With Samsung's Galaxy Gear and Sony's SmartWatch 2 expected to hit Australian stores very soon, brands are already showing interest in the commercial applications – but they shouldn't be rushing to “just stuff an ad” onto a new screen, some argue. Others are even less convinced by the viability of the technology as a whole.
Wearable computing is already emerging as the next tech battleground, but the jury is out on whether smartwatches will be able to rise above the niche market and go mainstream. Currently devices like the Misfit Shine, Nike FuelBand and Jawbone Up service the small but growing 'quantified self' movement of health-conscious tech geeks.
But as some have already observed, watches are first and foremost a fashion accessory – and smartwatches aren't exactly stylish. Apple's conspicuous silence in this area has led to speculation it is trying, as Apple does, to get the look and feel right for fashionable mass-market consumption, once the first generation of smartwatches has done the hard yards for it.
Iain McDonald, co-founder of Razorfish Australia, said while the “jury is still out” on other wearable tech such as Google Glass due to privacy concerns, smartwatches can operate in the “safe territory” of the quantified self movement around health, fitness and self-awareness.
“There don't seem to be any real social barriers that would hold that back,” he said. “If you're somebody like a health insurer such as NRMA or Bupa, there are obvious things there to tap into immediately. There are lots of creative applications.”
McDonald said clients should ignore these technologies at their peril, and he was expecting to see hundreds of similar devices in the next three years of varying capability. “It's very much version 1.0 at this stage. The message to clients is that those who start to invest and learn around these newer types of tech are going to be that much further ahead.
“It may not be that a client gets involved and creates a product that goes incredibly well, but it may just be getting a start working around these areas to for when the time is right [later on]. That's what tech is all about – it's the sum of all the 1% and 5% niches that create your business these days.”
However, Mindshare chief digital officer Ciarán Norris said he had “not been overwhelmed” with enquiries and was sceptical of the advertising opportunities for wearable tech. “I'm sure I'll be wrong and it'll be the biggest thing since sliced bread, but you have to wonder about the demand,” he said.
“From a brand point of view I think it's honestly more an insight into where technology is heading in terms of wearable tech – the FuelBand is a better example of how brands can get involved in this, connecting wearable tech back to their product rather than, 'Here's another screen, how can I put ads on it?'”
Sign up to the AdNews newsletter, like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter for breaking stories and campaigns throughout the day.
Have something to say? Send us your comments using the form below or contact the writer at adnews@yaffa.com.au
Have something to say on this? Share your views in the comments section below. Or if you have a news story or tip-off, drop us a line at adnews@yaffa.com.au
Sign up to the AdNews newsletter, like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter for breaking stories and campaigns throughout the day.