At @MSAdvertisingUK, we’re privileged to play host to a highly informed and insightful community of followers. Ranging from a broad mix of people at all levels in the advertising industry, to technology enthusiasts and CEOs, they are the people creating the news as much as they are the community most affected by new technologies and changes in digital.

After the hype around 2013 predictions from various celebrities and ‘gurus’, (the most noteworthy ones we’ve listed below) we wanted to see what the people who are most engaged with the reality of tech and advertising thought this year had in store, so we asked our community. The answers were clever, concise - and pretty witty!

There were a number of common themes that emerged in the answers; a lot of people are expecting 2013 to herald more freedom and flexibility when it comes to devices. We’ll be less reliant on our computers and consoles, while technologies blend into the background and everything from our digital footprint to our music, videos and games collections will be stored in the cloud. This, in turn, will affect how we work and socialise and, of course, how brands therefore communicate and engage with audiences.

Mobile and Tablet advertisement is already becoming more optimised and effective and it is expected that 2013 will see this area become crucial to marketers’ integrated strategies. Some also spoke more about the demise of the high street and the rising importance of RTB, video shopping and augmented reality.

Congratulations to @em2345 and @jamesbanks for winning the competition, but particularly thank you to everyone who took part and shared their #MSAPredictions.

P.S. We’re really looking forward to when ‘that thingybob you can’t remember will automatically appear on your worktop surface screen’

Yes, 2013 is going to be an exciting year indeed and here is a selection of predictions!

Top 2013 Predictions to note from the geeks and gurus:

  • E-COMMERCE WILL MEET SOCIAL MEDIA IN 2013: Social media platforms will get up to speed with eager consumers and make it possible to purchase via social media. Batten down the (checkbook) hatches – imagine being able to easily purchase all those beautiful products seen on Instagram and Pinterest!  (source: smart creative)
  • EMERGENCE OF 'MOBILE REMOTES' MAKE IT A CENTRAL PILLAR OF SMART COMMUNICATION PLANS - Picture this... you walk into a room and the ambience instantly adapts to your personal preferences—the lighting dims, jazz music begins to play, and pictures of your favorite beach are projected onto the walls. You set your smartphone down on the desk, and all your information (files, pictures, songs, movies, etc.) are at your fingertips; no more laptop bags, flash drives, or papers—everything is just there. With increased power and capabilities, our mobile devices become the remote controls of our lives, allowing not only active control of electronics, but seamless integration of the world around us. (source: Millwardbrown)
  • 2013: THE YEAR OF THE “ALCHEMIC CLOUD”: It’s when data transfer speeds, the devices we use to create data and a more intelligent cloud all come together to enable a life that can keep up with you, wherever you are. (Author: Steve Clayton, Chief Story Teller, Microsoft - Source: Microsoft at Next)  

       

  • MEANINGFUL METRICS:  We will see a continued increase in tracking meaningful business metrics, like marketing’s contribution to revenue--marketing as a science, if you will. Campaigns should be built around concrete data, and all efforts should be continually tested, measured, and adjusted. I think we’re going to see marketers get more sophisticated with digital content, too. Dynamic personalization--which has been hugely successful in the email world--is now being used to customize Web site messaging. With Web sites playing a key selling role today, serving up the right message at the right time can really increase conversions and sales. "(source CMO.com)
  • THE SECOND GENERATION OF CONSUMERISATION AND WITHIN THAT, THREE KEY THEMES: MOBILE, DATA AND TRUST, THAT WILL COMPLETELY CHANGE HOW PEOPLE THINK ABOUT AND USE TECHNOLOGY IN THE WORKPLACE. Where the first generation of consumerisation was all about how we use consumer devices at work, the second generation will be about services, specifically how we use the consumer services (and the functional principles that make them successful) within our organisations. The key point here is that this is not just about using these services inside the firewall, but is instead about how we use them to fundamentally change the business processes we have relied on for tens if not hundreds of years. Within that broad spectrum, three key areas will emerge as being absolutely pivotal to success:
    • Mobile - we need to understand that mobile devices offer people a fundamentally different relationship with technology, one that is both personal and pervasive and increasingly our first point of contact for anything we do both inside and outside of work
    • Data - this may feel like a cliche, but more and more, data is going to become the lifeblood of all our activities, providing insight and innovation that will enable us to transform the way we do business, among many other things
    • Trust - One of the final refuges of humanity will make it to our digital existence. Employees, employers, brands, advertisers and consumers will increasingly understand its importance in engaging customers and employees when delivering services. (Source: BBC)  
  • RETAIL: SHOWROOMING – Showrooming is where people use mobile devices in-store to compare prices either in rival shops or online and it will become even more ubiquitous in 2013.  Experience design agency Foolproof found 24% of UK shoppers 'showroomed' in the lead-up to Christmas 2012, and 40% of those (one in 10 of all shoppers) then bought items from a competitor. However, in the 18-to-39-year-old age group, those engaging in 'showrooming' leapt to 39%, and a fifth of all shoppers said they went into a store specifically to check something they planned to buy online.  We will see retailers further integrating consumer offline and online experiences to ensure they do not lose price driven customers to their competitors. (Source: Microsoft Advertising Community)  
  • Augmented reality will go mainstream. Companies like Zappar and Aurasma have some great technology that adds an AR touch to published content, posters and physical places. AR technology has been in the works for many years, but the demos I have seen from these two companies have me believing that 2013 is the year that AR becomes very important to the mobile world. More important, many of these AR companies have created great relationships with movie studios, gamemakers, publishers and more, and their technology is already showing up in many of their products (Source: TimeTech)