If there's one thing we love more than lists, it's attempting to prove our psychic powers. So here are our predictions for 2010.

1. 2010 Predictions 100% GENUINE DIGITAL LEATHER

2. If there's one thing we love more than lists, it's attempting to prove our psychic powers. So we pulled out the Ouija Board, polished our crystal balls, sacrificed an animal and attempted to read 2010's sweaty palm. What follows are our predictions for digital in 2010 - some big, some small, all mildly dubious. Enjoy! page. 2

3. Social Media Friends with benefits? page. 3

4. Social Media was sooo 2009 It was all we talked about and for good reason - its impact and potential is immense. However, while Social Media will still dominate the chatter in 2010, there’ll be a more realistic focus on identifying its place in the digital mix. We’ll also acknowledge that it’s no silver bullet. SEO and CRM may be less sexy but there’ll be an increased emphasis on these hardworking mediums. page. 4

5. page. 5 Will we still be fans of Facebook? In 2009 we were all fans of Facebook, as smart brands started establishing a presence and exploring what it has to offer. Now after pouring considerable money and effort into their Fan Pages and Apps, brands will look to measure the impact of their investments. Instead of simply counting how many fans they have, they’ll want a way to calculate the influence they’re getting.

6. page. 6 Twitter Will NOT see the massive growth it experienced in 2009. It will stagnate, while continuing to be the channel of choice for the Twiteratti and - increasingly - spammers. If Oprah (and locally Rove) couldn’t make Twitter truly mainstream, then its days as the “next big thing” may be numbered.

7. Location, location, location Where things are headed for mobile page. 7

8. Location Based The most exciting area in mobile will be location based apps, services and advertising. Sure, it’s a few years until everyone else will catch up with Japan - but by then their mobiles will double as jetpacks. Meanwhile back in Australia, expect to see more advertising and services that know exactly where you are and where you’ve been. page. 8

9. page. 9 Foursquare Forward-thinking Australian brands will compete to be the first to launch a commercial Foursquare promotion/tie in. The rest of the public will ask “What’s a 4square?”

10. page. 10 Pop up Shops Enabled by online and mobile, the “pop up shop” has a lot to offer the canny marketer and agency. That’s why we think it will be one of the buzz words of 2010. They’re a potentially cost-effective, exciting and PR-worthy way to give consumers a brand experience. What’s more, very few brands have given it a go.

11. page. 11 Google Yep, we’re feeling lucky

12. page. 12 Riding the Wave, Wearing the Goggles As the hype around Google Wave recedes, it’s all eyes on Google Goggles. Not only does Google’s new release look incredibly sexy, you won’t need a degree to use it. Nonetheless, free from the burden of expectation and scrutiny, Google’s much-maligned “email-killer” will have a chance to find its place. Not all births are easy - and sometimes when you ride a wave, you have to swallow a bit of salt.

13. page. 13 Hello Android In 2010 there will be a real alternative to the iPhone as handset manufactures release sexier & faster models. The Android seems to have it all, that is if only it could learn to love.

14. page. 14 iPredictions What’s next for the big Apple?

15. page. 15 New iPhone Release A new iPhone will be released in June - much to the dismay of all those that bought one in May. It will offer more of the same only faster. Well worth waiting in line for 2 days hey?

16. page. 16 iPhone apps made easy The release of CS5 will have a major impact. Now that the guy that makes your banners can make you an iPhone app, the cost and time involved will be dramatically reduced. This means the number of branded apps will dramatically increase. The upside of this deluge is that smarter brands will start to focus on creating apps that are genuinely entertaining and useful.

17. page. 17 Introducing the Games Store You can also expect to see a huge overhaul of the approval process for apps, as an already overburdened system reaches capacity. We think Apple will finally split their App store into an App Store and a Games Store. Given the number of games (20,000+), this would be one way to filter the sheer mass of applications (100,000+).

18. page. 18 Apple changes its iTunes Apple’s purchase of LALA will see the iTunes store finally go web-based, just in time to combat Spotify’s impending launch in the US. You can expect to see this feature integrated with the new iPhone. iTunes will also go indie, when it allows unsigned bands to sell direct on iTunes. People are making millions on iPhone apps but currently you need a label deal to get onto iTunes. This lameness will end.

19. page. 19 Also making news…

20. page. 20 Augmented Reality Porn AR was the big buzz word for 2009 and in 2010 it will take the inevitable turn to porn. We’ll see Playboy dabble - but keep an eye out for more hardcore fare like Augmented Lap Dances. Or maybe you’ll be able to pop a glyph on your member and hand yourself a virtual hummer. We find it interesting that the porn industry, once the leaders in online, are now in catch-up mode.

21. page. 21 RIP QR Codes In 2010 brands will finally stop putting QR codes in the corner of their outdoor and print ads.

22. page. 22 Geeks Get The Green Light Over the past few years we’ve seen viral video content attracting mainstream development money. In 2010, we’ll see that more TV deals (and maybe even a few films options) will be secured from Twitter accounts, blogs and Facebook Profiles.

23. page. 23 Flash gets caught with its pants down With HTML5, Silverlight and Unity 3D all lifting their game, Flash finally has some competition. Flash will still be king - but expect to see its blanket dominance stripped. In particular, Unity 3D games will become increasingly popular for brands now that the indie version is free for developers.

24. page. 24 Search for “big 2010 trend” The trend of using search terms instead of URLs in traditional advertising such as print and outdoor will hit critical mass. We’ve seen brands such as Pump and Lego try it in the local market. Should it get the kind of results reported abroad, you can expect it to become the norm. Then the real fun starts, when competitors realise that they too can buy the search term!

25. Digital Budgets There was plenty of economic pain last year. But compared to our friends in Europe and the US, Australia has dodged a bullet. This means two things for digital. The bad news is that the shift we’ve seen in the US & UK, where cash-strapped marketers have moved their dollars from old school media to digital, simply hasn’t occurred. The good news is that we have confident Australian consumers, which means bigger budgets to play with. Digital will still get its cut and there’ll be slightly increased budgets to fund innovation and big digital ideas. page. 25

26. page. 26 Tiny Transactions Make a Big Splash Everyone will embrace the micro transaction. From iPhone and Facebook Apps through to cause marketing and web based services, the days of getting something 100% for free are slipping. Charities will benefit the most, while brands will also start to earn revenue from what were traditional online advertising channels. As this model takes hold, look for a big player like PayPal or Google to introduce a standardised Web Wide virtual currency.

27. page. 27 The Cloud with a Silver Lining As more services move to the cloud, its ascendency becomes inevitable. http://www.onlive.com/ will launch for gamers - begging the question of when someone will be launching this for office PCs. It’s still a fair few years until we kick the external HD and CPU off our desks but the shift has begun.

28. page. 28 Catch Up TV Catches Up Catch-up TV in Australia will finally come of age. YouTube will remain #1 but the commercial channels and ABC will lure market-share away with exciting and relevant content. Which begs the question - why don’t Aussie networks syndicate content into YouTube in a similar fashion to their US counterparts? Youtube will now even let you run your annoying mass pre-roll ads!

29. page. 29 The Rudd Filter It’s nowhere near as fun as the Rudd money. When Australia introduces the Internet filter in 2010 the majority of people won’t even notice. Those that do will find ways around it. It’s a truth universally acknowledged that once you’ve exposed millions of teenage boys to free porn, there’s no going back.

30. Happy New Year www.soap.com.au sales@soap.com.au +61 2 9280 4480