{"id":102372,"date":"2016-10-17T15:33:00","date_gmt":"2016-10-17T20:33:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.dacgroup.com\/time-begin-thinking-beyond-mobile-screen-era\/"},"modified":"2024-12-19T16:40:40","modified_gmt":"2024-12-19T21:40:40","slug":"time-begin-thinking-beyond-mobile-screen-era","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.dacgroup.com\/en-gb\/insights\/blog\/strategy\/time-begin-thinking-beyond-mobile-screen-era\/","title":{"rendered":"Is it time to begin thinking beyond mobile and the \u2018screen era\u2019?"},"content":{"rendered":"

If we\u2019re honest, it\u2019s taken the industry some time to get to grips with mobile, and the worry is that we\u2019ve come to it too late. From a brand and marketer perspective it has proved a confusing space, and this is despite the fact that we reached mobile tipping point a few years ago. In 2011, sales of smartphones and tablets surpassed PC sales. Mobile surpassed desktop usage back in 2014 and mobile digital media time in the US is now significantly higher at 51% compared to desktop at 42%. Last year, Google confirmed what as an industry we\u2019d been anticipating for some time, that mobile search queries had overtaken desktop search.<\/p>\n

But now the industry faces a new challenge, and it\u2019s big. The way in which we interact with and control digital devices is changing much faster than many of us realise, and we\u2019re on the brink of another technological revolution which could make mobile a thing of the past. But marketers simply aren\u2019t ready for it, and currently have little understanding of how this will impact digital marketing.<\/p>\n

The changes are happening at a rapid pace, and according to Ericsson\u2019s most recent ConsumerLab report<\/a> which interviewed more than 100,000 people in 40 countries around the world, more than half of respondents believe smartphones will be obsolete\u00a0within the next five years. That\u2019s a startling prediction, bearing in mind smartphones only really came of age 10 years ago.<\/p>\n

The report explains that \u201cconstantly having a screen in the palm of your hand is not always a practical solution. After 60 years in the screen age, one in two smartphone users now thinks that smartphones will be a thing of the past, and that this will happen in just five years. Battery capacity is a real issue for smartphone users and the size of devices is literally getting out of hand.\u201d<\/p>\n

But what\u2019s more striking from a digital marketing perspective is that Ericsson believes this will mark the end of the ‘screen era’ as we know it. This has huge implications for marketers, because almost all of today’s media are dependent in some way upon screens, and this could require a fundamental shift in mindset and approach. From digital out of home (DOOH) advertising, to programmatic display, through to native advertising, email marketing, mobile apps and video…these are all currently dependent on screen-based or interface viewing.<\/p>\n

\"virtual-reality-headset\"<\/p>\n

What will the \u2018screen era\u2019 be replaced with?<\/h2>\n

It\u2019s been almost impossible to miss the buzz around AI (Artificial Intelligence) this year. It\u2019s likely this technology will pave the way towards a variety of different interfaces in the near future, some of which we\u2019re using already.<\/p>\n

According to the Ericsson study, 85% of smartphone users think wearable electronic assistants will be commonplace within five years. Additionally, one in two believes they will be able to talk to household appliances, in a natural and human way. AI will make this way of interacting with objects and surroundings possible, and this will significantly reduce our reliance on or need for screen-based technology.<\/p>\n

AI is set to take over many common activities such as searching for information on the web, listening to music and news reports, booking cinema tickets or a restaurant, etc. But the scope for innovation is limitless, and as Figure 3 from the Ericsson report below illustrates, 44% believe using AI for teaching would be a good thing, and 35% would like to use AI for friendship.<\/p>\n

\"artificial-intelligence\"<\/p>\n

Voice assistance and voice search have rapidly risen in popularity this year. Towards the end of last year Google released a study of 1,400 Americans looking at their use of voice search. It found that 55% of teens and 41% of adults surveyed used voice search, and more than once a day; there\u2019s little doubt these figures have increased already.<\/p>\n

Speaking recently at SMX West, Behshad Behzadi, director of conversational search at Google, said he believed the future of search was\u00a0“an ultimate mobile assistant that helps you with your daily life so you can focus on the things that matter\u201d.<\/p>\n

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