Skip to main content

What’s Next DC 2013: Go To Where the Puck Is Going

“Go to where the puck is going.”

It was Sonny Ganguly (@sonnyg), one of the What’s Next DC speakers leading off day two and quoting hockey legend Wayne Gretzky. Sonny was extending the Great One's maxim to marketing technology in the all things digital era. Those who can best make sense of the rapid changes we’re seeing in technology and position themselves as early adopters and influencers will find themselves with the puck and a one-on-one opportunity to beat the goalie.

Fortunately, for those of us in attendance at What’s Next DC and the many following along on social media, nearly all of the conference speakers shared their insight about not only current trends in digital but what's on the horizon.

From Responsive Design to Responsive Content

Many of the speakers commented on the continued growth of mobile and responsive design. George Alafoginis () informed us that Facebook is now a “mobile-first” company, while Sami Hassanyeh () of AARP expressed how mobile web and mobile apps are now a consideration in everything his organization develops and how AARP is looking seriously at responsive design. Still, the proliferation of mobile and responsive design is where the puck is now. Where it's going, at least according to Katrina Klier () from Accenture, is toward responsive content, where truly appropriate content will be served depending on the device. Factor in reverse IP lookups that allow for visitor segmentation by industry, as presented by Cherilyn Stringer (), and you have even more content personalization.

Instant Consumption

Maturing mobile payment and one-click shopping continues to drive commerce on devices. This is the present, but Kate Watts () suggested that digital content will soon intersect with universal shopping carts that will allow users to peruse (responsive) content and impulse click to buy products or services mentioned or depicted in content. Big data and intense algorithms will fuel instant consumption via personalization, as Heidi Browning’s () Pandora case study suggests is very close to market.

Privacy

Gadi Ben-Yehuda () of IBM noted that identity management and advanced sharing tools will become increasingly important as social search, constant connectivity, and revealing social location apps like SocialRadar () compel people to take privacy seriously. Demand for password tools, trust monitors, and reputation management services will be strong in the near-future.

Video

One can argue that the puck has been on video for a while but all the trends and What's Next DC stories point to it remaining there for the foreseeable future. Rick Reilly and Stephen Curry joining forces to fight malaria, Mr. Rogers remixed, and the Goldman Sachs Titan International progress piece all demonstrated how effective the right video at the right time can be.

Authenticity

The puck always goes to the authentic, and it was reassuring at What's Next DC to see how organizations remained true to their brands, even when trying something new and creative. Goldman Sachs, Honest Tea, PBS, and the World Bank took some risks but remained genuine while showing stories of progress, conducting a social experiment, remixing Mr. Rogers, and doing data viz.

There were many future trends discussed at What's Next DC. The above are just a handful. Where do you think the puck is going?

Comments

  1. Unknown2:19 PM

    As we are going online and every business need to online for its grawth. We need a website to show our business and with best content you can attract your visiter towards your business. content personalization is good idea to make your content relevent to your business.

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

When Weak Connections are Valuable at Work

I recently contributed an article to Information Outlook, the online magazine of the Special Libraries Association (SLA). The title is "When Weak Connections are Valuable at Work", and it's about how new networking tools enable us to cultivate workplace connections with people we rarely (or never) see but who can help us in important ways. Download the article as a PDF or read the web version below. When Weak Connections are Valuable at Work (PDF) When Weak Connections are Valuable at Work If you’re not sure who the weak ties are in your social network, look at the contacts on your phone. Chances are, there are some people in your contacts list you don’t call (much less see) on a regular basis, but you find it useful to keep them listed for those occasions when you do need to contact them. Perhaps your doctor, babysitter, mechanic, or accountant fits this description. If you use a social network like LinkedIn or Twitter professionally, you will have even mo
2 comments
Read more

The Business Model Innovation Factory by Saul Kaplan (Book Review)

As a culture, we strive for personal transformation. Whether it's eating better and getting fit, redefining our professional value proposition through training and education, or simply trying to be kinder and gentler, we're constantly reinventing who we are and what we can do. We may not be successful all the time, or achieve breakthroughs like those featured on The Biggest Loser or facilitated by Tony Robbins , but millions of people successfully transform and reinvent themselves every year. Unfortunately, the very organizations where we work generally do not do the same. As Saul Kaplan elaborates in The Business Model Innovation Factory , most organizations struggle to transform from their core, initial business models and tend to become stagnant and vulnerable to disruptive competitors. The example Kaplan leads with is Blockbuster, which for a time owned the brick and mortar video and DVD rental space, until they were "netflixed" by a disruptive competitor (
20 comments
Read more

Electric Snow Blower?

UPDATE - 12/15/2009 After some back and forth, we went with the Snow Joe Ultra 622U1 13 Amp Electric Snow Thrower. I'll be commenting about its performance as the winter progresses and we use it regularly, but we already had a chance to try it last Thursday (12/10), when the first big Lake Effect snow of the season dumped more than a foot of snow on us here just south of Buffalo. Based on the test run, the Snow Joe performed admirably, handling the one foot high snow in our driveway without issue and essentially doing everything I expected of a powerful torque but lightweight snow thrower. ORIGINAL POST - 8/17/2009 I know it's only August, but I live in Buffalo, and you always need to think ahead about snow. The last two winters, we went without any snow removal machinery, and it hasn't been fun. The first winter I just shoveled, and the second we hired a plowing service. The plow service was better than shoveling all the time, but there were still too many times
24 comments
Read more