OMMA EAST Morning Day 1

So, I am by no means an industry veteran like some of my colleagues but I have been in this industry long enough to know that there is a certain air in the room this year. There is an air of importance, newness and confusion.


Many people are here to try to make sense of the world rapidly changing world of communications. Some may feel that they understand what is happening but, the really smart folks know that what is happening is all about dialogue and community and that no one person can have all the answers. That is what this year is all about!







8:30am - 9:00am
Our World Speeds Up: Online Media, Marketing and Advertising by the Numbers
Geoff Ramsey, CEO, eMarketer and OMMA EAST Master of Ceremonies

This year is about speed in the advertising, marketing, and media


Geoff Gives us a lot of good stats that support the fact that the broadcast TV industry is being overrun by the Internet


(I will include the stats from this presentation later in the day)


Another major point of his talk was Fragmentation


Media Fragmentation is leading to total  disintermediation- Anyone, anywhere, anytime


Place Shifting as well as Time Shifting (slingbox)


The TV and the PC are crashing into each other


Everyone is creating content today...everyone!


Agencies are returning to content production...soap opera revisited. Agencies get ready!


52.2 Million homes with Broadband. There are 108 MM HUT's (homes using television) but this is all TV


Mobile, Behavioral and Search (oh my)


"Don't Join The Herd" If you are going to execute, do it well


RSS- Geoff, I feel that you have joined the herd with your RSS outlook. So what if people have not heard of it, it does not mean they are not using and, have some foresight, they will!






9:00am - 9:30am
AM Keynote:
At Speed: How to Throw Out All Your Plans and Enjoy the Ride
Rishad Tobaccowala
CEO
Denuo

He added something to the title of the presentation


How to throw out your plans, Address Crap and Enjoy the Ride



  • Get rid of unnecessary decision makers, they slow things down

  • Shifting sand troubling marketers

  • Forget about three years ago, what about three weeks ago

  • Address Crap

  • Percolation won't work in an espresso age

  • Mind Your organization

  • Mind your API

  • People NOT Consumer NOT user

  • How to enjoy the ride

  • Hard core accountability

  • New Metrics- Interaction, Consideration, Intent, Net Promoter

  • Net Promoter- the number of brand advocates minus the number of people who hate your brand

  • Iterate To Metric Success Through Jazziness

  • Improvise

  • Marketing as Facilitation

  • Be Authentic

  • Value System, Sense of Self, True, Transparent








9:30am - 10:00am
AM Keynote 2:
So, the New Content Models Have Taken Over. What Happens Next?
Ross Levinsohn
President
Fox Interactive Media

"The golden age is before us, not behind us" - Shakespeare



  • Consumers Are Driving today's media business

  • No Barriers to entry create content

  • New Engagement Model

  • Micro Publisher growth

  • 60 MM plus bloggers

  • Fox Interactive Second Biggest site in terms of page views (lets see what happens when the MySpace fads slows down)

  • 131M uniques

  • Direct To Drive- Enabling People to download Fox programs

  • "You have to be Immersive" - talking about being in the modern ad space

  • This is the greatest revolution in the media business






10:00am - 10:45am
THE MEDIUM
RESOLVED: Internet speed makes media planning in any traditional sense at best futile; at worst, fatal.
Last year media agencies realized their plans were antiquated; this year the entire function of media planning is faced with obsolescence. As audiences move from site to site and device to device, yesterday's fad becomes today's trend and tomorrow's old news ... and media planning must likewise evolve. More challenging still, much of the media consumers find most engaging do not yet lend themselves to advertising and marketing. How can stakeholders operate in an environment where the Media Plan should read more like a Creative Brief?

Speakers:
Rishad Tobaccowala, CEO, Denuo
Ross Levinsohn, President, Fox Interactive Media
Joe Marchese, Head of Online Media Practice Group, Bainbridge
Carl Fremont, EVP and Global Media Director, Digitas
Moderator: Joe Mandese, Editor-in-Chief, MediaPost

 The Media Plan should read more like a Creative Brief (love that line)


Carl Fremont- New Models being invented daily. We can be more creative, inventive and engaging


The Art and Science of Media Planning- "We still rely on some of the old science"


Joe Marchese- What do the people want?


