FleishmanHillard Launches Tech Trends 2019 Report

Provides brands tech insights for the New Year

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Dec 18, 2018, 09:00 ET

ST. LOUIS, Dec. 18, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- FleishmanHillard today released "Tech Trends 2019: The Fads. The Fears. The Future." a new report offering insights and predictions for the technology industry. The report features an analysis of 1 billion tech-focused consumer conversations on Twitter between 2017 and 2018, along with insights from more than 25 technology thought leaders from around the world.

"Technology changes at a rapid pace and what once consumers barely even imagined, today they barely even notice," said Sophie Scott, global managing director of FleishmanHillard's Technology practice. "By examining the conversations that have taken place and the technology on the horizon, we've been able to make predictions about tech in 2019 to help brands understand consumer expectations and plan for the future."

The report includes the following 2019 predictions:

Artificial Intelligence (AI) will get detailed. Brands that use AI to engage in detailed and explanatory conversations – seeking to place AI in real-life contexts – will be next year's big winners. Discussions on conversational AI increased 54% in Twitter topic volume from 2017 to 2018.
Tech for good. FleishmanHillard's Authentic Insights report conducted by TRUE Global Intelligence revealed that more than 80% of consumers rate data security and protection as 'very important' – ahead of only healthcare and education in the UK and healthcare and freedom of speech in the U.S. Against all this, responsible data protection measures will continue to be a major trend.
Augmented analytics will go mainstream. AI's potential to enhance human intelligence rather than replace it is central – consumers will want to understand both what augmented analytics means by itself, and what it means against technology's other big trends.
Blockchain will find new opportunities. Moving beyond cryptocurrencies, Blockchain could expand, supporting developments like smart cities and digital transformation. Discussion volume share increased 52% between 2017 and 2018 – and the opportunity for deeper, more forward-looking conversation is growing.
Edge computing will come to the fore. Edge computing streamlines the flow of traffic from IoT devices and provides real-time local data analysis. Look for 5G to spur on the continued hype and interest in edge computing in 2019.
Immersive reality will transform new sectors. Virtual, augmented and mixed realities will join to create new experiences for consumers and will creep even further into areas like retail, manufacturing and healthcare.
Smart fabrics and e-textiles will rise in popularity. Expect smart fabrics and exoskeletons to hit runways and warehouse aisles alike, challenging what the term 'wearable' really means.

The data for FleishmanHillard's "Tech Trends 2019: The Fads. The Fears. The Future." report includes qualitative and quantitative data. A social conversation analysis was conducted around Gartner's 2018 and 2019 trends to test true traction of emerging technology. These findings were then augmented by market-leading brand executives to forecast the direction of 2019. The report reflects global, English-language conversations. All data falls within the public domain and was aggregated to ensure that personally identifiable elements were removed from the analysis and methodology.

About FleishmanHillard
FleishmanHillard specializes in public relations, reputation management, public affairs, brand marketing, digital strategy, social engagement and content strategy. FleishmanHillard was named Agency of the Year at the 2017 North American Excellence Awards; 2017 ICCO Network of the Year for the Americas and EMEA; PRWeek's Best Places to Work 2017; PR News' Best Places to Work in PR 2016-2017; Human Rights Campaign Best Places to Work for LGBTQ Equality for 2018; PR Awards Asia 2017 Greater China Agency of the Year; and NAFE's "Top 50 Companies for Executive Women" for 2010-2018. The firm's award-winning work is widely heralded, including at the Cannes International Festival of Creativity. FleishmanHillard is part of Omnicom Public Relations Group, and has more than 80 offices in 30 countries, plus affiliates in 43 countries.

About Omnicom Public Relations Group
Omnicom Public Relations Group is a global collective of three of the top global public relations agencies worldwide and specialist agencies in areas including public affairs, marketing to women, global health strategy and corporate social responsibility. It encompasses more than 6,300 public relations professionals in more than 370 offices worldwide who provide their expertise to companies, government agencies, NGOs and nonprofits across a wide range of industries. Omnicom Public Relations Group delivers for clients through a relentless focus on talent, continuous pursuit of innovation and a culture steeped in collaboration. Omnicom Public Relations Group is part of the DAS Group of Companies, a division of Omnicom Group Inc. (NYSE: OMC) that includes more than 200 companies in a wide range of marketing disciplines including advertising, public relations, healthcare, customer relationship management, events, promotional marketing, branding and research.

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