Car technology and especially user-experience software in cars is thriving. With all the smart new innovations, “the radio should not only be easy to find, but also impossible to miss”, says Gwendolin Niehues from ARD.
“The car is a browser,” was the opening statement of the first speaker Roger C. Lanctot, the director of Automotive Connected Mobility in the Global Automobile Practice at TechInsights. According to him, everything you do in the car is an indication of your intent, which makes new cars unique advertising environments.
These technological possibilities also call for an enhancement of connection quality, which matters to car companies even more than before. According to Lanctot, edge computing is also key in the car, it is important to see which data we send, under what circumstances and at what time.
“With 5G coming, the automakers are going to want to have that in the cars,” Lanctot states. And with this development, there is a vision of a subscription-based relationship with the owner and the car itself. He also stresses the importance of voice and location, which is crucial to advertisers and provides a possibility to engage deeper with the customer.
“The car is a unique advertising environment and digital radio represents a special advertising opportunity,” Lanctots finishes.
Up next was Christian Winter from Cariad introducing the new Cariad software. According to him, the new system will reshape the automotive experience for everyone. He stresses that the main point is a better user experience. The Cariad app will launch later this year and will enable the use of many apps in cars.
Above all, it offers the hybrid radio with online station following with seamless switching between broadcast radio and online. Another Innovation that Cariad app introduces is the personal digital assistant . According to Winter, it is „the perfect mix of technology and personality“ and that it will make your journeys more enjoyable and practical.
The third speaker of this panel was Gwendolin Niehues from German ARD and she focused on the broadcasters point of view in this debate. As a good practice, she introduced ARD Audiothek app, which provides the radio’s content and tries to use the benefits of being in a connected car to customize the contents based on location.
“Radio has always been in the car, and it stays very important,” she stressed. It needs to be easy to use, accessible through one button and highly visible. The app should be also personalized responsibly so it doesn’t hinder the trust that radio as an institution holds. She also underlines the importance of collaboration, both on the national and international level.
