I started my advertising career on the traditional side, crafting print, TV and radio campaigns. But then the Internet happened, and I was intrigued by how this new medium could impact the world of marketing. People thought it was a fad and wouldn’t last (no, they really said that). Here we are 15+ years later and digital marketing is not only still around but growing more pervasive every day.

In what has been dubbed The Internet of Things, internet-connected touch-points have evolved beyond laptops and mobile phones, to include a plethora of smart devices like TVs, watches, exercise tools, automobiles and biochip transponders – even our home thermostats are getting in on the action.

While we are not there yet, smartphone penetration is fairly high (60% of U.S. adults own one) and Mobile Wallet usage is not far away from the tipping point (expected to surpass cash and credit cards by 2020 ), providing another key mechanism for tracking purchase behavior and serving hyper-targeted messaging.  At CTP we have been experimenting with Geo-Fencing and Programatic Buying, but are excited about the possibility to do so much more. These smart devices, paired with advancements in Near Field Communications (i-Beacons) provide millions more data points and opportunities to present our brands to consumers in a relevant and compelling manner.

Yes we will be able to push coupons to people walking by their favorite clothing store (just like in Minority Report), but we can also monitor their exercise routines and bio data and recommend a power drink to help replenish their electrolytes As the digital landscape evolves, so do the number of weapons in our marketing arsenal. We are no longer just pushing our messages through 468×60 banner ads (remember those?). We are leveraging all of these various touch-points to gain valuable information about each consumer (combined with information from various online and offline, owned and third party data sources) and using it to send them a more highly targeted marketing message.

So, Tom Cruise was actually lightyears ahead of us after all.