The European Commission wants a new European telecoms authority which should stimulate the competition throughout Europe, by removing hindrances (em, Dutch). The European market slowly develops its basis. First in the financial market, partly due to the introduction of the Euro, now also in the telecoms market. In a next step, the physical infrastructure and its usage will be standardized. Then suppliers can easily cross the borders, grow, and work more efficient. In the end this will lead to better products for the consumers, a wider range of products, and lower prices. The most important barrier to be taken though, is the 'fear for Europe'. That is why this process is very slow (but sure).

Through the newest TomTom navigation systems with HD Traffic (High Density) motorists now can even see traffic jams on secondary roads. This way not only you can see if the A4 highway is jammed, but also if there is a lot of traffic in the Martin Luther King street (em, Dutch). Brands are starting to help us real time, anyplace. So that we know where our friends are, so we don't pass a showroom of a special design kitchen we always have wanted to see, or so we won't miss the ultimate photo occasion. This is a small step in that direction.

Normally in this web log I only write about the evolution of media, marketing, or brands. How people adapt, how the world adapts. I seldom write in the category dead end. Well, Microsoft managed to appear in this category. At its own website, at Office's Share Point Server pages, Microsoft nowadays has third parties advertise. René Janssen from WinkWaves
even managed to intercept a page with an ad for bra's (really, no typing error!). An incomprehensible action.

Until a couple of years ago, checking in online was the way to get a good seat on an airplane. Nowadays you have to be quick if you want to get a good seat. To assure yourself of extra leg room at the emergency exit, or that seat in the front at the window, Checkmein now can automatically check you in as soon as online check in opens. If your favorite spot is not available any more, Checkmein automatically finds the best alternative. Cost is 7 euros per party, and you get your money back if you're not satisfied (dc, Dutch). Thus the network economy slowly develops too. In the future every airline will have this service, and the most loyal customers, the most paying customers, or the customers who booked first get the best seats. Of maybe the customers who had coffee spilled on them last time, or who participated in a survey. The time of long lines for static offers slowly disappears, and makes place for dynamic routing in which business rules determine what customer gets what seat. Checkmein then will turn out to have been a necessary side step.

Related trends

• Network economy

Through Zilok consumers can rent out their own stuff, or rent things from other people (dc, Dutch). In the time in which information was scarce, publishers could promote companies through advertisements, billboards, and commercials. Companies that could develop a core competence like rentals. Very often however, it is perfect to borrow something from a friend, or a friend-of-a-friend, but we don't have much knowledge of the things our friends have. This information slowly becomes available. Now by consciously posting it to a website. In the future we will have an inventory list of all our belongings, which we share with our insurance company, our home coaching brand, our fashion coaching brand and other coaching brands, and even with our friends (and friends of friends). The reputation of the individual then becomes important, like it is in our daily lives. If you lend something to somebody, most people want to get it back (in good shape), but not everybody has the same ideas about this. People who share the same standards will connect to each other. Thus the virtual world more and more resembles the physical world.

Related trends

• Coaching brands

Google video now indexes videos of all kinds of sources, among which of course YouTube, but also video.yahoo.com, metacafe, expotv.com, myspace video’s and some Japanese video sites (dc, Dutch). Thus home entertainment coaching brands slowly develop. In 2007 it is all about category completeness: first all videos together. So we will be able to sit comfortably on the couch, and get a selection of everything that has ever been made. So we are sure not to miss anything. If we then also know what our friends watch, we are all up-to-date tomorrow in school, at the office or with our sports team. This is a small step in that direction.

Through Bouwmarktconcurrent (do-it-yourself store competitor) consumers can online buy traditional brand products like tools, building materials, or sanitary (dc, Dutch). Now this is still a competitor of the physical store. In the future every physical store will have a bigger assortment online than off line, we will be able to see the stock, make reservations, and order. Then we can have our order delivered, or - if we like that better - pick it up at the store. The borderline between off line and online then fades. In the end, home coaching brands will connect to these stores, and they will be able to advise us directly about placing a jacuzzi on the third floor, considering the weight of it. But first all materials, the deliveries and the prices must be made available. Bouwmarktconcurrent adds to this process.

US Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) yearly organizes a 100 kilometer race for robot cars. With a lot of extra computer power and big sensors these cars nowadays are pretty well capable of navigating themselves through the course. In theory, we could have this technology in our own cars. However, (unfortunately) it will take a long time before we won't need to get our drivers license any more, and can summon our car (or any other car) to pick us up and drive us home while we are drunk. In the end everything will move itself, so that we can save ourselves the energy, and do what we are better at ourselves. This will not happen until at least 2050.

