On my daily commute this morning, I reached for my iPod to switch the song. I did this several times.
You can’t do that with radio.
I know, I know – you’re looking at me with your “duh” faces on. But think about it. In the past 30 years, we’ve seen a lot of innovations that put control in the hands of the consumer.
The Walkman. The iPod. The Kindle. TV On Demand. DVRs. DVDs. All technologies designed at giving the consumer greater choice and control for the media they take in. Want to hear your favorite song? No need to wait for the DJ to play it! Have a hankering to re-read “The Secret Life of Bees”? (You know you loved it.) Just download it onto your Kindle!
In the recent past, consumers had limited options for media and information. But now, consumers are getting more and more used to having their media and their information in their control and available at their convenience. From “was this ad relevant to you?” on Hulu to Google’s customized ads, successful companies now more than ever are interested not only in what the consumer wants, but how they want to receive their information.
It will be fascinating to see what innovations companies come up with next.
-Heather
