Ward’s Auto, USA: Cognizant’s ManLog Executives Say Car Companies can Learn a New Definition of “Digital Experience” from Pokémon Go

Rajaram Radhakrishnan, Vice President and Head of Manufacturing and Logistics, Cognizant, and Prasad Satyavolu, Head of Innovation, Manufacturing and Logistics, Cognizant

“How much better would Pokémon Go be if an automaker had developed it?” write Cognizant’s Rajaram Radhakrishnan, Vice President and Head of Manufacturing and Logistics, and Prasad Satyavolu, Head of Innovation, Manufacturing and Logistics. “The game that lets people hunt virtual monsters in real-world locations blends smartphones, GPS coordinates, position sensors and augmented reality ― technologies that automakers are embracing for growth.” Excerpts:

“As attractive as it may be for automakers to hop in the Pokémon Go backpack, they must not miss asking the critical question: Where is our Pokémon Go?

What automakers can learn from Pokémon Go is a new definition of “digital experience.” The game already is reshaping expectations about how the physical and virtual worlds may interact by providing users with a hybrid experience that seamlessly blends the two worlds. This hybridization, “reality plus,” is increasingly what people want from digital experiences.

Yet most automakers continue to promote ― and think of ― their cars in terms of features: from mechanical to electro-mechanical to digital, power, model options and connectivity.

Frankly, most vehicles are now commodities on these terms. It will be increasingly difficult to earn a return commensurate with investments in connected car technology if an automaker cannot differentiate on experience. Essentially, it’s time to raise the car from the utility class to the experience class.

Data is the basis of the Pokémon Go Economy. Differentiating an experience requires gathering data from many sources, understanding its context and analyzing it to find insights and meaning to better deliver a more compelling experience that, in turn, will be analyzed and fine-tuned.

The “design” portion is another key aspect of the Pokémon Go economy. Design will go beyond aesthetics to encompass technology in, around and beyond the car, from intelligent transport systems to cloud-based data storage and analytics. Automakers will likely need to harness innovations from other partners and alliances to deliver seamless hybrid experiences, versus attempting to beat the pace of market innovation on their own.

It won’t be easy for auto companies to cultivate this broader vision of where and how connected cars fit into consumers’ demands for experiences augmented with digital. It will be even harder to make it a reality.

So, the question remains: What’s your “Pokémon Go” experience?  That’s the challenge (and opportunity) of the day.”

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