What we think » O!

O as in OMG, (as well as the fabulous Cirque de Soleil show running in Vegas) is how I would sum up my week in Vegas.

Younger members of my family use OMG in their posts frequently - and now I truly understand what it means.

I have not been to Vegas for over 20 years and as a CES newbie no amount of advice from my seasoned MEC colleagues could prepare me for the combined experience of Las Vegas the resort and CES the event in 2012.

If I had to pick 5 OMG moments that stood out to me, they would be:

1. Seeing SMART 3D TV's with design layouts that echoed tablets. LG and Samsung in my view led the pack. Hurry up Apple please. So we can all look forward to more engaging and app enriched TV experiences as well as addressability at scale. And to think we got so excited about high def.
2. Hearing about wi-fi on all devices and super wi-fi routers. Like 4G, it can't come soon enough.
3. Experiencing voice and gesture control on TV's, within handsets, in cars of the future and in Windows 8. And probably many other places. And no, I don't think it is a gimmick. Like touch screen, the applications of these technology will step change our behavior. Check out FaceCake.com.
4. Witnessing the blurring of phones and tablets (special mentions go to the Kindle Fire and Samsung's Galaxy note). Comprehending the profound impact of HTML5 and realising that Apps will take over the universe. What on earth will happen to browsers?
5. Social everywhere, embedded in multiple devices. Plus a growing number of social and mobile commerce applications. So even more opportunities to be parted from your cash. Witness the Pinterest phenomenon - ebay with a 2012 social twist?

So all of this is fascinating, but what does it mean for marketing and communications and how we spend our marketing dollars more effectively?

Just as 2011 really was the year of the mobile, 2012 is the year of convergence. Seamless connectivity and consumer experiences are starting to become a reality. In my view Windows 8 and Apple will be the main operating systems across platforms and perhaps we will see Android for TV soon? (Motorola, recently acquired by Google, produce 60% of set top boxes in the US). Content producers are getting on board. Yahoo's publishing venture, Livestand will provide a seamless and connected experience across devices for their 150 (and growing) magazines, just like we know and love from our Kindle / tablet / phone experience - you can pick up and read from where you left off on any device at any time.

For brands, these multiple but connected platforms will allow us to tell more compelling stories and build deeper and richer experiences to more actively engage consumers. We have started to do this already of course and with TV moving towards an on line environment with a bigger screen experience - we will be able to increasingly do it at scale and more effectively. (Think what the Old Spice campaign could deliver in this context).

Technology and format requirements will put production budgets under pressure so we will work increasingly with content providers to build compelling and connected consumer experiences across platforms and geographies. We will sometimes adapt this content to create advertising formats - rather than creating advertising first. Social will be pervasive and become as important for content producers as it is for brands to maximise their audiences and revenues. Ecomm will over time integrate with brand activity. Agencies will need to make money somehow from mobile. And the tsunami of data this produces will need taming - several far sighted clients already have their digital, data and content strategies in lock step.

Which brings me back to O! the show. Which was my 6th OMG experience of the week.

I got to see the show, courtesy of Yahoo on my last night in Vegas. I was truly enchanted - it was the best Cirque de Soleil performance I have ever seen. The content was rich and rewarding. It was true to the essence of the Cirque de Soleil brand and flawlessly executed. There were deep and highly engaging experiences that were connected - the story ebbed and flowed and the performers, not just the water, linked each chapter seamlessly.

This analogy illustrates the opportunity convergence offers - the potential for communications to grow brands will reach new heights. Which sets the bar high for us all.

Mel Varley
Chief Strategy Officer, Global