Will Marketing Adapt with Consumers moving to an Audio-Dominant, Post-Screen Digital Experience

There is a revolution happening in the world of smartphones and mobile screen devices!

Smart home devices, Bluetooth software development, and audio-friendly wearables such as the upcoming Apple Watch release all mark a shift in consumer behaviour, from screen to post-screen. The Apple Watch, in particular, is a unique example as it comes with LTE cellular connectivity and has the potential to become the world’s first major post-phone digital device.

All of this means that it’s now possible to play music, text message, make phone calls, retrieve directions, and to Google without ever seeing a screen. Today’s landscape is dominated by screens however tomorrow’s won’t be. This equates to marketing needing a desperate change in focus.

Make no mistake, this is going to be a massive change in the way digital marketing is handled. Just as some brands are figuring out how to maximize the potential of mobile, social media, and search optimization, the landscape is about to see another pull towards something new. That said, before any visual marketers begin fuming with fury, know that this transition is going to play out slowly over the next few decades and possibly up through the century.

As this change happens, brands do need to prepare. Visual messaging on digital devices is shrinking. Digital marketers will have to learn new ways to communicate their brands using much smaller space to do so. This is very similar to how record companies adapted from big album covers in the 1970s, to smaller CDs and cassette tapes in the 1990s, and now to even smaller screens on digital devices. For anyone seeking examples of how messaging has to change, the music industry’s transition is one of the more publicized to go by.

As digital space is disappearing, audio space is growing but it’s unclear on what marketing opportunities may lie in audio. Audio optimization marketing methods are not yet established and because of that, we may be entering into a period that is truly challenging for marketers. The most effective marketing strategies in an audio-dominant world may be product reviews, product recommendation optimization, and speedy delivery. Programming text to answer consumer queries instead of creating sales-based, keyword-driven product descriptions may also play a role. Any marketing company or marketer is going to have to create alternative, audio-friendly marketing plans that succeed without the use of screens.

The marketplace is always urged to pursue the ‘next big thing’ and to find a better product. Audio-dominant digital provides a convenience that time spent in front of a screen simply cannot.

Any brand should ready themselves to take action in the coming few years, establishing audio-friendly marketing strategies.

As we speak now, some estimates suggest that by the end of the 2010s, more than 30 percent of human-to-digital interactions will be completed without the use of a screen. That percentage is only going to grow from there. To survive, brands will have to go post-screen.

For small and big brands, the future of marketing may be divided up into offline strategies, screen-based digital, and audio-based digital. Don’t be discouraged though! This is an exciting time in marketing and will open up many new opportunities for any brand looking to adapt. As more consumers are investing in audio-dominant devices, the marketing potential only continues to grow.

A Canadian total E-commerce Solution and Internet Marketing and Inbound Marketing