Social network Hyves wants to (anonymously) sell active brand associations of its members to the respective brands. The most popular brands at Hyves on average have more than 100,000 fans. Fashion brand Björn Borg for example, has 230,000 brand fans. Besides, Hyves knows the other brands to which somebody associates, and how this changes in the course of time (em, Dutch). In a media landscape in which brands have a hard time to reach people through advertising, they will be able to promote their products through brands that do have access to the consumer. In the bi-directional world thus developing, consumer knowledge is the specialty of coaching brands, and transaction brands fully focus on top products. After all, to be recommended to somebody, you need to deliver top products.

Related trends

• Coaching brands

Through auto.ilse.nl it is now possible to find all cars offered through Dutch magazines Autotrack, AutoTelegraaf, AutoTrader, AutoKopen and AutoScout. Marktplaats.nl and Speurders.nl are negotiated with. The reviews accompanying the search results come from car magazine Autoweek (em, Dutch). In the evolution of coaching brands in 2007 completeness is the most important factor: for example, give me all information on cars. The consumer likes to have one website with a complete overview, irrespective if you are talking about printers, insurance, jobs, internet providers, or cars. In a next step, extension to related categories will be more important. Starting next year we will see those developments.

Related trends

• Coaching brands

Cisco has opened its new Globalisation Center East in Bangalore, India. On top op being a center for research, IT and customer service, this location will also be the center for demonstrating the next generation of virtual techniques (think of advanced video conferencing). The Globalisation Center East is the biggest data center outside of the United States (cm, Dutch). While China is fully focusing on production and (product) design, India takes the lead in IT and customer service. The two biggest countries in the world will soon be the numbers 1 and 2 on the list of world economies.

Wie op de sidebar van Windows Vista een gadget plaatst van ZoMoto, ziet direct de werkelijke reistijd, aangepast op de huidige files, van de gekozen route. Wie bijvoorbeeld elke dag vanuit het werk de kinderen moet ophalen, ziet direct hoe lang het rijden zal zijn.

Future vision by Erwin van Lun

Nu nog met schattingen van filetijden, straks worden er direct allerlei alternatieven real-time berekend en ook geanticipeerd op komende file. Een ongeluk bijvoorbeeld zal tot een snelgroeiende file leiden. Als wij over twintig minuten vertrekken, zal die file dus langer zijn. Ook hier zullen mobility coaching brands rekening mee houden. Daarbij zal niet de reistijd worden vermeld, maar het aantal minuten dat we nog hebben voordat we moeten vertrekken. Om ons uiteindelijk zelfs te adviseren om alternatief vervoer te nemen of een afspraak te verplaatsen. Deze situatie komt elke dag een stapje dichterbij.

Related trends

• Coaching brands

New York Times with MyTimes make it possible not only to personalize the New York Times, but even to add external sources. Thus news coaching brands further develop. Now we personalize content. Later New York Times look over our shoulder to see what we find interesting. First, they will look at how long you watch a web page, based on the time between clicks, later they will use eye-tracking (are you really looking at the content, or are you distracted by a banner or a phone call, or are you not at your computer any more), and even later NY Times will 'read' the emotions off your face. Brands will get better and better in selecting text, audio or video content we are interested in. This however goes step by step.

This Accenture demonstration shows a mobile phone that recognizes newspapers, books, Chinese consumer goods, and even print plates (the green plates in your computer containing the chips). This because the image is sent to a central super computer which recognizes the images, and sends back the result. For the time being, phones won't have the power to do that, let alone the enormous database, but a central service can do this. In a next step we will call for the brand of the product in question, which immediately gives us more information, of course in a personal context as we are recognized as well. A company offering this kind of services, will be tomorrow's 'Google'.

Through Nintendo's game console Wii, owners will soon be able to buy games and give these to their friends as presents. The moment the receiver logs in, the present becomes visible, and the download can start (dc, Dutch). We invite friends in virtual worlds. Now through a game, and individually, in the future we will invite friends at a certain moment, and pay for their experience. Like you are having a party, and the drinks are on the house. Gaming shows us what in the future will happen in every living room.

Dutch internet bank Bizner from now on also takes care of the bookkeeping for entrepreneurs. With this service, transactions in bookkeeping and bank account are (finally) exactly the same again. Now for entrepreneurs, including sole proprietorships, in the future for consumers. Innovation is all about adding value to the lives of people. For 2007 that means: help them find things, help them in administration, help them stay organized. Since the first cooperation between people we have been willing to have others do things for us, so that we ourselves can focus at those things we are good at. We keep delegating. This initiative of Bizner is totally in line with that.