Innovation that matters to you
How the Internet of Things empowers us all
Imagine a world in which, instead of just links between mobile devices, televisions, gaming machines and the internet, the cloud powers billions of once-inert consumer devices that are currently an unconnected part of our everyday lives. This isn’t the future. Today’s digital world, a world Philips is fully embracing, changes how we use the internet so it becomes a meaningful enabler of personalized solutions to improve people’s lives. The ‘Internet of Things’ has become central to how we innovate at Philips – and how we listen to, engage with and take inspiration from our consumers. Our cloud-enabled consumer devices not only serve people’s needs but react to them, empowering people to control their lives in ways that were once impossible. This is the reality of the 21st century – smart products must constantly evolve according to the desires of our consumers and we must be agile to satisfy them and create value. And we are.
Let’s look at a few examples. In the US, we teamed up with Weight Watchers to launch a solution called ActiveLink. This solution includes a wearable device called ActiveLink, that collects data about the user’s activity levels. This data is processed to provide real time feedback and support to the user. It allows us to see who’s outperforming, who needs a gentle nudge to get them back on track. The data created by this service gives us the opportunity to engage with individual consumers in a way that empowers them – and helps them to live healthier lives. Philips now has real-time ‘conversations’ with our consumers to maximize the potential of our propositions, to adapt and improve them, to personalize them, to make them more meaningful. This holistic and dynamic way of innovating is why Philips is more attuned to the consumer than ever.
For instance, in cities around the world, air quality is crucial to healthy living,especially with allergies and respiratory problems on the rise. Our deep consumer insights told us that people in megacities like Shanghai and Berlin want to understand and control air quality in their home, from wherever they are. So we devised the Philips Smart Air Purifier, which provides families with a real-time overview and control of indoor air quality via their smartphone. Equally, today’s digital parents want technology to serve their families’ ever-changing needs. So our innovators are developing the Philips AVENT Smart Baby Monitor which connects to and is operated by a smartphone, ensuring parents are never disconnected from their baby. It is also linked to our revolutionary lighting system, Philips Hue, to create an immersive experience for the baby, with lighting ‘recipes’ that create the right ambiance to help at bedtime, waking-up and feeding. The ‘Internet of Things’ puts the consumer in the driving seat and allows us at Philips to ensure our products are more personal, relevant and impactful than ever before. The consumer has always been at the heart of what we do. This interconnected world presents new ways for Philips to work with consumers to help them to be healthier, live well and enjoy their life.
Pieter Nota
Executive Vice President, Chief Executive Officer of Consumer Lifestyle
Born in the Netherlands, Pieter Nota joined Philips in 2010. He started his career at Unilever in 1990, where he held several senior management positions before becoming Marketing Director in 2005. Follow Pieter on:
