Why go to the CES ? What can we expect when we are neither an industrial or a start-up ?
Will there be a return on investment for the agency ? After all, a number of specialized sites offer real time monitoring of news and trends at the fair.
These are a few of the questions that I had in mind before heading off for my first CES. However, if as we believe, one of the major roles of a communication agency is to be in tune with the times while looking to the future, then going to the CES is to be at the heart of disruptive innovations and future uses.
This feedback is bound to be incomplete and perhaps too "digital communication" angled, but it is the prism of the agency.
The brand that makes you go
Links
Media Molecule VS Sony
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zmt4g940_nQ
Sony - Projecteur Life Space UX
http://www.theverge.com/2014/1/7/5285878/
sonys-life-space-ux-projector-ces-2014
Without wanting to be a groupie (no, no, no), Sony's conf' brilliantly launched the CES both in form and content. For the form first : the slides were hand made by "real people" from Media Molecule and broadcast live on stage/
Then on content as the Japanese brand is repositioning itself as an outsider and no longer shows an ambition to be the first but to be a purveyor of emotions. Sony's mojo is Kondo, that is the wonder, the inspiration that must provide a product or service of the brand, a sort of "wow" effect centered on the user.
As an example, Kaz Hirai explained that the Cloud in itself is not WOW : the WOW appears when our senses are stimulated. To illustrate this Kaz details the brand's successes (Walkman, Playstation) while also recognizing that they got it wrong some of the time (with MiniDisc for example) and that, sometimes, even the best product can lose out faced with a competitor that has been massively adopted by the public (Betamax vs. VHS).
Sony is working at becoming a desirable brand again and is aiming at generations X and Y, renaming them the "generation remix" : unlike their elders who had to adapt to technology, this generation will shape technology as they wish. They will control technology and not the other way round.
These different messages are clearly addressed to their principal rivals : Samsung and Microsoft. Faced with this technological escalation, the Japanese brand responds with inspirational (as with the Live Space UX Projector) and content being available anywhere, anytime notably with the SVOD and a historic agreement with Netflix. Or with the Playstation Now, a cloud gaming offer that lets you play any PS3 game on PS4, tablet or Smartphone.
Even if it doesn't answer all the questions (Are we really an inspiration with a projector that costs 30000$ ? How do we address the generation remix ?), Kaz Hirai's keynote perfectly illustrates the new positioning and ambition of the brand and profits from the successful launch of the PS4.
Big Data and
little clanger
little clanger
Link
Marche arrière James Farley
http://www.businessinsider.com/ford-jim-farley-retracts-statements-tracking-drivers-gps-2014-1
THE BRAND MATTERS KEYNOTE TOOK PLACE IN TWO PARTS : FIRST DICK COSTOLO (CEO TWITTER) AND MAURICE LÉVY (PUBLICIS) THEN CAROLYN EVERSON (VICE-PRESIDENT FACEBOOK), JAMES FARLEY (VICE-PRESIDENT FORD), MICHAEL KASSAN (CEO MEDIALINK), SCOTT DORSEY (CEO SALESFORCE) AND ANDY ENGLAND (VICE PRESIDENT MILLERCOORS).
Was it the impossibility of having representatives from Twitter and Facebook on the same stage that imposed this division? We will come back to this ...
The first highlight of the conf 'is the USA being taken to task by Maurice Lévy concerning personal data, whether in social networks such as for big data or through connected devices.
Indeed the President of Publicis made it clear that if a brand wants to create commitment, it must guarantee its customers that it will respect their privacy and their data will not be used or passed on without their knowledge.
Taking the example of Snowden and NSA, Maurice Levy compared it to the CNIL "system" and the relative transparency that this organization has promoted between advertisers and the general public. To hear the CEO of Publicis give lessons of good behavior to the boss of Twitter (with whom he had just signed a $ 600 million deal) and Americans in general - with a little smile and the tone of "I'm just an old man and sorry for my English "- remains one of the highlights of my week.
