By Rich Lomeli, Senior Media Buyer
It was weeks before Christmas as I watched my dad put up the tree. The wood in the fireplace crackled and the smell of pine and cinnamon filled the air as my mom made cookies in the kitchen. Christmas music played in the background.
I cherished the time spent with family as we created memories. Today, the Cloud can store memories via a WIFI or LTE cellular connection. In fact, the Internet of Things (IOT) can even help deliver a live or carbon fiber tree right to your door with a simple voice command or touch of a button.
What is the Internet of Things?
The Internet of Things is the network of physical devices, vehicles, home appliances, and other items embedded with electronics, software, sensors, actuators, and network connectivity which enable these objects to connect and exchange data. Don’t like how the lights look on that tree? LED lights can be controlled via smartphone app. No fireplace? An instant one can show on a smart TV via Chromecast. How about that pine or cinnamon smell in the air? IOT allows users to connect sensors to electrical outlets to activate scented aromatherapy vaporizers by voice or smartphone app. Every piece of Christmas music recorded can be instantly summoned by voice or app.
How Can We Use the Internet of Things?
As marketers, we embrace the technology and applaud the advances of IOT. We can now take data collected and apply advanced analytics to uncover new business insights for our clients. We then can transform these insights into action through powerful applications and campaigns.
In fact, IOT augments and/or automates simple tasks which, by definition, is a natural evolution that can only come because of data collection. More and more each day, all of us provide a glimpse of our spending habits, our entertainment selections and, yes, even if we like live Christmas trees or fake ones based on search engine activity. In 2018 we will see the next step in this evolution towards more artificial intelligence (AI) and a more comfortable technology.
The Future of the Internet of Things
In my childhood living room during Christmastime, there was no internet. No cell phones with digital cameras and HD video. No live streaming. Just an occasional flash from a Kodak instant camera, laughter and a lot of tinsel on the tree. While at times I long for those simpler times, the Internet of Things is becoming an integral part of our lives. It’s important for businesses and marketers alike to understand and take advantage of all it can offer.
If you would like to explore new business insights gathered from the Internet of Things, Priority Marketing can help! Contact us today by calling (239) 267-2638 or visiting PriorityMarketing.com.
