These days we are relying on technology maybe a little too much. In the world of advertising it changes the way we consume media. The new ways of utilising technology are emerging every day. Some of them reach just the early adopters (the geeks :-)) but some of them actually change the way we live our lives.

From this article you will hopefully learn about those new, funky and clever technologies which might become really widespread soon.

Most of us in the digital industry have heard about Google’s Street View on Maps. In response to that Microsoft Live Labs are tackling the challenge to overlay photography on 3D structures, without having to resort to going out and taking the photos themselves (as Street View does). Instead they are seeking to utilize the collective power of a global consumer base by tapping into their photo albums. The software, called Photosynth, is able to take a large collection of photos (i.e from Flickr) of a place or an object, analyse them for similarities, and display them in a constructed 3D space.

One of the more useful creative applications of the technology is a product called Rave Guardian. Designed by mobile services company Rave Wireless in New York, it is a GPS-based mobile phone service to keep students safe. A student sets a timed alarm on their phone when they leave a friend’s dorm at night to return to their room. If they return safely they can simply turn off the alarm. Otherwise the alarm transmits their location on Google Maps every three minutes to campus safety. The software also enables students to track buses as they move around the campus and to access academic information that was digitally ‘tagged’ during a lecture.

Also worth mentioning is the Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) technology. Fedex is using it for tracking deliveries and BA is using it for tracking luggage. It is only relatively recently that businesses have starting using them to engage with consumers. Luxury brands like Prada allow consumers to access further information about the products via in-store RFID readers. Garments held up to screens in the Prada flagship store trigger catwalk shows and recommend accessories.

Now, going away now from the US and UK, in Japan, over a third of mobile phones have scanners built into them. It has become second nature for consumers in Tokyo to scan products for reviews or price comparisons with Amazon.co.jp. Image recognition software even allows camera phones to request information from the Internet based on tagged photos in magazines or on posters. The question arises: how long before we can access somebody’s blog or Facebook page simply by taking their photo? Sounds pretty cool, but scary at the same time!

Whilst in the UK MySpace has only recently reached mobile via Vodafone, in the US Nokia and other premium handsets have started introducing a functionality to allow users to track down the whereabouts of their friends using in-built GPS and Google Maps. Mobile technology has recently been developed that enables users to stay signed in to Second Life and listen to their online friends whilst moving about in the real world. This technology also promises to convert real world activity into a virtual equivalent (you walk and your online self walks).

So, what is the implication for brands and agencies?

It will be necessary for all brand managers to become more aware of the technological advances and us, agencies, should help educate them and also help them in their approach to creativity. We may even find that technology itself is the creative idea, in some instances. This is why agencies need to be equipped with experts in order to engrave technology into the essence of an idea.

Some of us are more addicted to them than others, but the fact is we all play them. Whether we have an avatar in a virtual world (Second Life, Habbo Hotel, Gaia, World of Warcraft) or we just play solitaire out of boredom, we all play games.

Lately, there has been a lot buzz around in-game advertising and games in advertising. Recently I’ve visited an event organized by an in-game advertising company, and after seeing some good examples I was more convinced that it really does work. Also, the new measurement tools are being developed so there is a way of actually estimating how many people had a chance to see the advertised product even when the game was passed on to friends or played with friends.

Here are some stats that you will hopefully find useful in case you are considering games advertising.More than one in six (15%) European gamers spend in excess of 14 hours playing video games per week, which is less than the time spent surfing the internet, watching TV or listening to music, but accounts for a greater proportion of time when compared to watching DVDs, listening to the radio or reading books or magazines.

Of the 3,575 UK-based gamers surveyed, 52% said they had seen an in-game ad during the past 12 months. Of these, 33% said they would be either quite likely or very likely to buy a product they had seen advertised while playing, and 64% said that they felt positively towards the brand. It also revealed that the majority of gamers do not see in-game ads as intrusive, although 14% said that ads ruined the gaming experience.

So the notion I wanted to leave you with after reading this post is: are we integrating games in our media strategies just to make clients happy because there is a trend of keeping consumers engaged through games, or because game is a really relevant solution for the product and the target audience?