How Twitter users are becoming excited about the benefits of virtual reality

(c)iStock.com/Nikada

It may have seen a false start with the likes of Google Glass but virtual reality is set for a revival if a recent analysis of Twitter conversations about the technology is to be believed.

Between February and April Brandwatch used its platform to track 120,000 tweets over two months about the technology. It found that of these conversations the majority (85%) were positive. Only 16% were negative.

Oculus and its Rift VR headset topped the table as...

22 April 2016 | Social Media Marketing

The positive aspects of a downward marketing spiral

(c)iStock.com/Polina Shuvaeva

We nearly always think that a downward spiral is a negative, a downturn, and a disaster. Not always. I disagree and make an exception when it comes to marketing and developing a ‘go to market’ digital cross-media or integrated strategy, selecting the media, and determining when to use that media to support your strategy.

I often explain to clients and students that a useful image to visualise when discussing the development of an...

5 April 2016 | Best Practice

How wearables are an increasingly important channel in the buying process

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In today’s omnichannel world the channels through which customers can purchase is greater than ever, but a study suggests that wearable tech may be having a greater impact on buying than previously believed.

The study of 2,000 consumers suggested that wearables are now a crucial buying platform with owners using them for all stages of the buying journey. This breaks down as 66% using them in the pre-purchase stages, 58% in the purchase stages...

12 January 2016 | Wearables

Six ways mobile location data will play a crucial role in 2016

(Image Credit: iStockPhoto/cacaroot)

With almost three quarters (74%) of smartphone users engaging with location-based services, mobile location data is rapidly becoming an indispensible marketing tool. In 2016, marketers will increasingly look to mobile location data to engage consumers across devices, measure multi-channel attribution and combat ad blocking. Here are six ways mobile location data will play a crucial role over the next year and beyond.

Navigating the world of...

16 December 2015 | Advertising Technology

VR, AR, and wearables: Ambient interactivity transforming the marketing experience

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The whole scope of ambient interactivity in public places – using virtual reality (VR), augmented reality (AR) and wearable technologies – will dramatically expand over the next five years, as these technologies combine to afford more vivid, dynamic, and extensive interactivity. It also means a huge opportunity for marketers.

Ambient interactivity, which typically refers to ambient interactivity embedded or built into physical structures and...

12 November 2015 | Advertising Technology

Dawsons Music and GoInStore partnership aims to ‘close gap between online and offline worlds’

(Picture credit: Dawsons Music)

A new initiative from GoInStore and Dawsons Music aims to enable customers of the retail chain to browse its inventory through smart glasses worn by shop staff.

Visiting the Dawsons Music retail website takes you to a video stream where a member of staff can guide you through the store's products. The audio is two-way, meaning customers are essentially on the phone to a representative but with the key added visual element. Naturally a set of...

5 August 2015 | Customer Experience

How will wearables influence mobile advertising?

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Having read with great interest over the past few weeks a number of different MarketingTech articles on the role of wearable technology in marketing, I wanted to take the opportunity to share my thoughts on what’s happening with wearables in another fast growing area of digital marketing: mobile.

Much like wearables, mobile is still seen by some as a new kid on the block. But while mobile fought to have a presence on media plans in the beginning,...

17 July 2015 | Advertising

Getting the right hook: How a golf app developer is using wearables for retargeting

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The American novelist Nicholas Sparks, in Dear John, writes: “No matter where you are in the world, the moon is never bigger than your thumb.” Let’s paraphrase that slightly: no matter where you are in the world, there will be someone, somewhere, writing a piece on wearable technology and how it can be deployed in marketing.

Some companies, however, are ahead of the game. Take Shotzoom. The company, by its own definition,...

29 June 2015 | Case Studies

A brief history: The rise of wearable technology in marketing

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The marketing industry already has a lot to contend with in terms of rapid changes. One particular area that’s growing in popularity at a tremendous rate is the wearable technology market. That market is already worth billions, and a study from Juniper Research predicts that spending on wearables will reach $19 billion by 2018. That’s nothing to sneeze at, and marketers are already trying to come up with the most...

15 June 2015 | Commerce

Travels in time: The Apple Watch and its implications for the future of online and offline commerce

(c)iStock.com/Mutlu Kurtbas

Before the launch of the Apple Watch, every Apple product launch followed a similar pattern: a product announcement on stage in March, June or September; a shipping date announced some days to a couple of months later; and usually about a week before the launch, lines of people starting to form in front of all of Apple’s stores.

There is always a CNN report interviewing the first person waiting in...

2 June 2015 | E-Commerce