“The Sixth Screen.” Sounds like something from a sci-fi flick with Bruce Willis, doesn’t it? But actually, no; this is as real as it gets and we are quickly moving from three screens to six screens fast and furious.
To see what’s coming, we need a quick primer on what the multiscreen concept is all about.
As marketers, we all understand the need to translate our brand message across the three screens — PC, TV and mobile. Truth be told, that is easier said than done. The speed of content being served virtually simultaneously among three screens is presenting some pretty tough challenges for brands. Just mobile, for instance, is moving so rapidly to becoming our computing platform, which in and of itself complicates life for a brand. This stuff is so complex, in fact, specialty innovative mobile marketing technology companies have risen as the technological bridge to help companies move through this evolution. Augme is one example with its AD LIFE platform that enables “seamless integration of goods and services within consumer life experiences …” In other words, they use mobile technology to match the marketing message to the real-time life moment of its users. This type of sophisticated marketing still requires a strong stomach on the part of marketers to execute.
While it’s clear most brands are not all that comfy with the notion of three screens today, the bad news is that it’s about to blow wide open to six screens. Why? Because “Judy Consumer” is demanding more and more control in her increasingly “pull” digital world. She wants to efficiently multitask; quickly moving from machine or hardware to consume content or communicate. And she is a quick learner. She will want content–centric entertainment, collaboration and communications systems that deliver seamlessly through her day within her new trust network — her digital communities.
That’s where we are going and here’s my take on how we get there. (look at the six screens)
Christian Hershberger 