The Near Future of Telecom Q3 2015

UNDERSTAND TODAY. SHAPE TOMORROW.
The Near Future of Telecom
Q3 2015
NEW BEHAVIOURS.
NEW OPPORTUNITIES.
LHBS // THE NEAR FUTURE OF TELECOM
1

ABOUT.
At LHBS, we are curious about the brand opportunities that lie at the
crossroads of emerging consumer needs, enabling technology and
market dynamics. What we learn, we like to share. That’s why we’ve
created the Near Futures Series of inspiration and insights reports
designed to highlight what is happening today and how it can shape
tomorrow for brands and business.
This one is about The Near Future of Telecom Industry.
We hope you enjoy this deck and are able to be inspired by it in your
innovation process.
This report is powered by the LHBS Inspiration-Hub that
systematically tracks changes in culture, markets and technology and
how these signs collectively point to a bigger story.
INTRODUCTION
UNDERSTAND TODAY. SHAPE TOMORROW. 2
Discover Deﬁne Develop Deliver

INTRO 
DUCTION.
Technology is crucial to the telecom industry and it continuously
changes, disrupts, and molds consumer behaviour, marketing, and
products on the market. By looking into the changing landscape and
analyzing the signals from the intersection of consumer behavior,
new technologies and business dynamics, we found 3 emerging
opportunity areas for telecommunication providers.
The report will explore the evolving communications habits, value of
marketing as a service rather than a interruption and the importance
of the Internet of Things for the telecom industry. Each chapter is
followed by actionable and real-world implications for a simple
execution.
Marta Kusnierska
Consultant at LHBS
lhbs.com | mk@lhbs.com
INTRODUCTION
3
This is a summary of emerging themes and trends based on the
signs published in the Inspiration-Hub.
The document contains theme identiﬁcation accompanied by
narrative, supporting signs, customer insights & actionable
implications for the brands in the telecom industry.
https://inspiration-hub.com/

provide
VALUE
connected
EVERYTHING
beyond
TALK
LHBS // THE NEAR FUTURE OF TELECOM CONTENT
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CONTENT

beyond
TALK
BEYOND TALK

Despite network providers charging most of their fees for voice
calls and the rest for data, in reality consumers are using it exactly
the opposite way, as is marked by the yearly decline of phone calls.
Instant messaging— efficient, permanent and allowing to for a
precise but also quick expression— tends to be favored over
phone calls, which are increasingly seen as less considerate, more
intrusive and demanding an immediate response.
The changing landscape of social networks reflects the shifts in
preferred means of communication— from long and written
formats or Facebook statuses, to visual and video content
(Instagram & Snapchat), to short and bite-sized information
(Twitter).
TREND OVERVIEW // BEYOND TALK
6
In the past years, fast-moving technology and the abundance of
apps have significantly altered the relationships people have
with their smartphones. Being constantly connected and
reachable, consumers are increasingly using mobiles for much more
than simply making phone calls.
beyond
TALK

LHBS // THE NEAR FUTURE OF TELECOM WHY IT MATTERS // BEYOND TALK
7
Teens & Social Media
Rise in intimate and non-verbal communication
The typical teenage opinion that “Everyone uses
Instagram” is due to its private, less commercial and
engaging nature. Facebook, on the other hand: “it’s
dead to us.”— it reminds teens of and “awkward family
dinner we can’t leave” with too many brands there.
Nevertheless, everyone still has it.
Meanwhile, Snapchat is authentic, intimate and
reserved for closest friends, while Twitter is used for
catching up on news or impressing prospective
employers.
Explore Sign
Learning
Growing up in the “140 characters world”, Millennials and
Gen Zs rely mostly on visual language that enriches their
short and concise communication with emojis that
precisely convey their emotions and current state of mind.
77%
59%
45%
76%
Which social media account do 12-16 year-olds have?

