The Consumer Electronics Show (CES) is the world's premiere event for technology innovation. Last week, thought leaders from Havas Creative and Media Groups were among the nearly 200,000 people who gathered in Las Vegas to discover revolutionary products and transformational

technologies. There, we witnessed the evolution of user interfaces, smart devices, and the customer experience, among many other things.

Below, we share with you our six key takeaways from CES 2017, including the most groundbreaking inventions, the most influential trends, and what they all mean for brands, marketers, and consumers.

01//VOICE AS THE NEW USER INTERFACETrend: Voice assistants were everywhere, from cars and televisions to refrigerators and washing machines. Perhaps none more strongly than Amazon, whose personal assistant, Alexa, was a pervasive force thanks to partnerships and integrations with the likes of Ford, LG, and Huawei. Large-scale voice navigation is merely 18 months old but is already reshaping industries.

IMPLICATIONS // We’ve made a shift from visual to auditory. Voice commands are becoming mainstream and quickly redefining consumer expectations. Brands that explore voice-enabled search, purchasing, and product integrations will stay ahead of the curve by providing a natural customer experience across this emerging user interface.

02//5G POWERING THE IoTTrend: Unlike its predecessors 3G and 4G, 5G will bring greater data efficiency and enable inter-device communication, allowing the Internet of Things to come to life. Qualcomm CEO Steve Mollenkopf presented research indicating that, by 2035, the improvements 5G brings will spawn an “invention revolution,” similar to electricity or the automobile, by creating $3.5 trillion in revenues and 22 million jobs, and allowing entirely new industries to emerge.

IMPLICATION // While standards are still undefined, 5G will be critical for any connected moment between brands and consumers in the future. 5G will dramatically improve marketers’ ability to engage people on-the-go and to respond in real-time to the vast data consumers generate in connected homes and cities with anticipatory suggestions powered by machine learning.

IMPLICATIONS // The next generation of consumers will be true digital natives with even higher expectations for brands, shorter attention spans, and a lower tolerance for boredom than any previous generation. While these “toys” aim to meet rising standards, each of these kid-friendly products is also solving problems that parents face, such as child safety, education, and healthy habits. In a world where people are looking to connect and simplify, brands must create products and services that not only serve multiple purposes, but also serve multiple audiences.

03//KIDS + TECH

Trend: With the unveiling of products like Mattel’s Aristotle, LEGO’s Boost, Fisher-Price’s Think & Learn Smart Cycle, and the dokiWatch, CES was geared not only toward techies, but their children as well. The innovations shown were products that serve multiple purposes and support education and health, such as Grush, the toothbrush that lets kids fight monsters as they fight cavities.

04//THE SMART HEALTH ECOSYSTEM

IMPLICATIONS // New technologies are empowering consumers to take increasingly active roles in managing their health, prompting brands to get involved in the individual consumer wellness journey. As people are equipped with more personal information than ever before, winning brands will use cognitive intelligence to analyze data and offer consumers increasingly diverse, accurate, and effortless solutions in real time that help them reach their health goals.

Trend: Voice assistants were everywhere, from cars and televisions to refrigerators and washing machines. Perhaps none more strongly than Amazon, whose personal assistant, Alexa, was a pervasive force thanks to partnerships and integrations with the likes of Ford, LG, and Huawei. Large-scale voice navigation is merely 18 months old but is already reshaping industries.

IMPLICATIONS // We’ve made a shift from visual to auditory. Voice commands are becoming mainstream and quickly redefining consumer expectations. Brands that explore voice-enabled search, purchasing, and product integrations will stay ahead of the curve by providing a natural customer experience across this emerging user interface.

Trend: With a 23% increase in health exhibits this year, cognitive wellness was a reigning theme at CES. The innovations that stood out were apps powered by IBM Watson, including a diabetes app prototype, and the Under Armour Record app, as well as devices such as Sleep Number’s 360 Smart Bed, partnership integrations with Fitbit, and wearable clothing like Hexoskin, which have a clear value exchange that includes promoting better health habits, monitoring personal data, and informing individuals about their health.

IMPLICATION // While standards are still undefined, 5G will be critical for any connected moment between brands and consumers in the future. 5G will dramatically improve marketers’ ability to engage people on-the-go and to respond in real-time to the vast data consumers generate in connected homes and cities with anticipatory suggestions powered by machine learning.

05//THE EVOLUTION OF PERSONALIZATION

IMPLICATIONS // While facial recognition and eye-tracking technologies have exciting and immediate implications for a variety of industry verticals, such as entertainment and gaming, they have even greater potential to change the way marketers create personalized brand experiences while perfecting the user journey.

Trend: Innovations in real-time facial recognition and eye tracking were prevalent at CES 2017. Facial recognition technologies will enable brands to monitor user experiences and intervene at the exact moment when each consumer is frustrated or confused during their journey. Silicon Valley startup Tobii has also partnered with companies like gaming leader Acer to bring its eye-tracking technology to experiences across video games and operating systems.

IMPLICATIONS // The next generation of consumers will be true digital natives with even higher expectations for brands, shorter attention spans, and a lower tolerance for boredom than any previous generation. While these “toys” aim to meet rising standards, each of these kid-friendly products is also solving problems that parents face, such as child safety, education, and healthy habits. In a world where people are looking to connect and simplify, brands must create products and services that not only serve multiple purposes, but also serve multiple audiences.

06//SELF-DRIVING CARS

IMPLICATION // In a world where our vehicles drive us, consumers will have increased leisure time, giving brands endless opportunities to meaningfully connect with people on the go through infotainment, customization, and branded experiences. Marketers need to think about branded content that works seamlessly across the future bundle: mobile, car, and home.

Trend: With over 500 auto-tech companies present, autonomous driving took center stage with a focus on a safer and more entertaining in-car experience. Complete with comfortable chairs, wide entertainment displays, individual sound environments, safety sensors, and voice-activated speakers, the car of tomorrow, as shown by BMW, will feel more like a living space than a vehicle.

IMPLICATIONS // New technologies are empowering consumers to take increasingly active roles in managing their health, prompting brands to get involved in the individual consumer wellness journey. As people are equipped with more personal information than ever before, winning brands will use cognitive intelligence to analyze data and offer consumers increasingly diverse, accurate, and effortless solutions in real time that help them reach their health goals.

Special thanks to:

Danika Azzarelli

Yvonne Bond

Theresa Braun

Radhika Butala

Maureen Dawson

Kevin Hung

Chris Jones

Thomas Jorion

Kelly Lundquist

Hillary Meahl

Gabrielle Rossetti

Carly Wengrover