Little did I realize when I watched Back to the Future II all those years ago that it would be a prophetic movie. Do you remember the scene where Marty McFly puts on his self-lacing shoes?  He just slipped his feet into the shoes and they laced themselves up. Believe it or not, I hear that 2015 will be the year that “power laces” hit the market. Wearable technology, anticipated way back in 1980 by none other than Marty McFly, is here and its about to get even more interesting. You may also remember that “wearables” were touted long before Marty McFly by none other than the Dick Tracy! He had the very first smartwatch that doubled as a walkie-talkie. Tracy, like McFly, was way ahead of his time because smartwatches are now here, and they are very cool.

Wearable technology is now a stand-alone business category, with Nielsen estimating that 15 percent of consumers are already using some form of wearable tech. And after looking at smartwatches, I now know what to suggest to my wife for my birthday present, but I can already anticipate her response. She’ll ask why I need one if I already have a smartphone. I felt the same way when the iPad first came out. I couldn’t imagine why I would need one and how I would ever use it. Now, I read the newspaper every morning on my iPad and always travel with it so I can watch movies when I’m in the air. Can’t live without it.

I have a hunch that the same thing is going to happen with smartwatches.

I can easily see a smartwatch used as a fitness device that will tell me not only how much I’ve walked and how many calories I’ve burned but also will send that information to my doctor—in real time—to create a more holistic picture of my health. Another use might be to tell me where to eat when I’m on a business trip—no more room service for this guy. Pretty soon I won’t be able to imagine not having a smartwatch.

Let’s agree to call smartwatches mobile devices so the DAA’s self-regulatory program can apply. Make it simple and straightforward. We wouldn’t have to reinvent the wheel and could take what is already working and extend it to these new technologies.

As cool as they are, though, one thing is certain: Once smartwatches are widely used, the digital marketing industry will figure out how to be part of the experience. Within a few years, digital marketing will spend countless dollars to serve interest-based ads to smartwatches. That’s for sure. This can be a very good thing if done correctly or a very bad thing if it is perceived as intrusive. Because my employer, Evidon, is part of the digital advertising ecosystem, I want to be the first to raise my hand and say that now is the time for us to think about how to be part of this awesome wave of technology in a responsible way.

Here’s a suggestion: The Digital Advertising Alliance (DAA) Self-Regulatory Program for Online Behavioral Advertising is a self-governing code of conduct that the online advertising industry developed, and it is working pretty well. Last year the DAA extended its principles to mobile, which was brilliant in hindsight because the DAA purposefully didn’t define a mobile device. Let’s agree to call smartwatches mobile devices so the DAA’s self-regulatory program can apply. Make it simple and straightforward. We wouldn’t have to reinvent the wheel and could take what is already working and extend it to these new technologies. By following this approach, we will participate in the growth of a new industry in a responsible way that builds upon what is already working.

Who could have imagined that Marty McFly and Dick Tracy would be so prophetic? For more discussion on smartwatches and how the digital marketing industry can responsibly be a part of this industry, please e-mail me at truback@evidon.com.

photo credit: Mike Licht, NotionsCapital.com via photopin cc