The US military - the inventor of the internet, cloud technology and GPS - are working on futuristic technology that could revolutionise the way humans interact with one another.
Although it is being developed for military purposes, it could revolutionise media, marketing and communications in a similar way to the internet.
Within the next two decades there will be skull caps that plug into your head and are able to visualise and print out 3D images of human thought.
Then there's a tablet Beta C47 that when ingested allows the brain to know how to speak another language.
Perhaps the technology that could revolutionise marketing is gait biometric technology, which scans your body and will be able predict how a person behaves, such as whether they are progressive or conservative, whether they are big spenders or frugal and other behavioural patterns that can revolutionise marketing.
AdNews hosted a podcast, sponsored by The Trade Desk and produced at Nova, that discusses these developments and the wider implications for media, marketing and advertising.
Check out the podcast on iTunes here
WPP AUNZ chief strategy officer Rose Herceg, a futurist, visited a top secret US military base to get a first hand look (and trial) of some of the tech.
“They're militarising this technology to obviously keep America safe from the hands and clutches of terrorism,” she explains.
Speaking about how it might be used in a marketing context, Herceg adds: “If they know that I'm into fashion, they'll give me wayfaring technology that gets me into the expensive stores, Chanel, Jimmy Choo, and if you're into home hardware – they send you there.”
1 Kent Street creative director Simon Collins can see it have huge benefits for retailers.
“This is the kind of thing you could install to the entrance of a shopping mall so when people walk in instantly it is computed an analysed so you can go, 'a ha, here's a live one – we saw you coming...and we know what we can charge you,'” he says.
“If we're trying to put a positive spin on this it is actually beneficial to the consumer – it saves you time. I've recently been involved in some political advertising so it could help you see if voters drift to the left or the right – it would be much more reliable than an exit poll.”
Maxus Australia boss Mark McCraith believes that when consumers purchase products online, such as clothing, retailers will already know your size.
“I'd like to know how you could use it for one our clients like Hungry Jacks to work out when you're hungry,” McCraith adds. “We can target customers walking past depending on whether they are after a light eat or heavy eat with our beautiful burgers.”
Collins points out the tech could help shopkeepers identify and remove shoplifters before they've even thought about stealing your goods.
Predictive modelling is already a big thing in marketing and Herceg believes this technology could be a massive game changer.
“It's the next frontier, that's what we are talking about as marketers. How do we predict what people will do and how they will behave and spend. That will change business models, marketing models, ad agency models – you name it,” Herceg adds.
This AdNews podcast covers the implications of this technology on advertising and media agency business models, as well as one of the most pressing issues that isn't really being discussed – the ethical and legislative barriers.
“Should we let any technology go inside a person's head because that is private space?” Herceg says.
Find out what three of the industry's brightest minds – a futurist, a creative and a media buyer – think about the tech, whether it's a good or bad idea, its implications for media and marketing, and how it might impact our society.
Will it spell doom and gloom for agencies or be another sharp tool to help refine targeting and messaging?
Herceg also shares the results of one piece of tech she trialled in this entertaining and thought-provoking gaze into the future.
Click on the image below to listen to: Will new technology revolutionise or destory marketing?
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