“Prediction is very difficult, especially about the future.”

That quote from Niels Bohr is so true.

And even though I don’t have big crystal balls.....steady!

I can’t read tarots.

And I’m not prone to visionary trances.

I'm going to have a go because I’ve seen the future.

Or at least glimpsed it, as I hide behind the sofa of my daily life. 

Guess what – it’s not all hover-boards and self-tying shoelaces, as much as my kids might wish it was.

The future is what we’ve got right now.

Just, well, better.

Take social media for example.

We get it, we use it, and, in most cases, we like it.

That doesn’t mean we always know exactly what to do with it.

Add social media to events, and you get a marriage made in heaven.

Think about it – amplifying and extending the reach of your content.

Letting your attendees forge their own connections.

Listening. Responding. Participating.

So for me part of defining the future, lies in observing how we’re evolving.

All that second screen business is now second nature to us.

The technologists might call it the ‘convergence of screen-based media’.

I call it ‘getting involved’.

Look at the biggest TV shows – X-Factor, Strictly, Big Brother. They invite participation.

And we’re no longer viewers; we’re directly involved in the outcome.

We can dig deeper, or wade in with our opinion.

More than anything, these shows are no longer just TV broadcasts.

They’re live events with an unrivalled reach.

Soon, corporate events will be using TV programmes, films and documentaries as viable sources of content.

And vice versa.
They’ll generate "long copy" content for consumers and trade content for live events.

Rather than buying in big names, the brands themselves with take on ‘small C’ celebrity status.

That’s how they’ll cut through the clutter and build deep engagement with both external and internal audiences.

It’s a long time since marketing was about awareness.

That’s why advertising continues its gradual decline, and social goes from strength to strength,

Our audiences are no longer consumers.

They’re colleagues, cohorts and co-conspirators.

The more they feel empowered, the more they’ll get involved.

They’re looking for entertainment and information.

More importantly, they want real, human connections.

The machines may be rising, but we’re still the ones in control.

And don’t ask me who’s going to win the next FA Cup.

I’m sworn to secrecy.