360 live-VR video. Non-invasive neuromeasurement, like facial coding. Driverless cars, nurturing a parallel shift towards shared ownership models, across diverse categories. The ubiquitous connectivity of things. Now weave in AI, Big Data, programmatic content planning, wearables, assisted-search, open-APIs, and e-payments. Oh, and add near-field coms, ultra-broadband, mobile and 5G. Out of breath yet?

Bottom line, we have a very different environment emerging for brand relationships and experiences. Well, assuming we don’t all decide to switch-off and escape to a forested commune. Unlikely.

The bigger challenges mankind faces, like climate change and mass-urbanisation, necessitate embracing this ubiquitous network-intelligence… and sustainability may well be its guiding mantra. So, we envisage that not only will the role of social brands become more pervasive in our lives, the live experiences with brands will become more important, too.