- September 1, 2015
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Where Will Marketers Go With Wearable Tech?
Back in 1967, San Francisco was known for the Summer of Love. In the summer of 2015, the City by the Bay became the gathering place for fans and makers of wearable technology. While the term may be new for some marketers, this year marks the 16th annual Wearable Technologies Conference.
The 16th WT featured a wide range of wearable tech with more than 500 attendees, including chip vendors, integrators, distributed networks, plus network, product, and service solutions providers.
If you want to know where wearable technology is heading and how it might fit with your integrated marketing plans, these highlights from the two-day event, as reported by the WT Conference, will give you some ideas.
Wearable Tech 2015 Highlights
“Quantified Self to Quantified Health”
Daniel Kraft of Exponential Medicine spoke about what he called “the Internet of the body,” because everything is connected. Significant changes are anticipated in the health care industry, since wearables can now be applied by medical professionals as well as trainers.
“Building a Smarter Future”
Mike Dennison of Flextronics delivered the keynote, focusing on the need to innovate more quickly now that customers are making their demands known. One result of this shift is the shortening of product lifecycles, from 18 months in 2005 to 9 months in 2014. Dennison also pointed out the giant shifts in industry, with 86% of Fortune 500 companies now defunct, emphasizing the need for rapid adjustment. Dennison anticipated focusing less on the FDA and more on meeting consumer needs over the next five years.
“Hearables Can Solve Some Real Problems”
David Cannington, co-founder of Nuheara, spoke about the world’s first adaptive hearables: an assisted listening device, Bluetooth ear piece, and noise-canceling headset, all in one.
“The Importance of Fashion, Brand Power, and Status for Wearables”
Sam Yang of Kairos Watches expounded on the three main reasons people wear watches: It’s about the brand, the design, and the personal identity it creates. For 93% of us, the reason is status.
“The World is Soft; Sensor Technology Should Be Soft, Too”
Ben O’ Brian, CEO of StretchSense, talked about how our bodies are constantly in motion, making them a natural power source. He argued that our bodies offer an opportunity to generate power by using soft, flexible sensors that could be hidden in clothing. Circuitry could harvest power and gather data.
Our previous post “Why Marketers Shouldn’t Dismiss Wearable Technology (Just Yet)” provides even greater insight into the subject, along with links to some in-depth industry reporting.
