Sitting at the Forefront of New Storytelling Opportunities

The iPhone, which recently celebrated its 10th anniversary ushered in the smartphone era and in the process drastically changed how we communicate and tell stories.

Specifically, my perspective is based on setting out to leverage Podcasts for organizations in 2006; a time where one had to explain what the technology was and how it could be used for marketing purposes.

The advent of the iPhone brought Podcasts to the mainstream and opened up new opportunities for public relations and marketing professionals in general to create content that would be easily accessible and available to audiences.

The iPhone was a game changer.

Today, whether you’re an iPhone or Android user, young or old, male or female, chances are you use some form of smartphone to access any number of sources of media. Maybe you watch Youtube videos on your iPhone, create content on an iPad, or listen to the latest Podcast on your Android on the way to work. Point is, it’s a radically different media landscape than that which existed before the iPhone opened up this Pandora’s box of opportunities.

Well, next week, when Apple unveils its next generation iPhone it’ll be changing how we tell stories — again.

How you wonder?

Well, we’re in a similar place right now as we were with Podcasts in 2007; except this time the technologies at hand are AR (augmented reality) and VR (virtual reality.) Both are expected to debut in the new iPhone and as such the flood gates are about to burst open.

Yet again, the iPhone will pave the way and create a new round of opportunities for both developers, content producers, & PR and marketing professionals. When Apple debuts the hotly anticipated iPhone 8 or whatever moniker they choose in Cupertino — it will bring these technologies mainstream — both from a content development perspective and in terms of consumption.

The bottom line for PR, marketing, and social media professionals — much like I saw an opportunity to leverage Podcasting in 2006; I see AR/VR as the next opportunity to extend storytelling and enhance PR & marketing campaigns in 2017 and beyond.

About the author: Jason Cohen is Executive Producer at NYC Video Pros. The organization works with clients around the globe to develop corporate video production strategies for organizations around the globe. Click here to learn more about their video production services or for a free consultation call 212.931.4866.