What is
missing on
this
teenager’s
smartphone?
Source: QZ
WHY IT MATTERS // BEYOND TALKLHBS // THE NEAR FUTURE OF TELECOM

REPORT TITLE // INTRODUCTION.
Four in ten
smartphone users
in the UK say that
don’t need the call
function on their
device
WHY IT MATTERS // BEYOND TALK
Source: RT

40%
60%
UNDERSTAND TODAY. SHAPE TOMORROW.*Source:
51%
49%
10
49%
Nearly a half of young
smartphone users
frequently use auto-
delete apps like
Snapchat or Wickr.
Source: Pew Research
Mobile Messaging and Social Media 2015
LHBS // THE NEAR FUTURE OF TELECOM WHY IT MATTERS // BEYOND TALK

SIGNS // BEYOND TALK
11
Movie Made With
Emojis
An upcoming movie reﬂects these changing
communication habits
Sony Pictures Animation is now developing an
animated movie using emojis as the main characters.
The “new” language of the youth is highly visual—
punctuated with Instagram posts, smiley faces and
heart emojis in places of written text.
Explore Sign
Learning
The production of the movie reﬂects the recent shift to
visual expression in young people’s communication
habits, as well as how commonplace emojis have
become, especially across Generation Z .

SIGNS // BEYOND TALK
12
Silent Video Texting
Yahoo messaging app combines traditional text
messages with a silent video feed
Yahoo has designed Livetext to be used for quick chat
sessions just like regular texting, but with the
addition of a person's face to add more emotion to
the messages. The choice to eliminate audio means
people can use it anywhere, whether in a meeting, on
a noisy street, during class, or on public
transportation.
Explore Sign
Learning
The app illustrates communication habits of the younger
generation— combining the disappearing and intimate
nature of Snapchat, with texting and emoji possibilities,
as well as visual appeal and interactivity of a video call.

Millennials & Call Anxiety
Millennials have a "fear" of talking on the phone and
instead choosing other ways to stay connected, they
prefer to communicate through text, instant messaging
or social media that are seen as less invasive, giving more
control and not as immediate.
Learning
Young people prefer being in control of how they are being
reached and their communication habits have changed.
No-Mobile-Phone-Phobia
Nomophobia is a medical condition that is a smartphone
separation anxiety and fear of being out of mobile
contact. 80% of teens show emotional distress and feel
“like part of my body is missing,” if they couldn’t use their
smartphones to stay connected.
Bite Size News on Snapchat
The social media network Snapchat has recognized the
potential of using the short and ephemeral nature of its
app to provide content and released its new tool,
Discover, that allows different media outlets post short-
form news on their platform.
Learning
As mobiles become indispensable to customers and always-
on, it is crucial to invest in mobile as a media channel.
Learning
Young people have shorter attention spans and greater desire
to explore and interact with shorter content.
13
Explore Sign Explore Sign Explore Sign
SIGNS // BEYOND TALKLHBS // THE NEAR FUTURE OF TELECOM

IMPLICATION
The “new language” of young
people is text-based, highly
visual and instantaneous.
Brands need to make sure that their communication reﬂects the new smartphone usage habits— ones
that are driven by ongoing exchanges that are mainly text and image-based.
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IMPLICATIONS // BEYOND TALKLHBS // THE NEAR FUTURE OF TELECOM

IMPLICATION
The primary smartphone usage
is not talk-based anymore.
Brands should present tariffs in a way that they highlight how people use and interact with their
smartphones— as data volume and speed become the main motive behind purchase decisions.
15
IMPLICATIONS // BEYOND TALKLHBS // THE NEAR FUTURE OF TELECOM

provide
VALUE
PROVIDE VALUE

With the smartphones so deeply ingrained in the daily lives,
customers receive more advertising spam than ever before. The
messages that are lost in that noise become indistinguishable. To
stand out, brands need to be providing a real value to the
customers beyond a simple interruption.
Consumers are drifting towards products and messages that save
their time, enrich their experience or increase their social capital.
From billboards that serve as a bench to sit on, partnerships that
help to manage health, better personal ﬁnances or improve
education— brands should look beyond solely broadcasting a
message that is an interruption and make things that people
actually want, instead of making people want things.
TREND OVERVIEW // PROVIDE VALUE
17
It is becoming increasingly difﬁcult for brands to simply convince
consumers to buy their products by pushing the message out.
Instead, it is about moving marketing beyond interruption, towards
marketing as a service– by using available means to add real value to
the lives of customers.
provide
VALUE

