Experience Matters

2008 Predictions: Cut the wires

“One word. Just one word. Plastics.” That was the line from the 1967 movie “The Graduate.” But in 2008, that one word is “Wireless.”

The shift to wireless is upon us and will only accelerate. It will take many forms, but you can bet that consumers will be thinking about it front and center. Their interest is about reducing complexity, increasing convenience, and having the information they want where they want it. I observed an interesting phenomenon in ‘07. And I think it’s a harbinger for ‘08 and beyond.

I was in a conference and the speaker asked the audience to break into small groups. Members moved into small groups – they left their coats, their purses, and briefcases or backpacks. But they took their mobile phones. What’s the insight? The mobile phone has become a fundamental extension of our lives. You can expect that extension to grow deeper with the talk of wireless in all corners of the industry.

Wireless will accelerate in 2008 in many forms:

Mobile wireless. The iPhone, Google’s Android and Amazon’s Kindle are only the beginning of an explosion in mobile devices and platforms. If your brand does not have a mobile strategy in place – whether for remote access or customer messaging, you might want to lay plans to include a wireless strategy for your brand. Because wireless in banking, in retail, in product research, and in mobile entertainment will only gain in importance. Cellular subscription services will also find its way into more and more devices such as the Kindle or the recently released Zoombak service that enables tracking of cars and pets using GPS and cellular communications.

Broadband wireless. We’re a week from CES and you can bet that the wireless providers will be touting their investments like AT&T’s HSPA or Verizon’s EVDO or Sprint’s struggle with WiMax as their next generation networks. You’ll see increasing discussion around new players with the opening of the 700mhz frequency auctions this year as analog TV frees up new spectrum. You can bet that wireless will be front and center for high-speed access from just about anywhere. And expect that additional frequency availability will change business models particularly with Google participating in the 700 mhz auctions.

Wireless HD. Home theater will go wireless this year with new Wireless HD products showing up. Forget the tangle of cables, or the simplicity of HDMI interconnects that channel audio and video. Wireless HD will be the next thing in home theatre. It will make moving entertainment content and interconnections through the home a better experience.

Wireless Entertainment. I had the chance to experience the Sonos system over the holidays for wireless entertainment in the home. It’s been around a couple of years, but they recently introduced Rhapsody subscription music service. It’s a game changer when you have have a world of music wirelessly distributed through your home.

Are we crossing our wires here? Yes and no.

The point is that consumers will want information, or entertainment, or simplicity without the hassles of thinking twice about it.

What’s it mean for brands? A wireless strategy for your brand experience should be in your plans for ‘08. It could include mobile messaging. Or mobile applications. It might include location based messaging. It might include in-store WIFI to better serve customers who want to access product information wirelessly while browsing. But you can bet that the appetite for wireless access to your brand will be a requirement that only gains in importance.