As a perfect illustration of the warning given by Levy, the second part of the conf saw Ford's Vice President in charge of communication and marketing fall flat on his face with a joke that should not have been told : the speakers were discussing connected devices and collection of personal data and our dear James joked about the fact that with its connected cars, Ford knew exactly who among its customers were breaking the law or not. Followed by a rather loud "HA HA HA." An awkward silence on the stand and in the audience and James obliged to add "no, don't worry we keep this information to ourselves." The Ford VP has since retracted.
http://www.businessinsider.com
This clanger, or professional misconduct for a communications manager, brings to the fore the legitimate concerns that we all have regarding the protection of our personal data and its use by the brands / services. We can fully understand that Ford should use such data, anonymously, to improve active safety of its vehicles, or forward, again anonymously, statistical elements to the Ministry for Road Safety to improve prevention.
However, to use these data for commercial ends, without the consent of the user, is unacceptable and today no guarantee is given to the consumer.
Last but not least, during the first part of the keynote, Dick Costolo and Maurice Levy wore a beautiful Twitter pin which did not please Carolyn Everson from Facebook and she made Levy add a Facebook pin when the speaker changed. Great atmosphere and camaraderie between the two American giants ...
http://www.businessinsider.com
This clanger, or professional misconduct for a communications manager, brings to the fore the legitimate concerns that we all have regarding the protection of our personal data and its use by the brands / services. We can fully understand that Ford should use such data, anonymously, to improve active safety of its vehicles, or forward, again anonymously, statistical elements to the Ministry for Road Safety to improve prevention.
However, to use these data for commercial ends, without the consent of the user, is unacceptable and today no guarantee is given to the consumer.
Last but not least, during the first part of the keynote, Dick Costolo and Maurice Levy wore a beautiful Twitter pin which did not please Carolyn Everson from Facebook and she made Levy add a Facebook pin when the speaker changed. Great atmosphere and camaraderie between the two American giants ...
Attending the CES involved a dual organizational combo:
one with a regional delegation organized around the Pôle TES (http://www.pole-tes.com), itself embedded in a national "Mission CES" organization. Mission CES managers organized a debriefing
every evening at the Flamingoet and invited French entrepreneurs
to share their experience and future strategic directions.
one with a regional delegation organized around the Pôle TES (http://www.pole-tes.com), itself embedded in a national "Mission CES" organization. Mission CES managers organized a debriefing
every evening at the Flamingoet and invited French entrepreneurs
to share their experience and future strategic directions.
One enriching encounter was that of Henri Seydoux, Parrot's boss and father of Léa, who came to present his latest two babies: Jumping Sumo and minidrone. Henri Seydoux played down the highly publicized presence of French exhibitors at the show in terms of business / turnover: French companies are innovative and creative but do not know (or not enough) how to turn the idea into business. He also spoke of the difficulties of a company like Parrot to turn High Tech and quite serious objects into toys, and the different external and internal barriers that need to be lifted. The result is a feverish anticipation of welcoming visitors and journalists at the CES. Parrot won their bet judging by the crowd on the stand, the media coverage and generated buzz. As an anecdote, Henri Seydoux also explained that no business is done at CES but mainly PR and the number of units produced for each new feature is decided by "guesstimate" a few days after the end of the show. We are a long way from market studies ...
We also exchanged with Rafi Haladjian, CEO of sen.se, who just launched Mother sen.se.
Mother is a hub object that collect data sent by "Cookies". Cookies are small flat pebble looking device, featuring a microchip, a thermostat and an accelerometer.
How does it work ? You put a Cookie in your pocket and it become a podometer.
Place it under your mattress and it will analyse your sleep's quality.
In Chad's backpack and it will send you an email when he gets home from school (not freaky at all, I know...)
Rafi Haladjian's reflection on connected devices can be summarized as: do not create a "smart object" per use but want to design a sufficiently flexible environment where each use can find its place. There will therefore be an appstore in Mother's ecosystem with only free applications.
https://sen.se
https://sen.se
Anthony Gongora is the man behind ((sounderbox)), the collaborative jukebox. The idea of the application, which works through a box and an app, is to create a collective musical play list through an interface where everyone selects their favorite title with their Smartphone.
