PCB007 Magazine

PCB-Oct2016

Issue link: https://iconnect007.uberflip.com/i/735567

Contents of this Issue

Navigation

Page 77 of 83

78 The PCB Magazine • October 2016 SEO and SEM, coupled with a company's digital arsenal of websites, blogs, and e-blasts are often anointed as the better, low-cost op- tions. However, this delightful digital dynasty is all too often detached from the initial event planning and treated exclusively as an embel- lished bolt-on during the show. Measuring these results is easier than using traditional me- dia, no doubt. However, measuring these tactics in a separate silo is about as effective as buying peanut butter because it was on sale, but forget- ting to spread it on your sandwich with the jam when you're craving that combination of the sweet and chunky (yep...me again!). Digital vs. trade show: Which is better? Neither is perfect and one does not replace the other. Each should be evaluated and selectively deployed as strategic initiatives within an inte- grated program launch. Carefully executed, you will elevate your company's brand, establish thought leadership and grow customer mind- share. There's so much more to be said about the good, bad, and absurd of trade show practices and comparisons to digital, but it's time for that PB&J. PCB Barry Lee Cohen is president and managing director of Launch Com- munications. To read past columns or to contact Cohen, click here. TRADE SHOWS: THE UNSTOPPABLE FORCE Smart clothing con- sists of fabrics with new technologies such as digital components and electronics embed- ded and developed to provide added value to the wearer. They are, according to Wikipedia, the Pratt Institute states that "what makes smart fabrics revolutionary is that they have the abil- ity to do many things that traditional fabrics can- not, including communicate, transform, conduct energy and even grow". Engineers are joining forces with designers, sci- entists and doctors at Drexel University to produce new biomedical textiles, and the resulting smart clothes are not only fashionably functional, but could also be life savers. With support from the National Science Foun- dation (NSF), electrical and computer engineer Kapil Dandekar, industrial and fashion designer Genevieve Dion, and OB-GYN Owen Montgomery are incorporating RFID technology into their "belly bands" for women with high-risk pregnancies. The band continuously tracks data and alerts the doctor's office via the Internet should the woman start contrac- tions. A smaller version is being created for ba- bies at risk for sleep ap- nea. Developed at the in- tersection of engineer- ing, medicine and design, these examples of new human-centered service technology show vast po- tential to improve healthcare. NSF has invested approximately $34 million in such systems in the last three years, supporting in- novative new partnership projects to create service systems that are smart and human-centric. The research in this episode was supported by award #1430212, Wearable Smart Textiles Based on Programmable and Automated Knitting Tech- nology for Biomedical and Sensor Actuation Ap- plications, under the Partnerships for Innovation: Building Innovation Capacity (PFI:BIC) program. These Smart Threads Could Save Lives

Articles in this issue

Links on this page

Archives of this issue

view archives of PCB007 Magazine - PCB-Oct2016