Too many product categories becoming "Smart" these days

1. Phones

The entire category of smartphones has arisen in the last 2-3years. As per Nielson estimates, smartphones constitute approx 6% of the overall mobile phone shipments in India. Further estimates put a possible 12 million smartphone shipments in 2011, which would be a 100% year-on-year growth.

2. TV's

TV's have become smart very recently and are as far away from going mainstream as possible. Basically, a smart TV offers a number of "Internet-connected services" that normal televisions can't offer. These televisions offer apps, media streaming, Web browsing, games and, perhaps most importantly, Internet Protocol Television (IPTV). In India, Samsung has been the sole driver of this category so far; but others are sure to follow.

3. Blackboards/ Whiteboards

Move over traditional blackboards/ whiteboards, today we have smartboards or digital whiteboards. With more than 5 million classrooms in India, this category is set to grow immensely. In fact a very strong player in this category is a company whose name itself is "SMART Technologies".

4. Cars

Smart Cars are the future. A recent article in HT explains the concept very well - "with the aid of cloud computing, automobile makers believe the car of the future will no longer be just a vehicle, but an extension of the home or workplace, where drivers will have access to emails and keep up-to-date on their social networks even on the road. German top-of-the-range manufacturer BMW already offers an onboard computer with Internet access whereby drivers can locate a restaurant, an ATM or free parking space in a matter of clicks." Enclosed below is a video of a smart car test drive.

6. Insurance

Policybazaar, India's prominent online life insurance and general insurance aggregator, is encouraging people to "make a smart move".

7. Toothbrush

Even toothbrush's are using the smart tag! Please look at the print ad below from Colgate; it appeared in Times of India in the Sunday edition. The smartbrush supposedly comes with Surround Bristles, Wraparound Cleaner, Thick Ergonomic Handle and Cheek and tongue cleaner, removes germs in three ways. [Wow! :p]

These are just some product categories that i remember on top of mind who are using the 'smart' tag to promote themselves. The learning here is that while it's great to use simple and powerful words like 'smart' for marketing purposes, an environmental scan is a must. Looking forward to hearing more such 'smart' categories and/ or your opinions on the learning here.

karanbhujbal

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