Is ROI like a drug? Is it taking over?


invite People into our brands and add value- Fremont


Book Suggestion- "A Whole New Mind"


"Computers are not very good at seeking patterns, once the patterns turn to three dimensions"- Tobaccowala

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Fashion On the Web


One of my favorite clients brought this article to my attention:


"Luring Luxury Brands To The Web"


Now, I am no fashionista and am not one to start a dialogue on fashion, I think that this article brings up other issues pertainsing to the web as a medium.


The article says:


"Luxe fashion houses have been slow to embrace the Internet"


The article goes into how some luxe fashion houses are slow to adopt the web (certianly this is not the case for the retailers) and that some marketers feels that magazines represent their brands better. I am probably the first person that would argue in favor of the web but, luxury fashion is not really my area of expertise (luxury retail is a different story, I have been aournd it long enough to have picked up a thing or two).


It seems odd to me that in the year 2006 the notion of "embracing the internet" is something to discuss. I mean, come one, we are just about done with Web 2.0 at this point (personally,  I am on Web 7.6)!


This begs the questions, are their  things that are not a right fit for the web? If the medium is the message than, does this medium give the worng message for certain industries, brands and goods?


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Love the Juice

Those who know me personally know that my thoughts on media and marketing have been influenced by one bad ass, renegade marketer. I saw this man over a year ago at FIT and did not look back so, this post is my thanks.


As much as I like to think I either have the answers or can find them through many sources, I need to put ego aside and give credit where credit is due.


I have read the book and drank the juice. Now I shall publicly declare and pass on my admiration.


Check These Out:


The Juice Spills on the Netherlands


UNMTPNM


You can read the book or, you can be a bad marketer


Go ahead, don't listen! Remain in the dark and let the light shine on me.









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Gorilla Marketing Does Not Always Work

I get very frustrated by critics who never have anything good to say about modern advertising and I do not want to be one of those people but, if someone would give me some good advertising, I may not have to!


First let me start by saying...AH!!! I simply do not get it.


Perhaps the fact that I never worked at a traditional ad agency makes me incapable of getting the genius at work here but, I am happy that my thinking is not littered with the tradition and sense of delight that this type of advertising is supposed to bring.


I shall not say much more than, what is the point, where is the value, what brand attributes are being touted here and why the hell would I want to buy a Jeep after seeing this (I would actually prefer to buy a gorilla after seeing this)?





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Paper on The Web

To continue along with the McLuhan theme of the other day, I am going to do it. I am going to anger communication students everywhere and write, "The Medium is the Message"!


An external truism to this statement is, what may work in one medium may not work in another. The New York Times Company is learning this and I must say is doing a great job. Check out this article in MediaPost Today, "New York Times Partners With Answers.com".


It is apparent that NYT really gets it. You cannot merely appropriate content that was made for one medium for another medium= no added value, the ringleader loves added value!


If you are going to be in the interactive space, be interactive, please!


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The Power Of Won

In Marshall McLuhan's prophetic book, Understanding Media: The Extensions of Man (1964), McLuhan speaks about the notion of a Global Village.


What may have seen like an oxymoron at the time has played out in full in the modern day. I can just as easily connect with my mother who lives 30 miles away as I can with someone who lives 3000 miles away (although I always make sure to call my mom :) ).


To some, the concept of the Global Village may be overwhelming and may make some feel small and not able to effect change.


Other's may look closer at this Oxymoron and say, "Although it is Global, it is  still a village and, although I may not be able to connect with every villager, I don't need to. At the end of the day I will be able to connect with the villagers who want to be connected with".


So where am I going with all this....


I am working on a Project called Daily Comedy.com



In a Saturday morning marketing meeting (hmmmmm) the topic, "how are we going to get the word out without a massive budget" came up. In the back of my head I was very confident that we had a great product here and, although a big budget would have been nice, a tipping point would come soon.


The force of this tipping point would lie in the fact that we are well connected in this global village and it is just a matter of time before the needle moved. Surely enough I got an email a few days later alerting me to the fact that the needle had been moved a little bit by someone in Wyoming.


This someone (whom I will leave anonymous) recognizes the power of one. After winning a contest on Daily Comedy.com he wrote an email applauding the teams efforts in allowing comedians to "test drive" material before taking it to the stage and vowed to send out a press release to the local news in his "local village". He asked us to keep an eye on our site stats counter as, we would be receiving a significant increase in traffic.


My feeling is that as the next few days unfold, this story, compounded with the "local village" traffic will balloon and touch upon pieces of the "global village".


Herein lies one of the beautiful aspects of the time in which we live. A time where great content rises to the top through social bonds, unbounded by traditional media's firm grasp (yes, this is aimed at Cablevision).


