Web 3.0: New Possiblities

A few days ago, I was searching Amazon.com for a fire-wire external hard drive to back up my valuable information in my laptop for the first time. But I never got to finish buying one because I couldn’t make a decision. Then today, I received a very interesting email from Amazon.com, and now I have an external hard drive on the way to my house.

The email had a list of bargain external hard drives that I could easily choose from. Just with a few clicks I was able to learn more about each product; read reviews from other consumers; and find out what others have purchased after viewing the product, all to help me make the best purchase decision possible. It was as if Amazon.com had an artificial intelligence system to let me realize what I truly needed.

That is, however, just a preview, or more like a 10-second movie teaser, of what’s coming in the near future. Web 3.0, as many already call it, will soon enable people to get highly relevant information to accomplish even the most complicated tasks just by typing a question. For example, one can type, “I want to plan a two-week vacation for the summer,” and the web browser will find a list of places that the user is most likely to consider and plan a two-week schedule by finding the most appropriate plane tickets and lodging options while providing nearby restaurants, scenic routes, parks, bars, or even a club if the user is likely to want to know about them.

Like so, the information on Web 3.0 will be even more useful because it will be tailored to each user in order to provide the most relevant information with the least effort.

But, what does that all mean to the marketing and advertising industry?

Simply put, marketers and advertisers will be able to 1) gain access to limitless possibilities in breaking through the clutter and 2) effectively target the appropriate segments based on each individual’s needs.

First of all, before we discuss more deeply about the effects of Web 3.0 on the marketing industry, let's make sure we all understand how Web 3.0 came about.

From the beginning of World Wide Web, there was information. Web 1.0, so now is called, was a simple way of containing and displaying information generated by the creator of the web site for the users. Then, it developed into Web 2.0, which does a whole lot more than what it used to do with a little help from... us, the users. So called “user generated content” is now gift-wrapped with RIA, Rich Internet Application, allowing information to be more easily accessible and understandable, and shared all around the web.

Then Web 3.0 is now coming along quickly and surely.

Here is a quick video to help you understand what it is.



Web 3.0, as explained in the video, adds artificial intelligence that understands the users. Web 3.0 is capable of predicting the users wants and needs in order to provide the most relevant information according to its understanding of the user which is established through countless interactions between the user and the web.

Such understanding of each user will then enable marketers to effectively break through the clutter that exists everywhere on the web. Now going away from meaningless and annoying pop-ups, marketers will be able to understand the needs of consumers when and where they need it.

With the increasing accessibility of web information, marketers will become capable of communicating their product information when and only when the consumers need it wherever they are. For example, a refrigerator with a screen and access to the web can simply allow marketers to show milk advertisements as the consumer is typing (or saying), “I need more milk.” That way, marketers no longer have to guess who is watching what and when to reach their target market while trying to breakthrough clutters of information, and therefore, their investment in different media channels will no longer be wasted.

In addition, marketers will be able to segment their target market at a whole new level: each individual. The “intelligent segment targeting”, as I call it, will enable marketers to meet each individual’s specific characteristic. As I explained above, Web 3.0 is rather communicational than informational. You web browser will continually receive information through your interaction with the web and store it in order to understand and predict what you as an individual would like to see and hear specifically. That way, marketers will be able to tailor their way of communication to each individual and make it most effective.

Now, just to get our conversation going, I would like to end my post with a question that follows all the benefits of Web 3.0: Can we trust the web with our personal information, preferences, and maybe even our deepest secrets? I personally wouldn't. Simply, I would not allow the web and the marketers to take over my information and use it freely even if it is to help me and guide me. I believe that’s the foremost issue that the developers will have to face before Web 3.0 is actually implemented in our lives.

What do you think?