Does anyone else feel like the internet of things is starting to become one of those phrases that loses meaning when you say it too many times in a row? For a stretch of time, IoT was the buzzword, but as the space becomes more and more crowded, the conversation is evolving. We wanted to know more about how it was changing, so we dug into the past month’s media coverage to see what’s hot and what is starting to fizzle out in the world of IoT. Specifically, we used one our tools, Buzzsumo, to look at what’s trending and being shared on social media.
It came as no surprise that tech behemoths like IBM and SAP are consistently leading the pack in terms of vendor-driven coverage. For example, earlier in 2017, IBM announced the opening of its Watson IoT headquarters in Germany. Since then, they’ve had an aggressive push around all things Watson IoT, and it’s evident in the media coverage. But, aside from some of these expected observations, a few of the most socially shared topics did have me intrigued.
‘Bill’
Legislation is popping up quite a bit amidst IoT chatter recently. When Congress called out connected device security concerns in early August, the internet had a field day. Much of the initial reaction to the Internet of Things Cybersecurity Improvement Act of 2017 was positive, praising the effort to formally tackle the cybersecurity threats that more connected “things” could create in our homes and businesses. Following that came a dose of reality, with skeptics stepping up to criticize the measure, saying it’s still not enough to address IoT vulnerabilities. We can likely expect more of this sort of debate in the coming weeks, but, regardless of where you stand on the issue, it’s a safe bet that IoT security will remain an important part of the conversation. Any company playing in this space better have something to say about their stance on the issue of IoT-enabled device security.
‘Learning’
Learning was another widely shared term on social platforms. Its usage refers to deep learning, machine learning and all things artificial intelligence. From a media perspective, it’s no longer enough to be an IoT company. Stories around how IoT will interact with and influence other cutting-edge technologies like AI are quickly gaining traction. What this means is that while many businesses and developers are still focused on SDKs and connecting devices to the internet, conversations and thought leadership about IoT are maturing. A network of things that communicates is pretty cool, but imagine how that cool factor multiplies when those things can learn from the environment and modify themselves for better energy usage, data set integration or improved business value. That’s the draw to combining the IoT narrative with AI and the types of stories the media want to tell.
The fact that broader terms like “big data,” “software platforms” and “digital transformation” are still showing up as highly shared topics points to the fact that IoT application adoption is still in its infancy in many industries. Maybe in practice this sector has a long way to go, but based on this data snapshot, businesses can learn that defining and communicating a more mature vision of technology is the way to position IoT to the media.
Bonus insight! As far as where to be seen these days? LinkedIn is rising to power. For those looking to really move the needle, it’s time to consider a greater mix of earned, owned and paid media to reach the savvy decision-makers you’re after.
For more information on how to gain share of voice for your IoT company, contact us at info@merrittgrp.com and let’s start a conversation!