Kitcatt Nohr Digitas

I saw this week that the Guardian is now getting one million hits a day on its Facebook site, that there is now a Coke dispenser that actually works by using Google Wallet through an NFC-enabled smartphone, that cab drivers in New York are now accepting credit cards through smartphone technology, that New Look increased web sales by 500% by making their site work better on mobile. And of course, you've been able to manage your flights on Delta, book your table at Pizza Express (and pay for the pizza) through apps for ages now.

I have seen the future. And it isn't 'brightdancing'.

It's mobile devices and social media making marketing into a service. And it's happening thanks to the marriage of creative intelligence and creative technology. Creative intelligence that tells us things like a) more people would read our newspaper if it went to the places where they are already hanging out b) that more people would buy Coke if they didn't need change to do it c) that even New York cab-drivers can be persuaded to change their ways if it makes them enough money d) that you can sell more stuff if people carry your shop around in their pocket and above all e) that that convenience is always more attractive than its opposite. And creative technology that puts it all in your pocket, or on your tablet, or in your home.

So what's coming next? It depends what you want. We've already had RFID chips in fashion stores that gave you the appropriate soundtrack to the jeans you were trying on and sent you a link to download it. But what if your clothing carried a chip that alerted the store when you walked past the door, and told you that it had this season's version of your favourite jacket on sale? Or an app that turns your smartphone into a universal remote control that also allows you to engage socially while watching your favourite programmes? Or that is a way to turn your tablet into your passport as well as your boarding card?

The question isn't really about what we make next. It's more about assuming that people will always want relevance, timeliness and personal appeal. And the next generation of technology is going to bring it even closer.