Long Live Social Media!


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Finding your way via Word Of Mouse


So I had a crazy night last night. The type of night I have not had in a while (on a school night anyhow :) ). I was introduced to the Founder and CEO of Word Of Mouse and we had a really fun night. This post is not about sending love to someone simply because I like them. In fact, I was a little skeptical about the concept of this site when he pitched it to me as, it sounded like About.com meets Squidoo; boy was I wrong!


In his book The Search, John Battelle talks about the future of search lying (in part) in the verticalization of the search space. Many have taken this idea very literally and have created very rigid verticals that do not take a human approach (Kayak, Jobster etc.). While the value proposition of these sites is strong, I do not feel that the future of search lies solely in an algorithmic framework.


What Word Of Mouse does is create "human verticals" (that is not their terminology, I am not sure whether or not they would agree with me so, I want to clarify this fact) within geographic constraints. This adds value in two ways:


1. Specifity


2. Perspective


Algorithms do not take perspective into account and even if they could, whose perspective would it be? Word of Mouse gives you the profile of the guide you are searching "through" thus adding a human touch.


The site gives you the ability to choose someone who you may feel is similar to yourself and search through their lens (to steal a page from Squidoo). Or, you can search through the lens of someone you may never be (dare to live on the wild side).


I am going to give the site a B+ and a strong endorsement. The reason that I cannot give it an A is, no start up can get an A. A's only come through execution so, as the site matures, I am sure it will it will come closer to perfection. After talking to the CEO, I think he has the tools to pull this off.


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Reciprocal Love From FeedBurner/We have a Chasm To Cross Together

Most of you know I love FeedBurner. Brent Hill VP of Biz Dev has become a good friend of mine and in a recent article he talks about Disruptive Technologies and what it means for advertisers. He also talks about what it will take for advertisers and agencies to Cross the Chasm. I just want to highlight three points that he makes:


:As advertisers peer across the chasm at emerging media, these new media evangelists assist in several ways by:


• Defining the type of messaging that’s appropriate for the media
• Determining how the messaging will be delivered
• Aggregating the media to create scale sooner, rather than later"


There is also a quote from yours truly but, I will not paste that in here as, the article is great and you should check it out!


http://www.adotas.com/2006/09/the-new-media-chasm-examining-the-efficiencies-of-aggregating-new-media/1/


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Let Us Not Forget Language

Sometimes, in this media circus I forget the most basic form of media; Language. Lucky for me I meet someone really cool at podcamp who is going to be our Linguistical Media corresponded (she has not agreed to do this but, I am very persuasive :)


Meet Char everyone. A few posts back I brought up the fact that the blogosphere/podosphere tends to be  male dominated. This started a great conversation but, below you will see some research by Char that sheds some light on the topic.


