Angelique Werner

The previous year was a crucible for many companies; the growing importance of the social network, the rising relevance of tablets and several other trends combined to create a new marketing paradigm unlike any witnessed previously. This year promises to be even more eventful if anything, so let me get my crystal ball out and indulge in some forecasting for the coming year.

Disruption is the name of the game: New technologies today have the ability to be far more disruptive in shorter periods of time than was the norm earlier. For example the concept of web TV has the potential to completely change the way we are entertained. Traditional broadcasters who charged a premium for their content will find the concept of web TV very hard to digest. Adapting quickly to these new developments is a key requirement for enterprises to survive and prosper in the coming years.

Device proliferation: Content delivery and content display platforms are no longer going to be limited to two or three traditional devices. Instead they will be available across many platforms and in different formats. The lines between the TV, the PC and the cellphone will blur as each will attempt to crossover into the others turf. Additionally devices like the tablet and hand consoles will present new opportunities and challenges for digital marketers to address. Content will become platform agnostic, going forward.

Instant gratification to become even more popular: The birth of solid storage devices and the decreasing costs of virtualisation will ensure that more consumers opt for convenient models of information sharing where they pay for selected services on the tap. Media will migrate to the cloud wherein services like the recently launched ultraviolet will provide them an easy media storage repository which can either be owned or rented. This will also allow them to access this content from just about anywhere.

I will continue with a few more trends I think will be interesting in my next blog.