40%
60%
28%
72%
18
86%
Percentage of consumers
that say they value
useful brands over
interesting ones.
WHY IT MATTERS // PROVIDE VALUE
Source: Razorﬁsh
Digital Dopamine Report

40%
60%
28%
72%
19
74%
Percentage of brands
that could disappear
without being missed.
Source: Havas
‘Meaningful Brands’ Study

Meaningful brands outperform
the stock market by
133%
Source: Havas
‘Meaningful Brands’ Study

AT&T Accelerator For
Education
Partnership with educational startups to help
young students
AT&T is launching the Aspire Accelerator— an
incubator for ed-tech startups, where the company
will sponsor and mentor ventures that use
technology to improve education and help students
succeed. With these partnerships, the main goal of
AT&T is to make an impact on society rather than
achieve monetary goals.
Explore Sign
Learning
The partnership allows for mutual beneﬁt— the brand
makes use out of startup expertise, and in turn provides
the young company with ﬁnance and mentorship— at the
same time working together towards a bigger cause.
SIGNS // PROVIDE VALUELHBS // THE NEAR FUTURE OF TELECOM

Wi-Fi Only In A Shadow
Encouraging customers to stay out of harmful
sunlight
Shadow Wi-Fi on a beach in Peru delivers the signal
only to those who stay out of direct sunlight.
Throughout the day, the reception moves along with
the sun to make sure it only works in the shadow.
Launched in conjunction with the Peruvian League
Against Cancer it draws the attention to the dangers
of exposing their skin to sunlight.
Explore Sign
Learning
Partnering up with a health organization and providing a
service based on certain conditions, guides consumers
towards a healthier life and increases awareness of the
issue.

Cycling Safety Kit From Volvo
Volvo has teamed up with a startup Albedo100 to
develop a reﬂective safety spray that cyclists can spray
on their equipment to increase their nighttime visibility
to the car drivers.
Learning
Knowing that cars are dangerous to cyclists, Volvo
proactively tries to minimize the indirect harm that their
product may cause.
Guidance On First Career
The program is an academy run by the Barclays bank in
cooperation with teachers and businesses. The sessions
and gamifed assignments are targeted towards young
generation to help them with essential “Life Skills”— CV
tips, interview guidance and work experience.
Pay For Food With Miles You Run
For the Nike Women's 10km Run, the brand is launching
a food truck campaign that is encouraging fans to eat the
healthiest foods. To receive the food, runners have to pay
with kilometers they run rather than paying with money.
Learning
Cooperating with businesses and education sector provides a
real-life, valuable assistance to customer segments that can
otherwise feel left behind in the rapidly changing world.
Learning
Encouraging healthy habits and not just running, means
thinking holistically and embracing a whole lifestyle that the
brand stands for.
23
Explore Sign Explore SignExplore Sign

IMPLICATION
Customers will ignore brands
that deliver just messages rather
than action.
Brands need to think of ways to enrich their brand essence by contributing to a meaningful cause and
deliver action instead of messages that to consumers are just an interruption.
24
IMPLICATIONS // PROVIDE VALUELHBS // THE NEAR FUTURE OF TELECOM

IMPLICATION
The only way brands can cut
through the communication clutter
is to add real value and utility to the
lives of customers.
Brands need to be proactive and observe your customer’s pain points— trying to solve them with simpler
solutions before customers ultimately cut the brand out.
25
IMPLICATIONS // PROVIDE VALUELHBS // THE NEAR FUTURE OF TELECOM

connected
EVERYTHING
CONNECTED EVERYTHING

The Internet of Things market is growing fast— accelerating the
demand for services that connect all the devices and requiring
increased bandwidth for them to operate. These smart devices
are becoming mainstream and no longer exclusive just to
developers— soon anyone will be able to build and connect their
own speciﬁc set of smart devices.
In many ways simplifying the daily lives of customers, the Internet
of Things will also be making certain things much more complex.
Innovative brands will address this challenge by providing
solutions that will be enriching the customer experience, creating
seamless interfaces that make the journey intuitive and easy to
navigate.
TREND OVERVIEW // CONNECTED EVERYTHING
27
Technology is crucial to all industries, but especially so for
telecom, with devices quickly evolving into things that would have
been difﬁcult to imagine a few years back. These changes, that are
often coming from outside of the immediate industry, will
dramatically change the way people use data, connect and interact
with their devices.
connected
EVERYTHING

