Airline travelers may be among the first to see the Internet of Things in end-to-end action as they pass through major airports. Global spending on technology increased 74% at major airports this year, pushing spending up to $9 with a further increase of 64% projected for next year, based on a new study.

Insights from big data around the Internet of Things got yet another big boost yesterday. The IBM acquisition of the Weather Company's digital platform represents a lot more than pushing IBM into the weather forecasting business. The acquisition is not a total surprise, since the companies have been working closely together for some time.

In addition to everything becoming connected in the Internet of Things, a number of things are being named or classified as smart. We have smart watches, smart cars, smart thermostats as well as connected objects that reside in smart homes. And then there are smart buildings that will reside in smart cities. Some of the marketing implications of the smaller smart things are somewhat straightforward to predict or at least speculate, since many of the items have some of the same characteristics as non-smart objects today.

Anyone following the Internet of Things knows that big data is one of the big deals in it. Of course, there's the gradual realization that massive amounts of data will be generated by billions of internet-connected devices. But then there are the details of how to capture that data, how to process it and ultimately, what it means and what to do with it in a way that actually benefits consumers.

There may be what appears to be a slight pause coming in the growth of Internet of Things projects, with the big growth happening right after that. Over the next six months, 4% of IoT adopters will decrease the number of projects they start, according to a new study. But over the next 12 months, there will be an increase of 12% in projects started.

While the market for new and novel connected devices evolves, the connected television may beat them all as the major Internet of Things component at home. For most pay-tv subscribers, the television remains the preferred screen for video viewing and accounts for the majority (65%) of all viewing across all platforms, according to a recent industry report. But as watching shows on TV from traditional sources continues to decline, the power of the connected television increases.

Because the Internet of Things is so massive, with many billions of devices expected eventually to be connected, sometimes a little perspective pops up to highlight some relationships. I'm talking about lightbulbs here or, more specifically, LEDs. The global shift from traditional light bulbs to energy saving LED technology, underway for some time, is providing the opportunity to add connectivity to the next generation of lighting systems.

Much of the value of objects connected to the Internet is in the information that can be gathered and then immediately used to enhance a consumer experience. Generally, this happens through platforms behind the scenes. And the Internet of Things is fueling the creating of more and more platforms to manage all sorts of things.

As billions of things become internet connected, brands will be faced with where and how their products fit in the world of the Internet of Things. If viewed outside the traditional box, connected products can become media assets. It's not just new things or smart objects that will be connected, but also packaging around traditional things.

We know the Internet of Things is big and going to be massive in scope, impacting all aspects of marketing and communication. Some recent data points from some of the very large companies fueling the growth yet again highlight just how big a deal this is. Within five years, 200 billion so-called smart objects will be deployed, according to Intel's latest guide to all things IoT. That translates to 26 smart objects for every human being on earth.