Is the Internet (Marketing) of Things the Next Big Thing?

Is Internet of Things (IoT) a catchy term you use to show off in front of your friends and colleagues, or the name of the very next technological/lifestyle revolution? This isn't supposed to be a complicated question, if only we knew how to define of explain the IoT. That was the bad news, actually. The good news is that I have no intention to turn this article into a lecture about Internet of Things. So, I'm going to share the most precise and profound definition, I could possibly come up with:

A Refrigerator with the Internet Connection

This definition says it all, doesn't it? Yet, I'm fully aware that the Internet of Things includes more things than just your dear refrigerator. Imagine the best or the worst possible scenario (it depends) where all of your home devices become Internet "aware." Unfortunately or luckily (again it depends), the IoT is much more than that. In order for this concept to be fully functional, all of your smart and Wi-Fi devices have to become one "entity," which doesn't have to be necessarily self-aware. Don't worry, you aren't going to create the Skynet in the middle of your living room. You're just going to reach the next level of smart-efficiency. This new "eco-tech-system" will function and deliver as one. The opportunities are literally limitless.

IMoT - Internet Marketing of Things?

So, what do you have to say about the Internet Marketing of Things? I mean, everything that has to do with the Internet, can't be ignored by Internet Marketers. It goes without saying, the IoT caused and related changes are going to be huge. You'll able, or you're already are, to use your refrigerator to surf online, play games, order and buy, and so many other more or less useful things. So, this is an every marketer's dream come true. The marketing machinery has always dreamt about the moment of jumping out of our refrigerators and slipping under our pillows. Right?

Yet, there's a catch. It's not going to be so easy to "adack" our private space, as you may think. Why? Well, have you ever heard about the thing called - permission marketing? On the opposite side, you have the interruptive marketing. So, interruptions are what we're experiencing every single day. No one asks you whether or not you want to watch the latest ad. You are where you are, you do what you do, and you suffer. Yet, when it comes to permission marketing, a little bit of your cooperation is required. Permission marketing is the basis of inbound marketing, by the way. So, you get the whole picture. Both permission and inbound walk in smooth and thoughtful ways. They're going to approach you carefully and tactically. You're going to be targeted, with only the products and services, you're supposed to like, if it's any comfort.

So, what's going to happen with our good not so old Internet Marketing? Well, Samsung is already promoting its Family Hub Refrigerator, which is an interesting reference to the inbound marketing. How? Well, Brian Halligan is to blame for both HubSpot and inbound marketing. It seems that Internet Marketing has already found its way around these things of Internet. You're going to do what you've been doing so far and you're going to use the same Internet marketing tools. The only difference is that you will have an opportunity to use more devices. Does it really matter where is your potential customer going to read your sales email - on his/her laptop or refrigerator's touch screen? You can use your vacuum for both cleaning and tweeting. Has anyone thought of it already? A smart vacuum cleaner. There are so many smart things around us that it's almost impossible to get a fair surprise these days.

So, it's an open Internet Marketing Season?

I hate to be the one telling you this, but you may have to hold your marketing horses. So far, the advertising machinery could've allowed itself a luxury of being aggressive and careless. There was a clear border between the privacy of our home and the so-called outside world. You were willing to deal with all those annoying ads on a daily basis almost at every single moment and every situation you can possibly imagine, because you knew, the moment you close your door, you're in the safe zone. Well, the Internet of Things is eliminating all borders. You can run my dear cyber boys and girls, but you won't be able to hide.

My best guess that people, who'll be using these lovely Things of Internet, are going to become extremely nervous and annoyed. I'm predicting a birth of the law, which will make sure that the IoT advertising isn't free to make itself at home in your own home. Limitations are going to be serious and crippling. Our Internet marketers and gurus will have to work hard to come up with new ways of attracting people's attention while they want to be left alone and enjoy the sacred privacy of their homes. This new Internet Marketing of Things would have to be completely reinvented and rebuilt. The Internet we used to know and use isn't going to be the same and recognizable as a part of the IoT concept.

So, is Internet of Things a good news or a bad news for Internet Marketing? This isn't going to be a new version of an old game. We're talking about a completely new level of interaction and communication. The old Internet marketing concepts just won't give you the expected results. With the introduction of the Internet, our good old marketing had no other choice than to become the Internet Marketing as we know it today. A new term is needed to describe the future "marriage" of Internet of Things and Internet Marketing. Any ideas?