1. Playfulness a way to gather, process and share information
- Games and entertainment in different forms is the typical way children and youngsters learn to use digital media
- This is already visible in digital marketing (see e.g. Coca Cola Happiness factory games) and social applications such as Facebook, Tripadvisor or Foursquare
- Playful features are a way to generate interest, make long term commitment and urge to participate and stand out of the masses
- Indie game developers are interesting in a way that they present different / novel game mechanics and experimentation introducing a sort of “out of the box” thinking but within social networks = more visibility than ever before
- Augmented reality (AR) gaming (see e.g. Finnish company Grey Area), Sony Move, Microsoft Kinect or Nintendo Wii and Pokemon Pedometer (Silver & Gold, Nintendo DS game) bundles and other such…
- Playfulness visible in social online services where one can get activity or popularity points (Youtube), reach goals (Twitter), make score/levels, gain rewards, prizes, taking roles, making memes or do storytelling (Dyson vacuum cleaner)
- Always on beta and more generally speaking beta-attitude – it is ok to play around with services and also clear that it is not yet 100% done
What this means to service developers?
Value web is broad, things should happen fast and be specific or different to be interesting.
2. Life style driven consumption
- Role of work and the value gotten from traditional work is decreasing, people look for alternative ways to be and live
- Creative entrepreneurship is on the rise at the moment which is supported / boosted within various networking events/initiatives (see also Ycombinator and other clubs, Open coffee, IGDA…)
- Mass networking >> quantity is everything
- Individuals making revenue over web (e.g. etsy.com, virtual goods in Second Life, online services) >> anyone can make business casually
- Crowdsourcing and networked activity to brand one self, define and share the field of interest and/or personal values (e.g. Carrot mob).
- Playful real world gaming example: Uplause.com
Organizations need to change to meet the way changed way of doing things. New generation has learned to use digital media by playing. 10 000+ hours of gaming should be considered as an advantage. Work place is part of self expression and way of life decisions. Too organized or defined way of working does not work anymore.
3. Co-shopping and utilizing web to search for deals, offers etc.
- Japan is a good example of a country where such co-shopping clubs already exists -- clubs where co-shoppers can get special offers
- Social networking and collaboration is generalizing in “real world” as well. People get benefit for doing things together (e.g. shopping, activity or sport, traveling etc.)
- Location based data and instant location based events will be part of this (urban lifestyle, spending time in the city)
- Companies can collect information based on movement or location and give specific offers based on location and/or time (potentials: GPS, pedometers, altitude, distance, group actions etc.). This data could be linked together with consumption habits (for example: playing in a mall, expo games, sport events etc.)
- Generally speaking brand centric consumption linked with more personalized or location based offers and digital services >> consumption (what you consume) is part of identity, socialization, spending time, making a statement…
Youth are interesting group of users (compared with e.g. adults) that they are searching for themselves, identity, values, friends, lifestyle, partners, experiences, information, appreciation or admiration etc. New potentials are seen as positive possibilities. Thus it is easier to provide novel services to this type of consumers.
I will post the slides to Slideshare (late September), please do check them out and comment if you find these ideas interesting.
