Bright Ideas

As we enter 2018 in earnest, it’s important not to forget the lessons of last year. Examining 2017 trends gives us hints as to where people’s media consumption habits are heading in the future. In order to reach your target audience effectively, it’s important to understand the kinds of media that they’ll be spending most of their time on in 2018.

Have you noticed how Black Friday advertisements have changed over the last few years? Stores began to open earlier and earlier Friday morning. Some even began creeping into Thursday. That may not be the best strategy anymore. Mobile may be your new best friend if you are working on your marketing plan as ‘tis the season for spending money.

Each day is an opportunity to learn new things. YouTube is not one to sit in the back seat and watch technology develop. As one of the leaders in streaming advertising, YouTube has introduced something new and exciting into this arena.

This year, YouTube began supporting the upload of 360-degree videos. These videos allow the viewer to explore the filming area: look forward, backward, to the left, or right. Going beyond the “standard” view of most YouTube videos, we are now free to explore what is happening all around the video, check out all the angles while the video is playing. YouTube is bringing many of the features of virtual reality to its app - not only can you watch the video, but you can feel as though you’re in the video! “Your phone becomes a window to a story happening all around you” Wilms & El Guerrab.

Months prior to the CES, it was rumored that Google and Ford would be teaming up to lead the automotive industry into a time of autonomous vehicles. However, the rumored partnership turned out to be untrue.

This year at the 2016 Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas, Ford and Amazon announced they are working together to connect the home and the vehicle. The two big name companies aim to create a communication link that allows consumers to speak with their smart homes from their vehicles and vice versa. These companies are coming together because they saw the need of consumers increasingly desiring to stay connected to homes while on the move.

Love is one of the most powerful feelings we’ll ever experience. Once you’ve got your rose-colored glasses on, everything seems just a little bit brighter. And when it comes to showing love, there’s nothing like Valentine’s Day. It’s the ultimate day to show off your love. But many show their love on other days of the year, too…hopefully! Google demonstrates that anything from what to talk about on a first date all the way to wedding inquiries, there is a constant want to know of the best possible option(s).