After going through life like a game of musical chairs, the COVID-19 pandemic put an abrupt (and unforeseeable) halt to the constant flurry of tasks. As people got confined indoors, they turned even more to online worlds. From work to entertainment, almost everything involved a screen. The blurring lines between home and work life also unveiled the burnout of busy lives, making people reevaluate how they spend their time.
Being stuck at home gave many an opportunity to explore creative outlets and learn new skills. The internet offered a plethora of pursuits, including baking, gardening, and knitting. Globally, around one-third of the people used technology to learn new skills. (1) Such engagement with technology not only helped them pursue offline activities, but also gave brands a chance to introduce new offerings.
Today, consumers are looking for new ways to unwind hinting at a growing need for balance. Shifting gears from productivity and optimization, consumers will seek an array of productive and objective-free recreational activities by 2030. (2) The Telco industry is at the cusp of this evolving landscape. Capitalizing on technological advancements like artificial intelligence (AI) and virtual reality (VR), brands can offer consumers immersive environments that resemble real life. Curating experiences that simplify leisure will open a market of opportunities for brands. Instead of focusing on further productivity, Telco brands can appeal to consumers’ relaxation needs.
Channeling the right technologies and intersecting two leisure activities, HBO partnered with Amazon Alexa to create an immersive game called Westworld: The Maze, to take its viewers into the show’s world. () Similarly, a British Telco company, O2, collaborated with a mental health charity, Young Minds, to help young people have positive experiences on social media platforms. ()
Weaving the virtual with the real, Telco brands can position themselves as more than just agents of screen time. Venturing into this new realm of possibilities, they can diversify their services and build better connections with their consumers.
To find out more about how telco brands can help consumers make objective-free leisure time worthwhile, download the complete report here.
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