“From mobile apps and cloud computing to social media and real-time marketing — and all of the big and small data between them — technology is advancing at an accelerated pace. At the same time, businesses struggle to keep up with technology and its impact. To effectively compete, and eventually thrive, businesses must become agile rather than reactive and customer-centric rather than presumptive,” he adds.

Solis wrote “Your journey with this book is nearing its end, but hopefully this is just the beginning of another journey for you.” I think it’s fair to say, that has been my experience. I feel I’ve had a rich intellectual journey over the last few days and I feel fortunate to have had friends and colleagues participate in this journey with me. So, thank you friends, colleagues and Brian Solis.

We are in a new era of engagement, so we need to learn how to do things differently. As Solis says, “That requires a type of expertise that just doesn’t exist with new organizations today.”

– The importance of User Experience (UX) in real life and in executive thinking
– The humanity of Human-Centered Design in all you do
– How to spot and respond to digital trends
– The threat of Generation C

Solis isn’t worried about the effect of Uber’s finances on the sharing economy.

“Uber has long since left behind the sharing economy,” he said. Uber’s been a catalyst for the on-demand economy, which is evident every time you hear about a company that wants to be Uber of whatever.

by: Jason Middleton, KGO 810

In this 3rd segment, we talk to Silicon Valley staple, Brian Solis. Brian is an author, a speaker, a change maker who coined the term “digital anthropology,” and a principle analyst studying disruptive technology at research firm Altimeter Group​. His new book is “X: When Experience Meets Design.” We talk with him about how technology is changing people and society, and how marketing has to change.

“It doesn’t matter that AR and VR is right around the corner, it’s what are you going to do within those environments that are going to be fantastic, experiential and game changing.”

Brian Solis is a principal analyst at Altimeter Group, a Prophet company. He is also an award-winning author, prominent blogger/writer, and keynote speaker.
A digital analyst, anthropologist, and futurist, Solis has studied and influenced the effects of emerging technology on business and society. His research and books help executives, and also everyday people, better understand the relationship between the evolution of technology and its impact on people and also the role we each play in evolution.

Brian Solis, analyst with the Altimeter Group, feels that it’s a smart move for Yik Yak to broaden its appeal. “Even Facebook had to leave the university system to attract a broader set of users and their friends.” said Solis. “It’s time the app grew up to turn a new level of hyper-local, contextualized form of social networking that combines the social graph of Facebook, the locality of Yelp and the serendipity of Twitter.”