CES 2020: Top 3 Takeaways for Marketers

The Entertainment Capital of the World, Las Vegas, hosted CES 2020 – one of the world's largest tech shows, this month. From experiential marketing, parallel reality, plant-based meats, to flying cars, the annual innovations in this consumer electronics show gives attendees a glimpse into the future of the technology. What better way to kickstart 2020? Let's look at the major innovations that will shape our future.

CUSTOMER DATA PLATFORM (CDP) BUYERS’ GUIDE 2019

Welcome to the 2019 edition of CDP Buyers’ Guide. As customer data platforms are becoming increasingly necessary for enterprise marketers, it is also becoming more complex to choose the best fit CDP platform amongst the pool of new and old vendors.

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CES 2020 showcased over 20,000 product and service innovations in the world of tech. It is also the platform where Google and Amazon competed to make the most awe-worthy announcements. If you are a future-focused marketer, jump in, we’ve got the major highlights from the three-day event of the year!

 “The innovation on display this week at CES embodies the drive and passion that fuels our industry and furthers economic growth on a global scale. The entire tech ecosystem is here at CES 2020, and the products and technologies launching this week will inspire, connect and change lives for the better,” said Gary Shapiro, president and CEO, CTA. With smart cities, automotive tech, privacy, climate change, plant-based meat and dairy, personal care, and much more on the agenda – 5G and AI were the talk of the town.

#CES2020: Thriving on the Business of Consumer Technology pic.twitter.com/HZaTTnUWOI

— CES (@CES) January 13, 2020

CES Roundup Video on Twitter
 

1. All Eyes on 5G, IoT, and Connectivity
 

Steve Koenig, VP, Research at the Consumer Technology Association (CTA)™, started with an update on where consumer tech and IoT are today. He went on to explain how IoT is evolving to become the Intelligence of Things and that connectivity is still a big part of the solution, which is why 5G was such a big theme at CES 2020, even though it is only the beginning and a gradual shift from 4G is underway. At the show, Verizon, Sprint, AT&T;, Nokia and Ericsson showcased their advancements in 5G’s speed, reliability and efficiency.

According to Forbes, “CES 2020 highlighted how the common perceptions of 5G are still very different from reality, but also how the diversity of what 5G might be used for continues to expand.”

How will this impact marketers?
 

After being talked about for over a year, it seems like 5G is finally becoming a reality. The advances in 5G tech will usher in a new era in mobile and mobile marketing, customer experience, and digital transformation. Connectivity, accessibility, smart cities, health care, jobs, immersive experience, connected cars, cloud gaming, and the internet of things – the possibilities are unimagined and endless.

While it’s still too early to determine all of the ways 5G will impact retail, the sky's the limit on how this technology can improve and enhance the customer experience, and so it's important that retailers prepare by understanding the various types of 5G networking capabilities.

~ Sunil Kumar, CEO and co-Founder, GroundTruth, exclusively to MarTech Advisor

Marketers can take this time to prepare for more innovative content, extended reality (XR), and better customer experiences. It could be wise to invest in resources to experiment with the early innovators among network and service providers.

Learn More: 5G's Impact on Marketing in 2020: Trends and Predictions

2. Let's Talk Immersive, Emerging Technologies

Some of the more interesting channels and formats emphasized at CES were CTV, DOOH and XR. This happened for several reasons. First, with heightened clutter across traditional digital media, there is a huge opportunity to be a “first mover” on new and emerging channels like streaming TV, outdoor digital signage and AR and VR experiences. Secondly, ad technology has finally evolved to allow for more automation, smarter targeting and better content across these types of media. And, with XR, the barriers for content creation have lowered significantly, driving a greater range of inventory for ad buyers.

~ Iván Markman, Chief Business Officer at Verizon Media, exclusively to MarTech Advisor

An innovation that took attendees at CES 2020 by storm – a Parallel Reality of sorts – was a digital screen with custom messages for airport travelers standing in front of it (once they have scanned their boarding pass), including greetings, boarding times and departure gate in any language. Delta Air Lines' CEO, Ed Bastian, unveiled the screen created by tech startup Misapplied Sciences in 2014. The screen has the ability to track up to 100 people at a time, displaying their name and details to them wherever they go.