Our Internet of Things world is
growing at a breathtaking pace—
from 2 billion objects in 2006 to a
projected 200 billion in 2020.
WHY IT MATTERS // CONNECTED EVERYTHING
Guide To The Internet Of Things
Source: Intel

40%
60%
37%
63%
29
63%
that plan to buy
connected technology to
their homes by 2019.
Source: Acquity Group
Internet Of Things Consumer Adoption Study

By 2020, every human will have 26
smart objects around himself.
Source: Intel
Guide To The Internet Of Things

40%
60%
86%
14%
31
14%
that expect to buy
Internet-connected
clothing over the next 5
years.
Source: Acquity Group
Internet Of Things Consumer Adoption Study

SIGNS // CONNECTED EVERYTHING
Smartphone Interface
On Jeans
Google is partnering with Levi's for Project Jacquard,
a research project to create “smart clothing.” The
electronically conductive material will be embedded
into textiles and will allow to control personal
technology by simple touch and gestures to the
material.
Explore Sign
Learning
Technological interfaces are constantly evolving,
currently moving towards voice-control and gestures.
The smart items are becoming ubiquitous and embedded
into many more parts of our lives.

LHBS Put the Title of the Report hereUNDERSTAND TODAY. SHAPE TOMORROW.
Shopping with a Button Push
Amazon has released their first dash buttons that allow
their Prime members try out buying certain household
products such as detergents via a push of a button.
Learning
Making a decision to purchase products is simplified to the
simple press of a button, eliminating the usual customer
purchase journey.
Lego-Like Internet of Things Set
A mainstream consumer-friendly way for connecting
items into the Internet of Things. Building a connected
home is possible for everyone and doesn’t require
purchasing specific devices.
Learning
The Internet of Things items and connectables are becoming
popular with mainstream consumer, they are increasingly
attainable and easy to set up by everyone
Remotely Controlled Lawnmower
Bosch's Indego is an intelligent lawnmower, making the
maintenance of the properties exterior effortless.
Remotely controlled with a phone app, the device is
location-aware and charges itself with help of beacons.
Learning
This connected device allows for remote connectivity,
venturing beyond a “smart home” to connecting the outside
environment.
33
Explore Sign Explore Sign Explore Sign
SIGNS // CONNECTED EVERYTHINGLHBS // THE NEAR FUTURE OF TELECOM

IMPLICATION
Smartphones represent only a
fraction of the “smart” and
“connected” items.
Brands should think outside of usual categories when it comes to items that can connect together.
They should provide product bundles that not only work together but also connect various aspects of
consumers’ lifestyles.
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LHBS // THE NEAR FUTURE OF TELECOM IMPLICATIONS // CONNECTED EVERYTHING

IMPLICATION
The ubiquity of connected items
requires much more data.
In order to manage all of their connected items in a reliable and secure way, consumers will require
special tariffs or add-ons to their existing data plans.
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IMPLICATIONS // CONNECTED EVERYTHINGLHBS // THE NEAR FUTURE OF TELECOM

LHBS Put the Title of the Report here
HUB.
https://inspiration-hub.com/
INSPIRATION-HUB
INSPIRATION
-HUB
Our Inspiration-Hub systematically tracks changes in culture,
markets and technology and how these changes collectively point to
a bigger story that carries implications for Business Development,
Brand Building and Customer Experience.

Discover
ABOUT
LHBS. Define Develop Deliver
We are an unconventional strategy firm that helps clients to
better understand today and successfully shape tomorrow. LHBS
has extensive experience & expertise in business development,
brand building and customer experience. The firm works across all
major industries for clients from the FT Global 500, German
Mittelstand and fast growing startups.
http://www.lhbs.com
ABOUT

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die ganze oder teilweise Vervielfältigung sowie jede Weitergabe an Dritte ist nicht gestattet.
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