gap between consumers, phones, and
their connectivity at home will be intuitive
automobiles.
We have to have a firm understanding of
where our audiences are. In the past, they
were simply on the other end of the television
screen. Now, it’s vital we take into account
how tech is being used to improve people’s
lives.

5EVERYTHING IS
BECOMING A DIGITAL
SCREEN
Digital screens are everywhere. They’re
in front of our eyes (virtual reality and
augmented reality) and on our wrists
(wearables). They’re thinner, cheaper,
larger, and higher resolution. And they’re all
connected to the cloud.
We need to start thinking about the future
canvas of advertising. What should ads look
like in VR? What’s the marketing potential
of consumer attention in cars that drive
themselves? We can throw our rules around
traditional ad units out the window. Instead,
let’s think of sequential storytelling units that
evolve over time.

6WE’RE ALL USER
EXPERIENCE EXPERTS
NOW
Unveiled at CES were the best televisions the
world has ever seen — with outdated remotes
and menus that made little sense. We’re
at a time of incredible innovation, but the
consumer experience is lagging behind.
Increasingly, every product is becoming an
interface. And because your product is your
brand, marketers are now user experience
designers. We need to take more time to
think of the intimate experience consumers
have with our products.

7BUSINESS MODELS
ARE CHANGING
You don’t have to be a tech company to be a
tech company. Technology is pervasive across
almost every category of business today.
With the collision of hardware, software, and
platforms, we’re seeing entire categories
rethinking business models. Car companies
are now in the business of mobility. And
Netflix has moved from content distributor to
content creator—and owner of chill.
We need to reconsider advertising in the
context of digital convergence. The industry
needs talent that can create experiences
around people seamlessly across products,
services, and platforms.

?THOUGHTS FROM
Tom Goodwin
Jeremy Gilbert
Lori Hiltz
Alex Wood
Daniel Korn
Vin Farrell
Tom Olesinski
Dominique Delport