Acquire Online Directors had the pleasure of attending the iMedia summit last month. Among the many speakers were two fascinating Brads. Futurist and keynote speaker, Brad Berens didn’t disappoint with his concept of Neanderthings and Permaverbs. Search Republic’s Brad Guthrie gave an enthralling talk on Voice Search, highlighting the power of smart speakers and audio.
Berens’ Neanderthings are those technological products and services that have essentially gone extinct. Landlines, fax machines and traditional cameras have all made way for digital alternatives. Yet our actions, the Permaverbs, stay the same. Though we type onto a screen now and send messages instantaneously, listening to music via streaming, the need to communicate remains – it’s just the tools that change. Modern necessities like smart phones and cars make way for alternatives like self-driving cars, smartglasses, mixed reality and co-viewing.
Smart speakers on the rise
Guthrie’s talk served to demonstrate the concept in action. As traditional searches make way for voice searches, Voice Shopping is set to jump to $40 billion by 2022 (rising from $2 billion today).
Smart speaker penetration and adoption in America alone is already significant, with one billion voice searches per month. And 50% of those are voice-based, he said.
The effect of voice on search marketing is equally telling. In terms of SEO, voice search is ranked differently with faster page speed, favouring longer content. Some 56 million smart speakers are set to ship worldwide in 2018. Clearly this is no passing fad.
Berens emphasised that in the midst of these changes, we need to consciously invest in relationships as, despite the technology, we will never get away from the need to be in front of one another. “Though the Neanderthings may evolve and people will continue to want to interact remotely, they are also increasingly uncomfortable with being ignored,” he said.
Keeping it human
Acquire Online did its bit to ensure communication at iMedia. Inbetween the networking and educational opportunities, delegates enjoyed a programmatic cocktail courtesy of Acquire. Ingredients included what marketers have come to expect from NZ’s largest independent programmatic trading desk – brand safety, viewability, reporting and optimisation, audience targeting, and an experienced team – all wrapped up in the popular mojito for good measure!