A futurist’s perspective on advertising (it’s scary)

Could a time come when advertising won’t physically exist and will instead be delivered directly into our thoughts?

Futurist and founder of AnyDayNow, Tracey Follows, thinks so – and says that brands need to start laying down the foundations now to operate in this brave new world.

“Brands are under a lot of pressure, particularly in the short term, to achieve sales,” says Follows, “and actually some of the Internet of Things, some of the promises of the technology and that connectivity seem a long way off.”

But while brands grapple with the a new tech era of hyper-connectivity, Follows is thinking two steps ahead, to the Internet of Un-things and Thoughts, and in 30-40 years’ time thinks the connection between consumers and brands will be on a much, much deeper level than it is today.

It sounds scary – and perhaps it is – but if Follows is right, we can’t hide from it and the smartest advertisers will not want to be left behind.