Char wrote:
So I looked into the whole female language use thing. Suzanne Romaine, a prof at Oxford, wrote a book called Language in Society (Oxford University Press, New York, 2000). That's where most of my information comes from. She's got several pages of references, but she doesn't have footnotes so I don't really know what's got what info. I can kind of guess by the titles, but I figure if anyone really wants to know more than can ask for the references.
So, studies have shown that in all-male groups and all-female groups very different patterns of verbal interaction exist. These patterns "begin in early years when children play in same-sex peer groups.
"Boys tend to have a larger network than girls, who usually have one or two girlfriends with whom they play regularly." This has something to do with the activities girls and boys tend to participate in. You can't really play football with 3 people. And it would be a strange sight to see 10 or 15 kids sitting down to have tea while playing house.
"Although much less attention has been paid to girls' networks than those of boys, there are observable differences in the way in which language is used in boys' v. girls' play. Girls use language to create and maintain cohesiveness, and their activities are generally cooperative and non-competitive.
Differentiation between girls is not made in terms of power. When conflicts arise, the groups break up. Bossiness tends not to be tolerated, and girls use forms such as 'let's, we're gonna, we could' to get others to do things instead of appealing to their personal power. When they argue, girls tend to phrase their arguments in terms of group needs rather than in personal terms.
"Boys, on the other hand, tend to have more hierarchically organized groups than girls, and status in the hierarchy is paramount. In boys' groups speech is used to assert dominance, to attract and maintain an audience when others have the floor. They issue commands to other boys rather than suggest what should be done. Certain kinds of stylized speech events such as joking and storytelling are valued in boys' groups. A boy has to learn how to get the floor to perform so that he can acquire prestige."
There's a whole bunch of examples and studies that have been done, but I won't get into them here. If you want to hear about them let me know.
There's also some info on the theory that all kids start off learning "women's language" at home, then boys in their adolescence break off and start talking like the older boys due to peer pressure. Romaine also goes on to talk about the pressures on guys to talk "rough" or be ridiculed, and the pressures on girls to be polite and not push people too far or people will "judge them negatively".
I'll just say one more thing about how these things translate in adult
behavior:
"Looking at adults, we can see some continuity between adolescent ways of speaking and the management of social interaction later in life. There are common elements in the speech styles of boys and men such as storytelling, verbal posturing, and arguing. Men tend to challenge one another. Women, on the other hand, do not value aggressiveness and their conversations tend to be more interactional and aim at seeking cooperation. They send out and look for signs of agreement and link what they say to the speech of others."
This is pretty important to the point I was making. How can women send out signs of agreement or seek them in others when podcasting is so one-sided?
Obviously once you've built up a community around your podcast you might have people commenting on a regular basis, etc. but at the beginning it would be harder for women. Basically, it's harder for them to get their foot in the door. I think in terms of goals for what podcasting should be (there was a lot of discussion about building networks and communities at podcamp), women have a lot to contribute (to make others feel included in this - but that might just be applicable to other women). But men usually have more success building networks for themselves than women do, so that might explain it.
I just want to say, all of these are trends and patterns that have been studied by various scholars. I always find it amusing when someone argues them and tries to prove how they don't fall into these patterns. There might be a few exceptions, but I've found that most men and women do fall into the designated categories. A lot of times people confuse the content of their utterances with the manner in which they say it. It's much less about WHAT you say as HOW you say it.


That was awesome, thanks Char!


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The Next Big Idea Afternoon Show Part 2

3:50 – 3:55 pm
GLOBAL PRODUCT PLACEMENT TRENDS: REACHING THE FRAGMENTED AUDIENCE THROUGH TRADITIONAL MEDIA
A Research Update from PQ Media
Patrick Quinn, President, PQ Media


3:55 – 4:40 pm
DELIVERING THE WORLDWIDE WOW: BEHIND THE SCENES OF CREATING, MARKETING AND MEASURING AN ONLINE WINNER
During this panel discussion, you will hear winning formulas and real-life examples of how to successfully create and measure an online viral marketing buzz, implement cross-platform strategies and build brand relevance by surrounding your customer in new ways. Our experts share how they discovered to delight and engage their customers through online viral advertising that adds brand value by building relevance and presence in their consumers’ lives.
Samantha Saturn, Senior Vice President, New Media, Columbia Records
Gerrit Meier, SVP and GM, Clear Channel Online Music & Radio
Gayle Toberman, MSN Global GM, Branded Entertainment and Experiences, Microsoft Corporation
Moderated by Scott McKenzie, Group Editorial Director, Billboard Information Group


4:40 – 5:25 pm
IN-GAME ADVERTISING: ENABLING MADISON AVENUE TO REACH THE COVETED 18-34 YEAR OLD TARGET MARKET
Video games are the latest frontier in brand placement. Other media can say they drive consumer awareness, but video games are the only medium that has proven it can change consumer preference. Robin will discuss how the burgeoning gaming industry offers powerful and unique opportunities to reach the coveted audience of 18-34 year old males.
Robin Kaminsky, Head of Global Brand Management, Activision Publishing, Inc.


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The Next Big Idea Afternoon Show Part 1


2:00 – 2:50 pm
REDEFINING CREATIVE CULTURE
Most agencies cling on to calcified creative habits. How are you planning to transform your creative culture to ensure you survive in the new consumer controlled media landscape? Nick covers why traditional agencies have the wrong idea when they talk about the Big Idea, why the whole creative process is antiquated, and how creative culture needs to change to remain relevant in today’s consumer controlled media landscape. Nick shares proven examples to help you develop strategies to deliver targeted, relevant content that adds value to the consumer experience.
Nick Law, Executive Creative Director, R/GA
Introduced by Al Lieberman, Executive Director, EMT Program, NYU Stern School of Business


Culture


Big agencies say that consumers have changed, what have the agencies not?


Technology Shift, Many Screens...from listening to interacting. Creative disciplines in "tribes" or discreet groups. More and more tribes have emerged to the point where they must converse with each other (even thought they speak very different languages).


