With the release of Apples much hyped smart watch, dubbed “The most personal device” presents many opportunities to reach the right person at the right time. The smart watch is set to change social media as we see it today. As these wearables become more common, marketers will need to be more creative when mapping their advertising campaigns to avoid alienating users. They have to balance between being forward thinking and innovative without being creepy and downright intrusive. App developers will also be given a new market for their app and ideas that comes with endless opportunities (hopefully).
Before we delve into how this amazing piece of technology will influence the world of digital marketing, let me first give a few quick facts about the smart watch.
1. It’s not a iwatch, it’s called an Apple watch.
2. For the watch to function properly, your iPhone must be in proximity (kind of a bummer).
3. There are three versions of the watch. The Apple Watch, Apple Sport and Apple Edition.
4. All models have inbuilt sensors that will measure your heart rate, running distance and overall health.
5. With NFC you can use your watch as a platform for wireless payments.
How will these wonderful features of the Apple watch influence the world of Digital marketing?
1. Ads will have to be more relevant.
The Ads will have to be more relevant to the user. This is because users find it very easy to ignore poorly placed ads when using their computers or devices with a larger interface than when using a watch screen. To avoid becoming a nuisance to users of the Apple watches, advertisers need to design their ads to be more useful and relevant to the consumer. The launch of this watch will give marketers in both small and medium enterprises a wider platform to reach their customers.
2. Apps
The launch of the new Apple watch presents a new opportunity to developers. Procurement teams need to get ready to review thousands of proposals, all from developers eager to build new apps for the new platform. Since the Apple watch is compatible with some iPhones, marketers now have a new task of not only getting users to download their iPhone apps, but also their Apple Watch counterparts. This will create a big industry for both marketers in small and medium sized businesses as well as for app developers. Majority of the app developers will be tempted to just try and port from the existing phone app but this is inadvisable. Although the Apple watch has many features, it has limitations like a small screen, no camera and keyboard, so developers have to come up with entirely new Apple watch apps. There is no limitation to the type of apps developers can come up with for the apple watch. All they need is creativity and the ability to understand how to squeeze something worthwhile into a small piece of real estate.
3. Healthy living
The Apple watch is more focused on the health of its users than any other smart device on the market today. Marketers and developers have been presented with another goldmine. Marketers can use this as an advantage and get behind the social cause of healthy living. They can market their products while at the same time capitalize on the Apple watches users obsession with living healthy. For example, if you are a fast food outlet, you can still make use of this opportunity by giving your customers an offer if they have achieved their daily exercise routines. You just have to tell them to display their apple watch results. This will also give developers an opportunity to develop Apple watch apps designed to help the user maintain a healthy lifestyle like calorie calculators, personal trainers and so on.
4. Geo fencing/ibeacons
Many marketers will be pleased to realize that Apple Watch app developers now have the ability to install Geo fencing and ibeacons on their apps. Geo fencing allows app owners to sense when a user is in near proximity. Imagine what advantages this technology will give to markers who want to alert their customers when they walk near their business location. Though this functionality is in phones, it will be much more effective when the customers can feel the hepatic feedback on their wrists. With the Apple Watch wearers, this feedback will feel just like a normal tap. Marketers will be able to notify their customers on arrival of new products, best deals or largest inventory as they walk near it. This is a very big opportunity for marketers. Imagine a person who is rushing during lunch time to his favourite restaurant, and as he passes near your restaurant, he gets notification of that 20 percent discount which expires in the next 20 minutes. You will have definitely won yourself a new customer!
5. Payments
The new arm waving money dispensing technology introduced by the Apple smart watch will finally change the way through which retailers accept payments. Retailers who have not integrated NFC payment systems to their business will have to do so in preparation of a surge of young buyers who will readily ditch their credit cards in favor of the arm waving check outs. The apple watch comes with the passbook application . This application can be used by users to store payment information and loyalty cards. Apple pay can still work with the watch, but users have to pair it with an NFC enabled euphony. Marketers can take advantage of this by Advertising that they accept Apple Pay and NFC payments. They can spread this information through their normal forms of advertising, social media or current customer base.
The Apple watch will provide Marketers and Developers a lot of opportunities. Developers will be charged with the task of creating new apps for the watch users while marketers will be charged with the responsibility of giving the watch users the best deals available. We should also watch out for a new social media website designed for the Apple watch and smart watch wearers. One which uses the screen and the constant availability of the Apple watch on the wearers wrist. This will give marketers in both small and medium enterprises another platform to direct their ads. These will be more effective since the watch is more personal to the owner more than any other device.
Stay tuned to see what Apple has in store for marketers everywhere as the watch slowly integrates itself into the fabric of life.