7 Important Technological Trends for 2020 Planning
2020 planning is here! Are you ready? As marketers, knowledge of current technology is important to keep up with advertising trends. When new technology becomes adopted by the public, more pathways for advertisements are created. Below is a summary of 7 technological trends to keep in mind for 2020 planning, from the CTA’s Semiannual U.S. Consumer Technology Sales and Forecasts Report:
- Subscription entertainment services are making consumers more elusive for brands.
With the evolution of smart TVs, sound bars, and voice activated devices, users have endless online streaming options including access to ad-free subscriptions. User growth in ad-free platforms will be a concern to marketers in the future as audience sizes decrease.
- Cable boxes are being replaced by streaming devices, which could potentially shake up TV advertising.
Users have been cutting the cord on cable and satellite for years now and replacing them with streaming devices such as Amazon Fire TV and Roku. This will cause a decrease in addressable TV ads and an increase in Connected TV (CTV) and Over the Top (OTT) ads.
- Voice-activated digital assistants are becoming mainstream, and soon you’ll be able to talk to everything.
According to a study conducted by CTA, they discovered that there are 70 million smart speakers in the U.S, showing that these devices appeal to all demographics, not just high income as previously believed. Advertising abilities are limited for these devices which gives brands opportunities to try new things and pave the way for this technology.
- Voice capabilities are becoming a new staple for multiple forms of technological devices.
“CTA predicts that more than 400 million voice-enabled products will ship in 2019.”
- Here comes a new screen in the house.
“…shipments of smart display speakers — think smart speakers with small video screens — are expected to jump 17% this year to over 5.1 million units.”
- There’s an audio revolution happening.
If you haven’t considered podcast advertising, consider it for 2020!
- 5G adoption won’t happen overnight, but it’s likely to kick off a content and advertising revolution in mobile.
CTA predicts 5G will be adopted by the public within a few years with sales of 5G devices picking up speed in 2020. When 4G became a regular part of society, mobile ad sales increased significantly. The same is predicted to happen with 5G. Marketers will be able to reach users faster and in more places.
Shifts in consumer habits are unpredictable. Comparing technological advances to the advertising industry is key in predicting future trends for both industries. Read the article for more in-depth information, and then share it with your colleagues! The more knowledgeable we are, the better we will be as marketers.