The Misguided Leadership of Advertising/Advertising counter revolution


The restoration of the narrative in the interactive space


Consumers are looking for utility and entertainment


Advertising is talking to itself, not necessarily looking at what is effective and speaks to consumers


What is a big idea? The big idea can be routed in technology- Nike ID billboard


Bringing back to the product itself can go beyond the 30 second spot


Interactive is the hub/Technology is creative . Don't outsource it!


Stop thinking about channel, start thinking about format


Stop selling scribbles, start prototyping (jaffe- UNMTPNM)


Stop creating punch lines, start being useful


Product Experience- Nike ID


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2:50 – 3:20 pm
THE FUTURE OF EMERGING MEDIA: A LOOK AT THE LEGAL CHALLENGES AHEAD
What tools do you need to decode the legal ramifications of emerging media and nontraditional distribution platforms? How can you use technology effectively and legally to better protect and enhance your brand? What should you anticipate in terms of policy, guidelines and legislation? This discussion with a leader in advertising and new media law will help illuminate the legal issues raised by emerging media and the convergence of technology and content.
Linda Goldstein, Partner, Manatt, Phelps & Phillips
Interviewed by Matthew Belloni, Editor, The Hollywood Reporter, Esq



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Gotta Love Networking (and lunch)

12:00 - 2:00 pm
THE NEXT BIG IDEA east LUNCHEON
Lunch Sponsored by Air Media, Inc.
At this celebratory luncheon, Adweek will present the winners of the 2005 BUZZ Awards celebrating excellence in integrating brands and media.
To learn more about the BUZZ Awards, visit
BUZZ Awards


The buzz awards were ok, the chicken was decent, no harm done!


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The Next Big Idea Morning Show Part 2 (electric boogaloo)

10:15 – 10:45 am
NETWORKING BREAK
Sponsored by BriteVision



10:45 – 10:50 am
ALTERNATIVE MEDIA TRENDS: THE IMPACT ON TRADITIONAL MEDIA
A Research Update from PQ Media
Patrick Quinn, President, PQ Media


Americans over scheduled


1975 - 8 media options


2006 - 21 media choices


Alternative media will be double what it was in 2000 by the year 2010, outgrowing traditional media growth by 10%


UGC will grow from 20MM 200 to quarter of a billion dollars



10:50 – 11:35 am
DIRTY CLOTHES, TINY BUBBLES AND OTHER TRICKS OF THE GUERRILLA TRADE
As you continue to try to bypass traditional marketing vehicles, more and more nontraditional marketing campaigns pop up in alternative spaces - street, viral, guerilla - on and offline. Our panelists discuss how to measure ROI and give an in-depth examination of the current state of alternative marketing: what's working & what isn't.
Kathy Delaney, President, Chief Creative Officer, Deutsch Inc.
Helayna Minsk, Director of Marketing, Unilever
Drew Neisser, President and CEO, Renegade Marketing
Moderated by Karen Benezra, Editor, Brandweek


What are the most exciting things you are doing?


Kathy Delaney on Ikea Event at the Javits center and decoration of NYC (this was pretty cool I have to admit)


Myths and Mantras about Guerilla Marketing


Drew Neisser- The definition of media has expanded (the best comment so far). Boundaries are melting, online/offline, entertainment/advertisement, mass/micro, media/technology, advertising/marketing/PR/Media/CRM


Helayna Minsk- We need to be where the consumer is. (Interesting thing Helayna did, every time she referred to the consumer she said "she", the odd thing is that this stood out. Not that I disagree, I just think it interesting that it stood out).


All Small and Mighty Campaign- A bus covered in clothes. I missed this one and, I am not upset about it.



11:40 am – 12:00 pm
THE BUBBLE PROJECT: TRANSFORMING ADVERTISING MONOLOGUES INTO PUBLIC DIALOGUES AND HAVING LOADS OF FUN DOING IT
Over 30,000 blank talk-bubble stickers have been placed on top of street ads in New York. Passersby fill them in and the photographed results show incredible commentaries on a wide range of topics including media, sex, politics, philosophy and advertising. The Bubble Project transforms advertising into a platform for people to express themselves free of censorship and talk back at adverting messages forced upon them. Ji Lee will share his story of how a $3,000 personal project has been connecting with millions of people and his lessons learned on why people are so eager to fill in the blank.
Ji Lee, Art director and Designer; Founder, Bubble Project


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