How will this impact marketers?
 

Adweek muses on the idea of targeted advertising with this innovative technology – if Misapplied Sciences wasn’t as concerned about the opt-in portion of the experience and the screens used facial technology to identify travelers, couldn’t this same technology be used to target ads in public venues? Although the creators are focusing on getting this tech implemented to add value to travelers, there is a huge possibility of it making inroads into advertising, nevertheless.

This innovation takes DOOH and personalization to the next level. Marketers can prepare for this wave to hit martech and adtech in the near future. DOOH is cost-effective, dynamic, and flexible, which not only optimizes revenue for the media owner but helps marketers save on expensive outdoor print costs and share media costs with multiple advertisers. It also enables better audience targeting and measuring, while improving ROI.

Learn More: What is Digital Out-Of-Home (DOOH) Advertising? Definition, Advantages, Programmatic Approach, Trends and Examples

3. Data Privacy For the Win  
 

According to a CES 2020 Survey by CITE Research and Dassault Systèmes, data privacy is a concern for 96% of consumers.  Most consumers will only share data they agreed to share in exchange for personalization, yet anonymizing data will make six out of 10 respondents more willing to share.  Eighty-eight percent will discontinue a helpful personalized service if they are unsure of how their data is being managed.

Data privacy was a hot button at CES this year. Much of the conversation was driven by CCPA, which went into effect on the first of the month. Marketers and publishers, as well as consumers and regulators, are all grappling with its impact, which likely won’t be determined until much later on. For now, brands are wondering how CCPA and similar state-by-state regulations will impact their ability to deliver personalized ad, content and commerce experiences to their audience.

~ Iván Markman, Chief Business Officer at Verizon Media, exclusively to MarTech Advisor

How will this impact marketers?
 

Data has been the new oil for a while now, and big brands like Apple and Facebook made privacy a priority at CES 2020. CNN reported that Google has added two new voice commands for people to better control their privacy when using its voice assistant. Facebook's new version of its "Privacy Checkup" tool will walk users through their key privacy settings and boost their account security. Ring, Amazon's home security and video doorbell company, now allows users to opt-out of requests from local police for video.

Marketers should note that this could be the final battle for customer data privacy. Consumers are choosing brands based on how they deal with data. While security has been a long-standing discussion, it's time you get ready to be transparent about how you collect and use customer data, and that's irrespective of laws like GDPR and CCPA. Customers want clarity and you're just going to have to give it to them.

Markman also went on to say, "Publishers and vendors are focusing on ensuring compliance as well as evolving their Data and Consumer Experience strategies. This is why everyone at CES was talking about first- and zero-party data (user data shared intentionally and proactively). With first- and zero-party data, there’s more transparency around provenance and quality. I expect more brands to partner with publishers and vendors who not only have their own first- and zero-party datasets, but can also make those datasets actionable."

Learn More: The 2020 Data Governance Guide for Beginners

Wrapping Up
 

CES provides a platform that lets marketers stay on top of innovation and ideate marketing strategies of the future. Apart from 5G, immersive experience, and privacy here are some trends to watch out for:

1. With Google's voice assistant becoming more human, voice search and shopping are entering a whole new level and marketers need to be prepared and optimized.
2. Foldable mobile phones will possibly start a revolution and that means being ready with new image, video, and website resolutions to keep up with and enhance user experience.
    

As Adweek puts it "It’s an unwise roll of the dice not to constantly learn about how new devices, networks and voice features will impact CX and relationship marketing in the months to come."

While CES 2020 managed to showcase some revolutionary ideas, some Twitterati claim the event is losing steam and it could do better. If you ask us, the sheer fact that Apple and Facebook showed up after years of shying away from CES, and the progress we saw with vehicle tech and 5G networks, CES 2021 is definitely going to be worth the trip.