The document presents digital predictions for 2011, highlighting trends such as the dominance of Facebook Places, the rise of gamification in marketing, and a shift towards long-term brand platforms. It anticipates increased social media fatigue, the continued evolution of cloud services and mobile technology, and a resurgence of microsites. Additionally, it suggests notable acquisitions among major companies and foresees emerging debates around net neutrality and digital buzzwords.

1. 2011DIGITAL PREDICTIONS

2. Time again to dust off our crystal ball, tweak the physic powers, poke the giant octopus and attempt to predict what’s going to be hot in 2011.However before we do, lets look at how successful we were last year...

3. XDepends where you call home!XReally Steve’s failing!XSee aboveXFirst baby stepsXAh come on!

4. XDavid Fincher agreesXXXDepends on where you sitXX‘To the cloud!’XXClaiming this as a Correct!, on a technicalitySo, 65% success rate! Not too bad.What will 2011 hold...

5. 1Deals & PlacesFacebook Places becomes the 300lb GPS check in gorilla! In the process unlocking the “Widespread reach” badge that eluded Foursquare.Look out for Facebook Deals becoming a feature of every brief. Even if the client has no physical location to own.

6. 2Level Up! ‘Gamerfication’ being the buzz word as every one from charities, film studios, packaged goods and all in between look to add a powerful element of play to their marketing & CRM strategies.Watch out though, in 2011 consumers won’t be able to sneeze without receiving points!**anyone from Kleenex reading this?

7. 3Platforms & ServicesIn 2010 we saw brands move towards creating long term owned platforms (Pepsi Refresh, Nike+) vs. short term campaigns.Expect to see this go one step further with brands providing services that compliment their brand. For example, P&G, Mr Clean car washes.

8. 4Hot BuysWith no shortage of $ stockpiled we expect to see some hot buys in 2011. Here are our top picks:Amazon buys Netflix

9. Facebook buys SkypeThen develops its own product and reneges on the deal at last minute

10. Apple buys SpotifyAnd then shuts it down. iTunes.com launches

11. J&J (KY Jelly) buys Chatroulette & Redtube*To have complete 360 relationship with large segment of their audience

12. Google starts a real estate arm. Or buys a bankGot to do something with the $30B in cash lying round *anyone from Kleenex reading this?5To The Cloud! (this time we mean it)While Australia waits for it’s $50B National Broadband Network to get the funding, the USA dive even further into the cloud.Google’s ChromeOS & laptop is the first step in being free of the HD addiction.Microsoft’s Office 365 shakes up the way we pay for software.onLive and Gaikai want you to throw away your consoles for streaming games.Spotify launches in the USA, Apple retaliates with the launch of iTunes.comGoogleTVlaunches and even more networks “cock block” their content.

13. 6Social Media FatigueSocial media fatigue will skyrocket in 2011 as people start to regret having their boss, mother and 150 other “friends” connected to their weekend activities.Simplified, restrictive & exclusive social networks similar to Path.com, which limits your possible friends will be on the rise. While the choice of social networks people actively participate in will filter down to one or two.

14. 7Nerd MattersNet Neutrality gets a catchier name and becomes bigger fodder in public debate. While still confusing many. Nerds continue to correct concerned citizens on the original name.And you thought Y2K was big! Chaos will ensue come April 2011, the predicted date when we all run out of ip4 IP addresses. As long as Farmville & WOW continue to work no one will notice a problem.

15. 8Everything Mobile (maybe not)Surely if Chase customers in the USA can deposit checks via their iPhone, you can pay for a Coke with it too right? No.Will 2011 be the year your mobile replaces your wallet and house keys to allow you to wear the skinny jeans in comfort? No.Mobile innovation will continue however unless we move to Japan, it’ll be a few more years before the infrastructure catches up with our Tokyo dreams

16. 9Microsites are back!After taking a beating in 2010, microsites will rise from the ashes as... Facebook tabs!But we’ll all realize just because it’s on a social network doesn’t make it more social. So…We’ll see a return to more “social microsites” as we realize the microsite wasn’t the problem, it’s what you did with them.

17. 10Digital Craps2011 will see the peak of digital buzz word bingo! This is good news if you’ve just fired your agency. Print these off to take the mystery out of the pitch responses. *download your own Digital Craps here

18. 2011 HOT OR NOTIn pulling this though provoking and deadly serious prediction deck together, we ended up with some thoughts on what else will be Hot or Not in 2011.Wired iPad

19. iTunes

20. Google PLUS 1

21. User Generated Content

22. Ipad1.0

23. 3D TV

24. iAds

25. TEDx

26. BluRay

27. eBay

28. Trend Reports

29. Project / Flipboard

30. Spotify

31. Niche Social Networks

32. Ubiquitous computing

33. Ipad2.0

34. 3D Printing

35. Facebook Deals

36. TED

37. Google TV

38. Groupon & Clones

39. Leaking InfoTrends OverloadHere’s a collection of some more researched and detailed trend/prediction reports for 2011

40. Reference LinksLinks for further reading:Facebook Deals | Facebook Places | Gamification 1 | Gamification 2 Brand Platforms | Pepsi Refresh | Mr Clean Car WashGoogle + Real Estate | Facebook + Skype | Apple + SpotifyOffice 365 | ChromeOS | onLive | Gaikai | Google TV BlockedPath.com | IP Shortage | Net Neutrality | iPhone check deposit

41. Happy New Yearwww.soapcreative.comsales@soapcreative.com

42. CHECK OUT SOAP 2010 PREDICTIONS