Mega-trend: A smaller, more connected world

The picture that a recent Cisco report depicts (and that you can find in http://newsroom.cisco.com/press-release-content?type=webcontent&articleId=668380 ) is astonishing:

- In 2016, there will be over 10 billion mobile connected devices in the world, clearly surpassing the world population

- Global mobile traffic will increase 18-fold till 2016 (and Latin America will follow this average)

- Two thirds of the world’s mobile traffic will be video in 2016.

In a few words, this will mean a smaller and more connected world. And if anyone thinks it can stay aside from mobile marketing, it better think twice. This world will be an on-the-go one, as phones, tablets and whatever clearly overtakes computers as the main access point to the world.

So, main conclusions:

- mobile interaction with the consumer will be more than a potential opportunity – it will be a must need for any brand. And if you want to take a meaningful part in 95% CAGR for the next 5 years, you should start doing it now. Make mobile communication and consumer interaction part of your world, now!;

- have you noticed the sentence about video mobile traffic? Yes, it is true, Youtube and Vimeo are very well positioned to take the “lion share” of this growth. So, again, you should make sure your brand is in there, in a positive and impactful way;

- if connectivity increases on the go, then, location interaction opportunities will also increase. Think about this in your plans – how can you play with locations to impact your consumer. This is an area that after giving baby-steps in the last years, is now bursting through FourSquare gamification – but this is just a simple angle, be prepared to deeper and more meaningful dimensions;

- Asia-Pacific, Africa and the Middle East will represent an amazing opportunity – if infra-structures keep up with the growth pace. So, if you are thinking about investing in those markets, don’t forget this dimension – it might be the easiest way to impact some people;

- and, as a last message – this is great news if you are in the mobile infra-structures industry. Someone will actually have to build all the capacity that this growth will demand.

This post was inspired by this Time article: http://techland.time.com/2012/02/21/the-connected-human-how-the-world-is-about-to-get-even-smaller/