Technology and Marketing

Some years ago, I was talking to an exec who worked in the Architectural industry. He showed me some of the designs they had created on his iPod touch. It struck me then that this was a real advance for marketers, as sales people could be equipped rapidly and uniformly with examples of work that spoke volumes. This was a revolutionary tool to win business.

Now I look at the iPad, and the opportunity becomes huge. From the data collector conducting research through to a sales person who is able to display visuals, complete orders, run models as they sit with the potential customer. In the high speed world we live in, the "right now" effect can be very powerful. I can envisage people in the future using it like a clipboard - collecting, collating, creating (enough alliteration!!)
A colleague and I were discussing this the other day - a device like the iPad offers an instant marketing tool and consequently, we are rethinking the strategy to take advantage and to gain a competitive advantage.

How many things we don't know about yet will shake our established way of doing things? Can we afford to look at these trends and try to predict - can we afford not to?