Luckie & Company's Director of Digital Strategy Chris Zobel provides our annual look at digital trends for the new year, including advances in HTML5, cloud-based music and smartphone adoption.

2. Data and Content Will Reign Supreme
Data and Content Will Reign Supreme
As consumers continue to use digital platforms for commerce, communication, socializing
As consumers continue to use digital platforms for commerce, communication, socializing, entertainment and so on, they become more of
a moving target when it comes to they become more of a also becoming more when it comes to marketing. They
and entertainment, marketing. Additionally, they are moving target savvy and educated about how they want to be
are also becoming more educated and savvier about how they want to be marketed to.
marketed to.
Knowing this, 2012 this, 2012 willtailoring content to the consumer content to the consumer, giving who they are. This is
Knowing will be the year of be the year of tailoring – give consumers what they want based on them what
where the data is most important. By collecting kits and pieces of data, clients will be able to tailor messaging to the consumers. Based on
consumers’ online behavior, we can determine their needs, interests and pointsdata is most important. By collecting have a
they want based on who they are. This is where the of relevance in order to know them better. Once we
clearer picture of our audience, data, allocate resources, able to tailor messaging to targets. It’s about creating awareness for
bits and pieces of we can clients will be content and media to the appropriate the consumers. Based on
those who are not yet aware, instead of blanketing the masses with the same message. We will need to follow the consumers, on their
consumers’ online behavior, we can determine their needs, interests and points of
terms, through the purchase cycles, creating multiplatform touch-points along the way.
relevance. Once we have a clearer picture of our audience, we can allocate resources,
The best news is and media to the efforts and multi-touch initiatives will help lead to a higher return on media investment.
content that all of the marketing appropriate targets. It’s about creating awareness for those who
are not yet aware instead of blanketing the masses with the same message. We will need
to follow the consumers, on their terms, through the purchase cycles, creating multiplatform
touchpoints along the way.
The best news is that marketing efforts and multitouch initiatives will help lead to a higher
return on media investment.

3. Image Source: inlog.org
2-D Codes
2-D codes are not dead yet. We witnessed a lot more coverage of 2-D codes in 2011.
Lowe’s placed Microsoft Tags on every item in its stores and reached out to manufacturers
to give them the opportunity to build against the tags that were created. Home Depot will
follow suit. Fashion has always been ahead of the curve, and the industry was the first to
use tags more effectively. Marketing campaigns for other industries are now incorporating
innovative content behind the codes instead of just static websites. I’m not going to beat this
horse again in 2012, but you should definitely incorporate 2-D codes into your plans, when it
makes sense, and drive users to relevant content.

4. Image Source: digisquared.com
Music in the Clouds
Cloud-based music streaming is going to be awesome in 2012 – as long as it’s free. Therein
lies the challenge to business models. Some users are willing to pay the premium for
unlimited, multidevice access to tunes – between $36 and $120, depending on the services.
However, with Spotify and Pandora dishing out free music as long as you can stand the ads
and you don’t pass the capped hours of listening, the paid model is a little less appealing.
Additionally, most users have a la carte services that they still use, like iTunes, Amazon and
Google. What’s the answer? We don’t know yet. 2012 will be the year to see how well
models fare in the current music-listening economy.

5. Image Source: wikipedia.org
Get in the Game: Brands’ Use of Gaming
Gamers, we know who you are. 65% of U.S. households have game consoles, and 49% of
gamers are between the ages of 18 and 49. The average age of a gamer is 32 years old.
From a demographic stance, gaming is a big target. Also, when you look at the number and
types of games out there, clients are able to pick and choose how to integrate. Besides in-
game advertising, there’s also marketing implementation within marketplaces on game
consoles. Many clients still think that gaming is about shoving a cartridge into the console.
They’re not aware of the social aspects of the gaming community and that online gaming
trumps single-player experiences. It’s time to get in the game.

6. Source: Comscore
Image Source: apple.com, blackberry.com
Smartphone Adoption Ready To Soar
2011 was the year when smartphone penetration leapt over the 50% mark. With the future
of Research In Motion in the balance, along with the ever growing discontent among
shareholders and BlackBerry users, this may be a banner year for the smartphone.
Smartphone app usage, solid hardware/software and seamless integration with users’ music
and cameras have been a threat to RIM. The one saving grace for the BlackBerry, believe it
or not, is the keyboard. Users seem to love its tactile nature.

7. Image Source: neowin.net, gizmodo.com
Gesture Recognition Navigation
Microsoft Xbox and Kinect have blazed a path for gesture recognition usage. Bodies are
now being used instead of a gaming controller. We also have Siri from Apple, eliminating
the need to type into a search field. Add to that the multitouch screens on tablets and mobile
devices. The digital society is becoming less reliant on interfacing with technology by touch
and is entering an era of touch-free navigation. Mobile companies like Samsung and Nokia
have been submitting patents for gesture-based mobile navigation since 2008. It’s just been
a waiting game for the technology to catch up. Well, it’s caught up. In 2012, we look forward
to seeing which companies will break the touch barrier and implement gesture-based control
over mobile devices.

8. Image Source: googleblog.blogspot.com
Mobile NFC and the Mobile Wallet
Google Wallet has started the ball rolling with mobile payments using near field
communication (NFC) technology. Google has more than 150,000 merchants, as well as
New York City cabbies, who accept the technology, and we expect this to grow. With any
technology sector, there is an expectation that others will follow. Whether it’s using NFC like
Google Wallet or issuing a barcode, much like the very successful Starbucks app, there will
be many players in this category.

9. Image Source: apple.com
Voice-controlled Search
With the launch of the Apple iPhone 4S came a little voice on the phone. We call her Siri.
And Siri is making waves. After a new user runs out of witty and fun requests, many of
which can be found on the website shitsirisays.com, there are practical uses for the
personal assistant. Siri is an innovative way to cut to the chase when looking up directions,
texting, scheduling, etc. One thing Siri does of note is eliminate the middle man – namely,
search. Users merely speak into their phones and get results. No more typing. No more
scrolling. And this has many observers curious about how to leverage search in mobile if
voice-controlled devices are the future. Be on the lookout to see how Android’s version of
Siri, called Skyvi, will affect the search giants in their attempts to keep their share of the pie.
Additionally, keep an eye on newcomers who might throw their hats in the ring.

10. Image Source: apple.com
HTML5
It was reported late in 2011 that the highly anticipated Flash Mobile Player is dead. This
comes after months of speculation about how Apple iPads would go on without Flash. Now
we have the answer. However, the real question is that if tablet sales are increasing, how
will advertisers react? The majority of display advertising is produced with Flash, and this
poses a challenge. Additionally, website development has historically relied on Flash as a
creative platform for video and animation. The prediction: high rate of adoption of HTML5.
And that’s not just for websites but for display advertising as well. Marketers will be looking
for the best way to leverage this technology to ensure that their message is seen and has
impact.

11. Chris Zobel
Director of Digital Strategy
With more than 15 years of experience in the digital space, Chris heads up our digital
strategy and planning group. Chris is tasked with developing customized digital
marketing strategies for clients, as well as identifying opportunities and providing
digital solutions to help support the full integration of digital media in everything we
do. From online ads to online gaming, he finds the right place for the right message.
chris.zobel@luckie.com
For further insight, you can follow Chris on Twitter @chriszobel.