A trend I really enjoyed exploring at this year’s CES was the embedding of connected functionality and sometimes little video screens into common household appliances.
LG showcased ovens and washing machines that you could pair with your mobile device via NFC or WiFi. You could then control these appliances remotely. So for instance, you would set the oven to cook pizza just right by pulling up a pizza recipe on your phone and then tapping the oven. Or you could start your washing machine with a tap and monitor it’s progress remotely.
Samsung had a fridge that sported a small touchscreen in the front, which was set up to run a nice array of apps. There was the ability to hook into twitter, for instance, and also Evernote, so you could manage your grocery lists. And obviously since it is a connected device, anything you write in Evernote on the fridge (e.g. “buy milk”) will sync to your mobile device.
If you take that line of thinking further, imagine a world where your smartphone, desktop, laptop, TV, fridge, washing machine and car all synchronize to the same cloud services. Something you do on one could carry over to all of them. That kind of powerful utility is something brands should consider thinking about now, in terms of how they can reach audiences seamlessly across all of these potential touchpoints.
