Tech & Innovation

The landscape of technology and innovation is vast and changing rapidly. From the established enclaves of Silicon Valley and, more recently, London’s Tech City, the width, depth and breadth of technology, especially as part of the advertising industry, is showing no signs of abating. But the wealth of some of these centres does not necessarily inform progress. As Steve Jobs once said, “innovation has nothing to do with how many R&D dollars you have. It’s not about money. It’s about the people you have, how you’re led, and how much you get it.”

Some notable “smaller” technology darlings include Instagram, a global phenomenon that had a staff of 13 before being purchased by Facebook. In February of 2014, Snapchat, another tech darling, had only 35 employees. And we all know what happened at Harvard in 2004 when a young man named Mark Zuckerberg decided to give Facebook a go — and what happened when Google really got rolling. Though VCs, capital and IPOs are the most heralded stories of today, each started small — and there is no firm number on how many “technology” and/or “innovation” firms dot the world.

In advertising, much of the talk of technology today is around wearables and how advertising will impact their evolution. Additionally, the automation of advertising and content is often discussed. Though it’s unclear how much advertising will impact wearables, the programmatic advertising business swelled to $21B in 2014 and is projected to reach $53B in 2018, according to Magna Global.

But, aside from the more talked-about stories, there are plenty that are still being told. One look at Industry Index, for example, affords a look into eight technology and innovation categories with some famous and yet-to-be-famous names. A particularly interesting category is “Emerging”, featuring companies offering new/untested services and offerings to marketers. This peer-rated system could show which technologies stick around and which have to retool or close up shop.

Join us at Advertising Week Europe as we explore some of the more established and up-and-coming companies leading the charge in technology and innovation.