5G and the journey of premium content

Kelly Leonard, commercial director of Verizon Media in Spain, analyzes in this Tribune how 5G will improve advertising experiences and multiply engagement with consumers.

It is the technological news of the year. Thanks to smartphones and improved 5G networks, we are now able to enjoy almost immediate download speeds. Without the barrier of physical location, we are creating incredible opportunities within the marketing industry. With latency a thing of the past, users will soon be able to consume, interact and share virtually any content in real time, no matter where we are. Even in places like football stadiums or music festivals, where connectivity is often problematic.

Seguro que no os cuesta recordar la expectación que generó la llegada del 4G y las novedades que trajo consigo. Pero si bien el 4G abrió la puerta a las experiencias de los consumidores conectados y marcó la expansión del vídeo móvil, el 5G tiene el potencial de impulsar el entretenimiento hasta límites que ni sospechamos.

Think of a sports fan today, on any given Sunday afternoon: he watches the game on television and checks his team's updates on his tablet while following the comments on social networks about the game or other matches that are being played. Now imagine that this reality, that of multitasking, becomes a single interactive experience: while watching the game you can interact in real time, zoom in, observe the game from the individual perspective of each player, analyze statistics on the fly by superimposing a layer of augmented reality, or even feel like another player through a live virtual reality experience.

Better advertising experiences

5G means faster data speeds; specifically, 75 times the speed of 4G. The latest Ericsson Mobility Report predicts that major global 5G deployments will occur from 2020, anticipating more than one billion mobile broadband connections that will be available by the end of 2023.

For users, the implementation of 5G means a radical improvement in their mobile experience. For advertisers, the ability to deliver premium video content without worrying about loading time or viewing experience. This will also mean a reduction in adblockers.

Many people are thinking about 5G only in relation to what the connection or download speed will be like on their mobile devices. But little attention is being paid to what it means in terms of content production: unimaginable capabilities and exponential growth in the ability to process data.

In this context, 4K video is only the starting point of what is to come: the possibility of creating reactive, immersive, live experiences that capture the consumer's attention and maintain it, that are capable of multiplying engagement.

Multiplying engagement

Augmented Reality (AR) (for example, with location-based filters to be used in thousands of selfies and videos) has already established itself as a very interesting tool for telling stories, as well as Virtual Reality (VR) and 360 video. However, 5G will be the catalyst that drives its large-scale development. Last year, the combined global AR and VR market reached €12.5 billion globally, according to Statista, and is expected to grow by a staggering 1,480% over the next five years, surpassing €185 billion in 2022.

Greater immersion means greater engagement. The advertising experiences developed to date have demonstrated how extended reality increases the emotional connections that motivate consumers to buy and remain loyal to a brand.

It is an exciting reality where we will see how many of the futuristic predictions that science fiction has anticipated become reality. Whatever is to come, and whatever we build together, it is clear that the new path is marked by 5G and that it is undoubtedly heading in the right direction.