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Coined by global research organisation Gartner, Hype Cycles are an annual maturity report detailing key emerging technology concepts and players to watch out for across various business sectors.

Characterising the hype and over-enthusiasm surrounding new technology, Hype Cycles aim to graphically display the adoption, maturity and social application of emerging trends and concepts.

Why pay attention?

Tracking a path from initial trigger through expectations, disillusionment, enlightenment into increasingly stable productivity, Hype Cycles follow the path technology takes through the adoption process, as defined below.

Vital for not only brands but major corporations, media outlets and even government organisations, the key advantage of this technique for brands is to make predictions about which services and products to invest in and develop for future productivity.

Hype Cycle’s yearly reports since 1995 shed a very revealing light on how fast technology has evolved. Just look at the ‘peak of inflated expectations’ for 1995 – ‘The Information Superhighway’ – our humble friend The Internet.

In 1995 on the up towards the mainstream was speech recognition, which interestingly, is at the same position five years later in 2001. Moving over onto the cusp of mainstream in 2011 with the introduction of Siri for the iPhone 4GS and Android, this illustrates the time taken for technology to mature to be accepted by the wider audience and the importance of understanding the whereabouts of any given technology on Hype Cycle before investing.

Confirmation – Hype Cycle 2011:

E-books and e-readers were predicted to hit the mainstream in 2011, after 2010’s cycle saw them declining into a trough. After initial hype of a paperless future, and prior to iPad and Kindle tablet release, the thought of reading books on a digital device was sacrilegious to book lovers the world over. Now sales of e-books are eclipsing their physical counterparts, slotting into increasingly digital lifestyle; intelligence confirmed.

Predictions that QR codes, mobile application stores and biometric authentication methods will become socially accepted into the mainstream in 2011 all echo true. This year’s Hype Cycle predicts cloud platforms, hosted virtual desktops, virtual worlds and consumerisation as key areas of interest currently on their way up towards ‘enlightenment’.

Importance of Research:

One of the cardinal sins of marketing – and the one made most often – is failing to properly understand new technology and how it fits the consumer or the objectives and marketing goals of any advertising campaign. This handy Priority Matrix indicates the time-frame for key investment opportunities:

Gartner’s report highlights the fundamental need for constant monitoring of emerging technologies. The need for in-depth research and proactive development for brands, as they compete in an increasingly competitive and clustered market-place is directly linked to brand success.

Looking forward:

Knowing where your brand is in relation to competitors and where the market is headed is vital. Only with this information is your brand is best equipped to become leaders in any given sector and optimise real success in generating real value and revenue.

Whilst critics suggest the system is not scientific enough and does not suggest new technology trends, merely indicating those already in existence, as a research tool it’s highly beneficial to have in your armoury. Keeping a beady eye on the 2011 cycle and a finger on the technological pulse, brands could do a lot worse than to mug up on the key trends emerging from this year’s cycle.

The full breakdown of reports by industry sector can be found over at Gartner.

Tags  CRM expectations hype hype cycle mainstream New Technology r&d Research social CRM social media Technology trend prediction trends