As speed becomes more important, are drones the future of deliveries? Read how some industry people responded to this question.

Carol DeVille, The Branding Company (asi/145018): Could you imagine how many drones that would be? It’s exciting and it’s definitely fun, but how far is a drone going to go? Is it going to sit in a geographical 50 km range, and the customers at 51 km don’t get drone delivery? When a drone gets to your delivery dock, how do they get anything signed? If you’re at a hotel at an event, does your drone get in the elevator and come up? What would be the weight capacity of the drone? How do you insure your package? What kind of traffic control would there be? Logistically I’m not sure how this would be managed.

Nancy Gudekunst, MARCO Ideas Unlimited: I don’t know what the future may bring, but I have an issue right now where a client needs a time-sensitive order. I wanted them to see a sample of the product before the proof is approved. Well, the sample is in their town right now, I tracked it, but they can’t get it up the hill through three feet of snow. So I’m thinking, ‘Gosh, maybe a drone would be good in this situation.’ Because shipping is holding up this important order and the client’s getting nervous about it – but a drone could certainly get it there. Who knows what the future might bring?

Mary Dobsch, The Chest (asi/44830): Drone delivery is premature. We need to give it five years. It’s definitely going to happen, but right now there’s not enough history there. I don’t think we can be the trendsetters. It’s going to have to be the Amazons first and we will have to learn from their mistakes. We all need to pay very close attention to what’s happening. Once we see something successful, we have to get on board. And that’s how we can stay ahead of the game. By watching what the people out there doing something similar to us are doing and seeing how we can take advantage of their knowledge.

Nathan Robson, Raining Rose (asi/80489): It feels like another world when you talk about drone delivery of packages, but it’s already happening. I do think that’s what we’re looking at because of the rapid advancement of technology. It’s not out of the question that in a decade we could see drones carrying tankers from overseas and delivering it here. And that’s kind of a scary thought, but I certainly think it’s something that’s going to impact our industry in some shape or form.

Keisha Tompkin, Bankers Advertising (asi/131650): I’m not really sure about this one. It may be possible in some areas, but it’s something I’d need to see done for a while to be comfortable with it.