David Rowan’s Talk On The Future Of Digital Content – Bristol

David Rowan, Editor of Wired Magazine talked about the Future Of Digital Content & Experiences highlighting first off what we all know – it’s happening fast. Check out Gary Hayes Social media Counter to see the numbers going up every second…

He looked at the smart phone predicting this will be bigger and better than the internet. Our phones are always with us and with GPS tracking, it tells us where we are and where friends are are and will tell advertisers where we all are, so they can highly target their marketing at us.

Data storage is coming down in cost. The commercial world wants that data and will make us an offer to have some of it. Look at Tesco – will give us money off when we buy things so they can market and up-sell to us. This is already happening. All moving towards individual, highly targeted, advertising campaigns; specifically at the point we are ready to spend / purchase. Very Minority Report.

AN other fascinating area is Microsoft Project Natal developed by Lionhead. Their screen character, Milo, recognises humans, tone of voice, expressions, emotions, through Artificial Intelligence – check out the video on YouTube.

Also interesting is looking at Motive’s brain and computer interactions – ie controlling wheelchairs with blinks and smiles so the system picks up the signals in the brain, recognises the instruction and responds moving the wheelchair forward , left and right.

These are all examples of the future that is already here. Next steps – it’s coming down in price, more available to those who are connected and will lead change in how people interact with stories, screens, text and experiences.

What hasn’t changed? Abraham Massaro’s human needs pyramid… this still stands true from food, warmth our basic needs up through to the pinnacle of being able to fulfil ones potential in life. Look at these values and how best your business, content, model can deliver to those needs.

There are new business models to find other ways to make money off the back of the main offering. For example we see, social video games are soaring in popularity – these are free but the virtual items also sold via micropayments are where the real sales opportunity lies.

We all need to creatively find new methods of engagement with our target audiences. The key is to adapt or die, everyday. Offer a service, think of the human factor, be entertaining and different to get your message across.

In publishing there will be lots of change. Conde Nast and Hurst waiting for other devices to replace paper. The new screen based publication is just the start – it will have colour or packages to download – aim to reach more people in new creative ways. As an editor David is the curator of content that’s probably already out there so the challenge is how does it get repackaged for the audience and for the new devices that are around the corner?

Rather than ask what’s going to change in the next 5-10years? That is the wrong question. Think what’s not going to change!? How can you adapt and adopt and reach your audience… use new ways. Probably not easy for the giant corporations but if you have a niche interest you have more opportunity to self publish, finding your new audiences online. There will be more choice.
Whatever you do now think of it as version 1; the first iteration. Then you know you’ll be listening and learning and be ready to adapt for the next version.