Another example is a BUPA app that allows the user to access nutritional information on any grocery product by scanning the barcode.

If you look at the web today is it dynamic and personalised, but none of this exists in the real world. Everyday items like chairs, cars and bikes do not have this kind of intelligence.

There is therefore a huge opportunity for brands to allow consumers to personalise products using the smartphone as a controller. 

But how does this work on a practical level without incurring massive costs while reengineering products?

Diageo’s whiskey bottles

To demonstrate how the internet of things might work in practice, Balakrishnan highlighted a Diageo campaign that allowed sons to personalise a whiskey bottle bought as a gift for Father’s Day.

It was driven by a desire to take advantage of increased consumer use of smartphones in-store, with a recent Econsultancy survey showing that 26% of US consumers used their phones to compare prices and check reviews when in bricks and mortar stores over Christmas.

The solution it came up with was to put QR codes on the back of whiskey bottles that allowed the buyer to embed a personalised video message using a web app. The recipient could then access the video by scanning the code.

As a result, the use of digital media transforms the whiskey into a unique, personalised gift rather than just any other bottle. 

Without going into specifics, Balakrishnan said that the brand met KPIs on sales increases from the previous year and outperformed its ROI targets. The campaign also allowed Diageo to collect a great deal of consumer data.

There’s no reason that other physical products can’t have more digital services and products embedded in them.

But as with all trials, not everything went perfectly. Balakrishnan highlighted five lessons the brand learned from the campaign:

1. Build it and they won’t come

You might spend ages building the most incredible campaign, but if you don’t tell people about it they won’t come and see it.

Brands need to create awareness at scale on the benefits of interacting with new technologies.

2. Keep it lightweight and effortless

Balakrishnan said that brands tend to grossly overestimate how much time people are willing to give them. New forms of digital media have to be easy to access and understand, and effortless to act upon.

3. You get one shot at this

If people scan it and it’s a waste of their time, they wont bother to do it again. Brands must ensure that every interaction is valuable and rewarding for the customer.

4. Get your ducks in a row

What began as a small piece of digital innovation touched almost every part of the business including the supply chain, IT, legal, marketing and sales.

Therefore marketers need to be aware of the wider impact of any new trials.

5. There are two types of innovation

If you’re going to work hard innovating and raising the ceiling, you need to dedicate just as much time in getting the fundamentals in place.

The more you innovate, the more you need to fix the basics.