It's not surprising that the opinions expressed at our latest Breakfast Bytes seminar were diverse, though they all related to marketing in the age of consumer technology.

It's natural to search for patterns in diverse ideas, to create a rough mental model that can tie some of them together.

I think I've found such a pattern:

First, let's reflect on the words of panellist John Slack-Smith, from Harvey Norman, the major Australian retailer of household goods including consumer technology. John said Harvey Norman is always on the watch for consumer technologies that are about to reach the point where they meet two criteria for the first time: relevance and affordability. MP3 players and digital cameras for example have already crossed these thresholds. Media servers have not.

Then, rewind about 20 minutes to the earlier words of panellist Michelle Hutton, who is our managing director here at Hill & Knowlton Australia. Michelle spoke about how the challenge in consumer technology marketing is shifting. Increasingly, members of the public recognise that consumer technology can augment their lifestyle. Increasingly they see it is relevant and affordable. In consumer technology marketing, then, our focus is shifting to higher communication goals — such as demonstrating the personality of particular technology brands.

So, I see a pattern, and the two ideas fitting together quite neatly. You could even map them against BrandZ's BrandDynamics Pyramid, in which Relevance is the second of five rungs.