PPB July 2016

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JULY 2016 •

PPB

• 63

Marketing In A

Virtual World

TECH TALK

Did Your

Bowtie

Just

Change Colors

WEARABLE TECHNOLOGY MOVES BEYOND FITNESS TRACKERS

FORGET FITBIT—THE FUTURE OF

wearable technology is leaving

simple fitness trackers behind and focusing on smart clothing and jewelry.

UK-based Juniper Research is predicting these two fields will bring in as

much as $265 million in revenues in the next five years—the majority being

spent in North America.

What’s different about these newest additions to the wearable-tech sec-

tor? According to Juniper, “eTextiles” are the foundation of wearable technol-

ogy; material or parts of a finished garment are made conductive to activate

certain components within a piece. This smart clothing may be created with

3D-printed fabrics, and textiles consisting of stainless steel and silver yarn.

Instead of measuring heart rate or calories burned, eTextiles are being

crafted to detect changes in the wearer’s mood and to track athletes’ posi-

tions in real time during play or practice; other styles may employ motion

sensors to activate design patterns and light elements.

Smart jewelry is ripe for use with notification apps. Necklaces and rings

can be programmed to send GPS alerts or make an automatic call to preset

numbers in case of emergency. Other wearables, such as the Netatmo JUNE

smart bracelet, provide an app-driven UV-sensing device to help wearers

avoid overexposure and sun damage.

And that bowtie? Produced by Sony using ePaper, the bowtie is crafted

from electronic paper that’s programmed to change designs on a whim. The

ePaper is also the basis for Sony’s minimalist FES watch, which became avail-

able at retail late last year. Though it has none of the capabilities of a smart-

watch, the FES’s clean design and clever motion sensor earned it enough

backing from a Japanese crowdfunding site to bring

the project to fruition. The watch is being sold

through a handful of Japanese online

stores for just under $250.

EARLY ADOPTERS OF advanced personal technology

scrambled to get their hands on virtual reality (VR)

devices like Oculus Rift, which offer users an immersive

experience, when they were finally released in March.

Savvy brands such as soft-drink giant Coca Cola were

among the first to see VR as a platform for more effective

brand exposure among consumers through unique story-

telling. The company developed the Coca Cola Packaging

Viewer—packaging that can be converted to a VR

viewer—to engage with teen consumers while increasing

sales of products among that age group.

Navigating a new marketing field holds endless pos-

sibilities but also can lead to huge missteps. Guido

Rosales, former integrated marking director for The

Coca Cola Company Europe and a guest speaker at the

Virtual Reality for Global Brands Conference in June,

shared these tips for making virtual reality marketing

more successful:

Focus on the brand message

and story, then

decide how VR can enhance it.

Create buzz

around the message, not the

technology.

Earn additional media

by connecting the

brand story with other consumer touch

points, and rely on VR to maximize brand

exposure.

PHOTO COURTESY OF COCA COLA