The great convergence of consumer technology – one which brings together world-class content, cutting edge devices and pervasive connectivity to the masses – is finally here. This month’s issue of Digital Lab’s e-magazine Decoder (click here to access) is dedicated to exploring what this pivotal convergence of smart connected devices will mean for brands and consumers alike in the year ahead.

It seemed like 2011 disappeared faster than a discounted tablet on Black Friday. It certainly left its mark on the digital world. From a tech perspective, 2011 was the year that brought us the continued upsurge in all things mobile (such as smartphones, tablets and apps), the social media-fueled Arab Spring, the emergence of social commerce, the demise of Flash, the resurgence of tech IPOs (with LinkedIn, Zynga, Groupon and Pandora leading the way) and the untimely passing of Steve Jobs.

Earlier this year, we at BBDO/ Proximity Worldwide partnered with Microsoft to undertake an unprecedented global research study to better understand how today’s global media audience perceives and behaves around content consumed through different screens in our multi-screen environment.

All screens are not created equal. That was the driving theme around the groundbreaking results of an unprecedented joint global research study between BBDO and Microsoft which were presented this week at the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity by Simon Bond, CMO of BBDO Worldwide, and Marc Bresseel, GM of Microsoft Advertising Marketing.