A article posted by Judy Shapiro, chief brand strategist at CloudLinux on Advertising Age.

Remember Three-Screen Marketing Plans? So 2007. Time to Get Ready For Six Screens

"The Sixth Screen." Sounds like something from a sci-fi flick with Bruce Willis, doesn't it? But actually, no; this is as real as it gets and we are quickly moving from three screens to six screens fast and furious.

To see what's coming, we need a quick primer on what the multiscreen concept is all about.

As marketers, we all understand the need to translate our brand message across the three screens -- PC, TV and mobile. Truth be told, that is easier said than done. The speed of content being served virtually simultaneously among three screens is presenting some pretty tough challenges for brands. Just mobile, for instance, is moving so rapidly to becoming our computing platform, which in and of itself complicates life for a brand.

While it's clear most brands are not all that comfy with the notion of three screens today, the bad news is that it's about to blow wide open to six screens. Why? Because "Judy Consumer" is demanding more and more control. She wants to efficiently multitask; quickly moving from machine or hardware to consume content or communicate. And she is a quick learner. She will want content–centric entertainment, collaboration and communications systems that deliver seamlessly through her day within her new trust network -- her digital communities.

That's where we are going and here's a take on how we get there.

The screens of today

Screen 1: The TV

Screen 2: The PC

This is where our next screen comes in...

Screen 3: Mobile

The screens that are coming

The next three screens let us imagine how much is possible when we break down the barriers between today's TV, internet and mobile phone platforms and reorient these technologies toward a socially connected, digital citizen called "Judy Consumer."

Screen 4: Mobile Computing

The fourth screen is when consumers take the next big leap from mobile communications (screen three) to mobile computing via 4G networking. We are on the road to this -- but industry experts believe it is still a few years away because of the delicate dance required between the devices and the networks needed to keep everything synchronized. Here's a helpful explanation of the "real definition" of 4G courtesy of Ahuva Zucker, in a piece entitled; 4G -- It's all about semantics:

Screen 5: Location Aware Digital TV

The rapidly approaching fifth screen is the mobile digital television screen, similar only in size to the phone or wireless device. In fact, the fifth screen is itself a revolution because the data rates are so much higher than 3G/4G, due to the dedicated digital television bandwidth.

Screen 6: Infinite "pull" screen of convergence

This screen is the final step, because here is where technology can truly put the consumer at the center of the experience. To "pull" off this level of convergence, we will have sophisticated networks that allow communications and entertainment to be accessed over one integrated internet-protocol (IP) and wireless platform. This screen will not just deliver content or connections, but it will be intelligent to create custom information, advertisements, applications with specialized services as individual as the user.

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