MEC @ MWC 2016
By MEC
MWC keeps getting bigger, both in terms of attendees ( 95,000 this year) and coverage in mainstream press. Once again MEC was there to bring you the best of the show. This year we also held our own MEC@MWC conference for clients, hosted by Heads of Mobile from the UK, EMEA and US.
Now that MOBILE IS EVERYTHING the influence transcends media habits and is redefining human behaviours. Our smartphones are becoming the remote control to our lives and we are consuming more media, on all devices, than ever before.
MWC is a glimpse into the future: Read on to find out how that will impact marketers.
It's still just dumb glass
The new hardware continues to be evolutionary, rather than revolutionary.
Samsung’s S7 is an evolution of the S6, with waterproofing being the main improvement. Seeing the two devices next to each other (left), it’s hard to spot the difference.
LG released the LG G5, a revolutionary modular design where the bottom of the phone can be exchanged for additional modules. For example a professional camera attachment, allowing manual focus and zooming, or an audio unit designed in conjunction with Bang & Olufsen.
Other handsets from HTC, Huawei, ZTE are not about to make a big splash in Western markets, but will undoubtedly be big in Asia.
Why this matters to you
As the number of digital screens increases, the differentiation between them fades in to the background: Consumers focus on content or service.
It’s no longer enough for a brand’s mobile strategy to be a cut down version of their website. Instead, you need to deliver value to consumers by making it simple to buy, interact or use products.
This new level of ease is raising expectations. Services that let consumers interact with a brand when they want, how they want and on whichever screen they choose, are becoming differentiators.
Virtual Reality
Virtual Reality was big at MWC 2016, with lots of demos available. Overall, companies are taking two different approaches.
1. At the high end are headsets Oculus Rift and HTC’s Vive ($599 -$799). Both need to be tethered to a very high spec computer for processing capacity and allow users to interact with their surroundings.
2. At the opposite end are Samsung’s Gear VR (free with pre-orders of the Galaxy S7)and LG’s 360 VR headset. These use the phone to process the image but don’t allow for user engagement with the environment.
Samsung and LG also launched 360 cameras, enabling users to create, and share, their own 360 content. This may provide the impetus needed to take 360 video mainstream.
Why this matters to you
It’s still “wait and see” on VR for marketers. VR might be big but the consumer use cases are still unclear. The top end hardware is expensive and requires a dedicated space, so isn’t ideal for home use (but excellent for experiential installations though).
The lower end versions are more accessible but there is still limited content available. The new cameras will make it easier for consumers to create and share VR content, but could take a year to go mainstream.
That Samsung offers their Gear VR headset free with pre-orders, coupled with ultra cheap versions like Google Cardboard, means that penetration should ramp, but we will need to wait for usage to catch up.
The connected car
The caveat with connected cars is that the time from design to market for cars (typically 4 years) is too long for the connected world, making connected cars obsolete before they even launch.
This year saw companies taking a modular approach, with Qualcomm showing a dashboard with what amounts to a removable hard drive for system updates. Of course, this is something that Tesla have already mastered with their over-the-air software updates.
Visa showed a Honda prototype which enabled mobile payments at petrol stations or drive-in fast food restaurants.
Why this matters to you
Maximising the use of vehicle data will be a key area of opportunity for brands.
Connected cars could soon communicate levels of wear and tear via the web, enabling remote diagnostics, preventative alerts, more efficient servicing and significantly improved customer loyalty.
Cars already generate huge amounts of data but until automation hits mainstream and frees up the driver’s concentration, it’s somewhat of a closed ecosystem. The ability to integrate this data will transform advertising and media strategies, and allow you access to new knowledge about consumer behaviour.
To continue reading please download MEC @ MWC 2016 (pdf, 0.9Mb)