No more problems with the old fashioned DJ who wants to play his own play-list. A simple idea,
very sexy interface, great
potential to be very strong (indeed, it is
((sounderbox)) which ensured
the evening's music at
the French Tech party in the
presence of Fleure Pellerin and Yvon Gattaz!).
http://www.sounderbox.com/
OK, apart from the fact that the toothbrush tells you if you make the right moves for long enough, the interest
(and the original idea of this former employee of Google) is to
check that your children have actually brushed the teeth properly.
So again it feels a bit Big Brother but they put a good layer of
gaming on all that (with goals, awards, comparisons between
different family members) via a smartphone app.
Big buzz at the show.
Also exchanged with michael amar,
CEO of ifeelgoods who offer incentive solutions with promotional offers based on instant reward and specifically games or music. Rather than push a discount of 10 € on your next order, ifeelgoods offer the mobile user the latest angry birds star wars, for example. They have a conversion rate higher than 30% and a 60% improvement of shares on social networks. Well done ...
http://www.ifeelgoods.com/
CEO of ifeelgoods who offer incentive solutions with promotional offers based on instant reward and specifically games or music. Rather than push a discount of 10 € on your next order, ifeelgoods offer the mobile user the latest angry birds star wars, for example. They have a conversion rate higher than 30% and a 60% improvement of shares on social networks. Well done ...
http://www.ifeelgoods.com/
And finally Nicolas Binet and Marion Brette from Smart Flows
Who market a solution allowing real-time interrogation of visitors smartphones (in a museum or shopping mall for example) and obtain statistical and behavioral data integrated with appealing dashboards. Nice solution
http://www.smart-flows.com/
Who market a solution allowing real-time interrogation of visitors smartphones (in a museum or shopping mall for example) and obtain statistical and behavioral data integrated with appealing dashboards. Nice solution
http://www.smart-flows.com/
Moss by Modular Robotics
Building your own robots in an intuitive and fun way becomes possible with Moss. With or without programming, controlled via tablet or smartphone. Top!
http://www.modrobotics.com/
Building your own robots in an intuitive and fun way becomes possible with Moss. With or without programming, controlled via tablet or smartphone. Top!
http://www.modrobotics.com/
The Durovis Dive
Or how to make an Oculus Rift light for less than 60€ tax included…
http://www.durovis.com/
Or how to make an Oculus Rift light for less than 60€ tax included…
http://www.durovis.com/
Panono Ball
A ball that takes a 360° picture once at the top of the curve and then we can browse the photo via tablet. Impressive and $ 1 million collected on Kickstarter...
http://www.panono.com/
A ball that takes a 360° picture once at the top of the curve and then we can browse the photo via tablet. Impressive and $ 1 million collected on Kickstarter...
http://www.panono.com/
3D printers and the 3D scan of 3D Systems
The qualitative gap of 3D printing is impressive. New materials are very present whether sugar or even ceramics (which must then be put in the oven). 3D Systems also offer a manual 3D scan for less than $ 300. Impressive.
http://www.3dsystems.com/
The qualitative gap of 3D printing is impressive. New materials are very present whether sugar or even ceramics (which must then be put in the oven). 3D Systems also offer a manual 3D scan for less than $ 300. Impressive.
http://www.3dsystems.com/
The du-touch by Dualo
A mobile and independent musical instrument which vaguely resembles an accordion. It is at the same time a controller, a synthesizer and a sequencer. Vive la France.
http://dualo.org/
A mobile and independent musical instrument which vaguely resembles an accordion. It is at the same time a controller, a synthesizer and a sequencer. Vive la France.
http://dualo.org/
Displair
Propelled air that becomes a touch screen, it's pretty magical even if the definition needs to be improved.
http://displair.com/
Propelled air that becomes a touch screen, it's pretty magical even if the definition needs to be improved.
http://displair.com/
AllJoyn de Qualcomm
The AllJoyn framework was presented to us via a connected home. Whether in a living room, kitchen or bedroom, connected objects from different manufacturers (fridge, HI-FI, TV, security system) are interoperable and example through a unified interface. When will we see an equivalent system on wearables (objects that are worn on the body like connected glasses for example)?
