Augmented Reality

A few weeks ago I attended the national Direct Marketing Association’s annual convention at McCormick place here in Chicago with some colleagues.  In all my years of direct marketing, this was the first time of attending and I was curious to see how good old fashioned direct marketing was being represented in the new digital era.  My own work with clients has changed drastically over the last decade, and I wanted to see if the DMA had kept pace with that change.

I attended several fascinating sessions, but the one that was most intriguing was a session about the latest mobile technologies, including augmented reality trends.  Augmented reality is a view of the real-world in real time that has been “augmented” or enhanced by computer-generated sensory input.  More specifically, augmented reality uses the camera on your smart phone to overlay information on your field of view that you see through your smart phone.

IKEA uses augmented technology with its catalog and a smart phone to let customers see what specific pieces of will look like in your own room at home.  Way better than taping a catalog picture of a table to the wall in your dining room to see if it looks good!!

Check out this IKEA video.

Even more practical, and useful, is what Audi has done in Germany using augmented reality to create a new version of an owner’s manual.  I recently got a new car, and it’s a different brand from my old car.  The other day, a strange light appeared on the dashboard.  I flipped through the owner’s manual to no avail.  Then, I took a picture of it and texted it to my husband, who told me I needed to fill my tire immediately!  Audi’s new owner’s manual eliminates the need for a handy husband (at least when it comes to cars).

Audi's Augmented Reality.

Of course, my mind went wild thinking of applications for our clients, and in my everyday life.   How about an app showing how your home would look with new energy efficient lighting, or new energy efficient appliances, along with an estimate of how much you could save based on how many lights you have in the room?  How about scanning an item from the grocery store, and getting some recipe ideas or even better, seeing the cooked item on a dish at your kitchen counter?  For now, I’ll settle for looking at my living room through my smart phone and seeing it cleaned up, instead of looking like this:

Amazing how much chaos a two-year-old can get accomplish in a very short amount of time…

Inspirational Energy!

Recently, I attended two conferences that inspired me and got me thinking differently about the work I do every day here at Eire.

The first was ComEd’s Energy Efficiency Expo in early September. The purpose of the Expo was to educate businesses in the ComEd service territory about energy efficiency and incentive programs available for businesses that implement energy efficiency measures. This year the Expo was also sponsored by Nicor Gas, People’s Gas and North Shore Gas. It was inspiring to get a chance to talk to some of the businesses that are taking advantage of the incentive programs available – overwhelmingly, they seem excited about the programs and interested in learning how to better take advantage of the incentives available. The keynote speaker was fascinating. David Goldstein with the Natural Resources Defense Council spoke about how energy efficiency can be used to address the current economic troubles. He gave several examples of how the current recession could have been avoided or could be resolved by implementing energy efficiency measures. It was hopeful, and provided suggestions of things that could be done today to improve the economy. His ideas were a ray of sunlight in what seems to be daily gloomy economic news.

The second conference I attended was the Entrepreneurial Women’s Conference, sponsored by the Women’s Business Development Center. It’s the 25th anniversary of the center’s founding, and several of the speakers told stories about challenges they experienced when they first started their women-owned business, including being told they were working in a “man’s world” and they should go back to where they belong, taking notes and making coffee. The keynote speaker was new Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel. He talked about his three big initiatives for the City of Chicago: better schools, safer streets, and an environment where businesses can thrive. He applauded all the women in the audience who were working on growing their businesses in Chicago.

What do these two events have in common? At both events, I was surrounded by people who are enthusiastic about their work and motivated to succeed. They chose to spend their day at an event to help them improve their business, or just provide encouragement to continue on the path they are going. I left both events feeling rejuvenated and excited to continue working with clients, developing strategies, and building on successes in my daily work.  

Decisions, decisions...

Every year about this time I start to review website after website about various conferences to attend.  The problem is that the conferences that are most relevant to our clients at Eire, and my particular areas of concentration all occur at just about the same time in September and October.  Deciding which conference to attend can be difficult.  After all, when you read their promotional websites and excerpts from the speakers, all the events sound worthwhile.  Of course, there is the occasional “panel” that doesn’t quite seem to fit when you put all the members together.  But overall, the exhibitors, speakers and topics are intriguing.  And, when I attend a conference and network with current clients, vendors and prospective clients – it’s energizing.

Then, there is the cost of the conference to consider and just how do you attach value or your return on investment to what you spend.  The cost for the event can be as low as $500 and upwards of $2,000, plus the lost time out of the office working for current clients and travel expenses.  When I started in marketing, there were only two or three conventions to attend in direct marketing, and each year you went where your clients were going.  We would go to the DMA for up to 4-5 days and enjoy client service, meeting new vendors and prospects, socializing and learning through workshops and the exhibit hall.  Now, there are specialized conferences for just about every aspect of marketing, and they are often times more enticing than the larger format “general” sessions.   If I don’t attend, I could be missing out…by the next time I write, I will report in on my decision and if I received value for my time and financial investment.  I’m going to take another look now.

Payments Market

Direct Marketing Association

Retail Ramp

NACS