Spanning 11 venues, 24 categories and 2.5 million square feet, the show floor of the Consumer Electronics Show is a maze of startups and big brands showing off everything from souped-up television sets to Internet of Things devices and appliances.
To help clients manage the show floor, agencies and publishers put together curated tours to feature the crème de la crème of companies that targe specific clients. For example, Mindshare’s hourlong tour stopped at 16 booths from major brands like Sleep Number, which is relaying biometric data about sleep from connected mattresses to health apps, and smaller startups that analyze air-quality data.
In terms of how marketers use data,“2018 is going to be the year of consumer privacy,” said Rachel Lowenstein, manager of strategic innovation at Mindshare North America’s Life+, while leading a small tour at Sands Expo.
Here are eight companies Lowenstein mentioned during the tour that brands may not know about or what they do.
1. O’2 Nails
Nail art is a booming trend for beauty brands, and O’2 makes portable printersthat decorate nails by placing people’s fingers in a machine. The printers are synched to a mobile app that displays all of the designs that consumers can choose from.
Lowenstein said beauty brands that host events or have particular logos and designs that fits on the size of nail could weave O’2 Nails products into their marketing.
2. BreezoMeter
BreezoMeter’s technology analyzes air-quality data for factors like pollution, pollen and weather patterns. The insights are then packaged for brands as stats that can be used to recommend content and products for consumers.
For example, a beauty brand could dig into pollution data to recommend skin-care products for consumers in specific areas with air pollution.
3. Peloton
Peloton isn’t an unknown brand—the company is worth $1 billion and sells $4,000 treadmills—but the marketing potential behind the brand’s cult following is still relatively new, according to Lowenstein.
As an example of how marketers could leverage Peloton, brands working with influencers could coordinate a campaign where their spokespeople use the brand’s workout devices.
4. Project Nursery
Project Nursery is an electronics brand that makes a baby monitor embedded with Amazon’s Alexa that allows parents to perform tasks like playing lullabies or recording videos of their babies.
The smart device is one of dozens of examples of how brands are building voice assistants and artificial intelligence—namely Amazon’s Alexa and Google Home—into products.
5. Kano
Kano makes kits that help kids learn coding and computer skills. Kits cost $30 for simple skills up to $250 for a one that lets children design their own computer.
One of the skills is making GIFs, which Lowenstein said brands could use to boost user-generated content. In exchange for giving consumers the tools to make GIFs, brands could share the GIFs to make social media pop.
6. Orig3n
Thanks to advancements in DNA tests, it’s never been easier for consumers to get detailed genetic information.
Orig3n is one such company betting on the rise of do-it-yourself kits that cost $29 to $149 and measure everything from caffeine tolerance to fitness and the makeup of skin cells.
For brands that recommend products, such as beauty brands, imagine being able to offer consumers products targeted based on the features and texture of their skin.
7. Yolk
Yolk is an alternative to Mophie’s mobile phone chargers. Instead of being powered by batteries, the thin chargers are powered by solar panels the size of a smartphone.
Losing battery power is an annoyance, and there could be potential opportunities for brands to partner with Yolk to sell or give away phone chargers.
8. Ultrahaptics
The firm’s technology uses ultrasound that adds touch to images so they feel interactive. Lowenstein said the technology could be used in digital out-of-home campaigns that let consumers touch and feel the ad. Plus, data from the screens are trackable, including stats like engagement and possibly even eye tracking.
Read it also in AdWeek.