https://www.alljoyn.org/
The AllJoyn framework was presented to us via a connected home. Whether in a living room, kitchen or bedroom, connected objects from different manufacturers (fridge, HI-FI, TV, security system) are interoperable and example through a unified interface. When will we see an equivalent system on wearables (objects that are worn on the body like connected glasses for example)?
https://www.alljoyn.org/
Playstation Now
Sony game streaming service that will run on consoles (PS3 to Vita for example) but also on tablets and smartphones. We were able to play The Last Of Us on Vita and the result was very impressive.
http://us.playstation.com/playstationnow/
Sony game streaming service that will run on consoles (PS3 to Vita for example) but also on tablets and smartphones. We were able to play The Last Of Us on Vita and the result was very impressive.
http://us.playstation.com/playstationnow/
Life Space UX by Sony
Tested behind closed doors the 4K projector of the Japanese firm remains a great moment of this CES. The design of the object, the quality and size of the picture... Only the price brings you back down to earth ($ 30,000 announced).
http://www.sony.net/Products/4k-ultra-short-throw/
Tested behind closed doors the 4K projector of the Japanese firm remains a great moment of this CES. The design of the object, the quality and size of the picture... Only the price brings you back down to earth ($ 30,000 announced).
http://www.sony.net/Products/4k-ultra-short-throw/
Moverio BT-200 by Epson
The Epson smart glasses are to be followed very closely because in addition to the traditional features (motion tracking, GPS ...), they offer ergonomics and design more advanced than their competitors. With 2 screens (one per lens) and very good increased reality (the demo was shot using Unity). SDK/API for $ 700, we will test it soon.
http://www.epson.com/cgi-bin/Store/jsp/Landing/moverio-bt-200-smart-glasses.do
The Epson smart glasses are to be followed very closely because in addition to the traditional features (motion tracking, GPS ...), they offer ergonomics and design more advanced than their competitors. With 2 screens (one per lens) and very good increased reality (the demo was shot using Unity). SDK/API for $ 700, we will test it soon.
http://www.epson.com/cgi-bin/Store/jsp/Landing/moverio-bt-200-smart-glasses.do
PrioVR
The show's best gaming device : a device that interacts in a game with the entire body. It is simple to handle (apparently), precise and can be coupled with Oculus Rift with an SDK. They are full into Kickstarter.
http://www.priovr.com/
The show's best gaming device : a device that interacts in a game with the entire body. It is simple to handle (apparently), precise and can be coupled with Oculus Rift with an SDK. They are full into Kickstarter.
http://www.priovr.com/
Oculus Rift V2
Playing Half Life 2 with the new Oculus means rediscovering this 10 year old game. Immersion in City 17 with these glasses is just amazing.
http://www.oculusvr.com/
Playing Half Life 2 with the new Oculus means rediscovering this 10 year old game. Immersion in City 17 with these glasses is just amazing.
http://www.oculusvr.com/
Innovations, you want some you get some, in the hands of the most brilliant engineers, in the minds of the largest policy makers, on hundreds of stands at the CES ... Technical and technological innovations, which must constantly be given meaning.
Among all the connected objects I saw at the CES, none clearly indicated what could happen to the collected data. Coupled with the security and interoperability, it is one of the issues that IoT (Internet of Things) will have to answer in the next few years. This Internet of Things becomes an Internet companion - is it man's best friend though ? - with true acculturation of technology by users, real innovation appropriation, daily.
This is a lovely shopping list of items to obtain, technologies to test and to hijack. We are going to have fun ... and compete with each other ! With this quantified self more and more permanent, the individual is quantified, as are hundreds of CES stands, but we must not forget quality!
Why go to the CES? In order to "take the temperature" oneself, without prism or deformation, to identify in advance the exhibitors that you want to meet while leaving time to discover others while wandering around, and above all, meet some great people that should initiate new collaborations; that's why (and also for the prevailing smell of vanilla that we experienced during our stay at Harrah's).
Jérôme Caudrelier
Visuels et vidéos provenant des marques exposantes, des journalistes et de Casusbelli.