Ad:Tech San Francisco 2008 - Day 1

Keynote: Art of conversation Building great brands
Interesting panel of people that included VW, Nestle, MTV, Sony, etc.  Their opinions regarding their social "thrust" were current, and relevant, but getting to a point where a consumer is going to have a harder and harder time having a conversation without being exploited.  There is a jockey-ing about to "get social" and "be viral" - to the point that people ask what the ROI will be on their viral campaign? Doesn't that lose authenticity if you are trying to get ROI on something that isnt based on anything predictive?  Anyway, maybe its too early, and maybe i was up too late, but i am not a good listener yet this morning.

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Power Panel: Tales from the bleeding edge - moderator: lori schwartz - IPG media Pab

• Jason Goldberg - Creative director - MTI Interactive- Interesting concepts for retail environments that are really interesting and truly bleeding edge.  Things like:  pick up a product and be told about the product on an LCD. or, walk through Pep Boys and your keyfob will tell pepboys what the year, make, model of your car is.  INteresting opportunities to link interactive with hands on experiences to prevent people from walking out.
• Alan Schulman - CEO IMC2 - very interesting speaker and topics that discuss primarily integration with GPS technologies. Examples included:
  • Discussed how agencies want bleeding edge and marketers and brands want leading edge.
  • GPS in NYC Cabs - eTaxi GPS maps linked with advertisors - interesting mashup concept (taxitech.com)
  • VW Crispan Porter Times Square live polling - 2 minute live user experience that repeats 4x/hr taking live results and linking in real time on the microsite to completely engage visitors...even tells the submitter when to look a the screen to see their post. www/vw.com/vwhype/whatthepeoplewant/en/us
• michael mak - CEO, bCODE - Mobile coupons and the vision for the future - probably the best speaker with topics that are relevant now. Minority report example:
  • recognition technology/transaction/redemption
  • broadcast offer
  • in-store personalization
  • mobile offer targeeting
  • opt-out / privacy
  • available now
  • bCODE mobile platform
    • scans mobile phone
    • SMS text
    • Flash/Web applications
    • Location, time, mobile, profile, context - knowing exactly what you are doing allows the offer to be much more pointed and relevant and well received.
    • text messaging opt-out
    • mobile loyalty in a box
    • consumer opts in via SMS from anywhere
    • mobile # becomes a profile and part of a CRM database
    • coupons can come in the form of SMS from the brand once relationship is established
    • on the store visit, mobile phone is scanned and coupon is used to interact with the customer - this terminal introduction alleviates any dependency on leading edge handhelds. - 3 billion devices read the text bar code
  • in use currently at IKEA US, and Harrah's (of all people)
  • critical piece is: offer and relevancy
• Bruno Uzzan - CEO of Total Immersion - new term "Augmented Reality"
  • all i can say about what Bruno's company does is: WOW!
  • THeir ability to virtualize contents of a retail package, piece of paper, etc. and see what is in the box without opening the box - gave a good example using video and a lego toy
  • Could REALLY bring new life into print (yes i said it) advertising
  • The term really isnt new: "Augmented Reality is a solution to transform passive guests into active performers." - Walt Disney
  • Another example is the chrysler brochure- where a brochure is detected by video and the car is rendered in real time, users can also interact with the brchure by holoding their finger over a color and in real time the object changes. 
  • in place now for Lego, but as this expands, watch a whole new way of buying houses, cars, approving a landscape plan or seeing your yard in the future based on how plants grow, etc., etc. etc., especially if it was originally put together in 3D/CAD.
  • Its like Minority report come alive - and frankly made the day completely worth the time.  INSANE technology.  Watch for this company to explode and be acquired fast.

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Futuresearch Panel - big panel of speakers and SEMPO that discussed the future of advertising (in the context of "advertising" as an industry).

Factoids:

• Search is still a $16B industry
• integration and digitization of all content
  • research > experience planning > optimization > advertising > cross-channel reporting

Q's presented to all panelists

• biggest opportunities for growth of brands
• What challenges will face brands with regard to search

Speakers:

• Jane Butler - google - search is part of a consumer's behavior
  
  • Opportunities:
  • Make all forms of media/assets discoverable
  • 100% of assets always on
  • Connecting offline & Online
  • Reach out to consumers throughout the funnnel
  • Obstacles:
  • Standards
  • Sales Attribution
  • Measurement
• Jen Dorre - microsoft
  • Opportunities:
  • power of 2 - search and display are better together - combination of search and display has a lift of 22% when used in combination.
  • stronger analytics & yield management - Microsoft is developing a new keyword discovery tool
  • engagement mapping - through acquisition aQuantive Msft is getting more involved in engagement mapping, which weighs clicks and activity and combines them for a more real picture of what a conversion looks like.
  • Obstacles:
  • Growing the advertising Ecosystem
  • data warehouse > buy side > sell side
• Lauren Coberly - Dir WW Marketing, Kodak
  • Opportunities:
  • more and more entrants (paid & organic)
  • ways companies utilize search is evolving
  • model is extended into traditional marketing creating an auction model
  • advanced targeting  - enhhanced behavioral, remarketing, contectual, personalization, and customization
  • social media - open dialogs vs. intermittent campaigns, key integration point in 360 degree marketing
  • Obstacles:
  • measurement poses a significant challenge
  • quantification of web 2.0 activities
  • privacy - must take caution with customer/member information
  • content - supporting the advertising - dynamic website, content distribution vs drive to sites, have to "let go" of your brand.
• Grazia Ruskin - Manager WW consumer online market development for AMD -
  
  • Opportunities:
  • use marketing leverage to keep momentum & increase budgets (huh?)
  • advance strategic alliance to benefit the parters and the corporation
  • rethink virtual merchandising strategies
  • Obstacles:
  • Stick with what youre doing - online strategies need to be sustainable  - target cant be a moving one.
  • drive demand for brand using a global footprint (if you can - a-hem)
  • Budget!
• David Kidder - co-founder/CEO - clickable - GREAT 2 Slide Presentation - Couldnt be more dead on.
  
  • Opportunities:
  • reputation transparency (voice) - brand core is dependent on this
  • universal brand penetration (reach) - meet customers where they are with digital ubiquity
  • authentic customer experience (RT touch) - experience drives quiality and value of digital media impression
  • Obstacles:
  • trust - brand needs to be in concert with corporate ethos ( authenticity)
  • data quality - a conversion, is a conversion, is a conversion (Gertrude Stein)
  • Simplicity - WWAD (what would apple do)
  • 3x hurdles - hurts ability to see through (actually 9x when it comes to user experience) incumbent v. competitor
  • Clickable-NINJAS - participation concept

Overall

• I always feel like this conference is a place where people laugh at their own jokes, prop eachother up, and generally "agree" with themselves.  Hard to see who is doing anything new...back to my consistent sentiment: there are no more unique ideas, just bastardizations of previous ones.
• TREND: "let go" of your brand.