Hello Jarvis

Hello Jarvis

The year 2016 saw a lot of automated technologies pushed to consumers in the form of Bots, AI, IOT, Machine Learning, etc. These also became buzz words to make your pitch sound cool as well as advanced. The trend is also expected to continue in 2017, especially after Mr Zuckerberg spoke about his pet AI home automation project.

But for brands and marketers, where does this technology stand currently? Well, as of now, most of them are jumping into this band wagon only to build a different kind of IVR. How many of you have come across these technologies used by a marketer that has actually made you go WOW! ?

Intelligence should be proactive and not just reactive, this should create human emotions and not diminish it, only then will it make an impact for a marketer. It should become like the Internet, whose power is realized only when it stops working.

Now, let’s rewind a few years and see how newer technologies have had some purpose from a marketer’s point of view.

• Facebook apps – Social, Viral, Engagement
• Mobile apps – Engagement, Push branded content
• Bots / AI – What is it trying to do?

Now, given this, for brands like Tesla which has the Auto Pilot mode (proactively avoiding accidents according to some reports), maybe for someone like a Nike or possibly even Redbull, smart wearables can give them a big boost since they actively are into physical activities. Unless the brand can really leverage this technology, I do not see any point in marketers trying to invest precious time and money and end up taking the “I want a Facebook Page” route without actually understanding if it adds any value at all.

Do not just become a smart IVR just because you can and just because everyone else is trying to.