Canada Media Day

Had a great couple of days in Toronto last week at the Canadian Media and Digital Conference. I presented the 'Evolution of Media' on behalf of GroupM / mediaedge:cia which was somewhat of a prognostication on the state of industry and the trends that will define us over the next couple of years.

I really enjoyed MediaVest's Brian Terkelsen's "Effective Product Integration" presentation and it was good to see that all of us speakers were singing to the same tune: creative, media, data and technology all need to be integrated work streams in order for companies and their agencies to be successful in their marketing endeavors.

If you were there, I would love to know your thoughts on the day and the content of the event...

Canadian Marketing Week

Looking forward to speaking at Canadian Marketing Week next month. I am speaking on the Evolving Media Landscape and how we - all those involved marketing today - are being affected by this change. You can read more about the Digital Day and Awards Ceremony at the CMA Website. Let me know if you will be there and feel free to follow me on twitter as I will be tweeting from the event. My handle is @zara78

Love Good Statistics

I'm a sucker for good statistics - especially those game changing social media stats that are popping up all over the Internet. One of my favourites at the moment is "Do you Know 4.0" which has now had over 500,000 view on YouTube. Definitely worth a watch. Would love to know if you know of any other stats videos out there that are worth sharing?

Karl Lagerfeld

A lesson in social media for luxury brands....check out Chanels Karl Lagerfeld's twitter page...he follows noone. Everyone follows him. More to come on this shortly but would love to know what you think?
http://twitter.com/KARL_LAGERFELD

Canon G10

A little product review today in order to give thanks to the people at Canon. The Canon G10 Powershot camera has become somewhat permanently attached to my body. It comes everywhere with me and I am loving the quality of the images. I have tried a lot of point and shoot cameras in my time and this without a doubt is the cream of the crop. Couldn't recommend it more. I'd be interested in any of your thoughts on the whole point and shoot / digital camera conversation? I don't think i can be swayed into trying another camera but would be intersted to know if there are any rivals out there to the G10?

Tweet Me

There are so many crazy little "beta's" running around out there but this one definitely got me interested. Check it out. http://tweet.me.it/

DEFINITELY

Love this site!...do you? click on the hyperlink on the title... let me know if you find more sites like this one?

THE FRIENDSHIP PAYOFF: UNLOCKING NEW VALUE IN SOCIAL NETWORKS

Phenomenal three days at Fortune Brainstorm: TECH. The panel I sat on was called THE FRIENDSHIP PAYOFF: UNLOCKING NEW VALUE IN SOCIAL NETWORKS. Thanks to Chris Peacock from CNNMoney who did a great job at chairing the panel as well as my fellow panelists: Gina Bianchini, co-founder and CEO of Ning; Chamath Palihapitiya, vice president of user growth, mobile, and international expansion at Facebook; Deep Nishar, vice president of products at LinkedIn.

Fortune did a great job in bringing in some of the biggest decision makers today in the industry verticals of entertainment and technology. The conversation was lively, and the debates both engaging and insightful. I will definitely be going again next year.

Were you there? If so - would love to know what you thought of Brainstorm?

The Q & A - World of Warcraft

The form of this blog is Q and A - i may wax lyrical about a certain topic / issue / person close to my heart, however its a digital think tank for a reason and I like the Q & A form for this blog immensely. So the question I will leave you with today and i would love to know your thought is around very recent news release that Sam Raimi, famed director of the blockbuster Spider-Man series, has signed on to bring the forces of the Horde and the Alliance to life on the big screen in the upcoming live-action film based on the World of Warcraft universe.

This is so interesting to me as many games have tried - some successfully Peter Jacksons Lord of the Rings for example and some not so successfully - Street Fighter, Super Mario Bros - to take games to the big screen and I will be deeply interested to see how successful the transition is for such an intense, core MMORPG game. With 11.5 million subscribers - who are devoted to the cause - there is a guaranteed massive opening weekend - but will Raimi be able to deliver against what will be extremely high expectations from such a devoted fan base? Time will tell. What do you think?

Fortune Brainstorm:TECH

In Pasadena, California for Fortune Magazines Brainstorm session based around the Tech industry. Will be participating on a panel tomorrow titled The Friendship Payoff: Unlocking the new value in social networks - which i am really looking forward too. Will update you with more on this conference over the next couple of days.

Thanks Dr McFunkyFunk

I honestly have no idea who you are Dr McFunky Funk but i loved the comment you left on my blog regarding my Portable ID's post....especially your comment about there being a "strange tension between wanting privacy and wanting celebrity". See the full post below....

I couldn't agree more. We can't deny the amazing opportunity that digital data (both PII and otherwise ) provides to a brand and marketer alike. Moreover when I speak to my friends outside of "digital land" and ask them if they would prefer more targeted advertising the response is always a resounding "Yes".

I guess it is not so much now a debate of should we shouldn't we but more of a "how" this should work. How can we organise, rationalise and ultimately legalize this opportunity that benefits the consumer first and foremost and ultimately the brands?

As always...the floor is open for more discussion on this topic. Would love to hear your thoughts.


DrMcFunkyFunk writes... Jess! Great writeup. My concerns are with web citizens preserving a "walled garden" of private, friends-only interactions and relationships as separate from their professional or public persona. I don't think any company, public and profit driven, can withstand the urge to eventually open this information up: see recent actions by facebook as example #1. I think privately hosted, distributed, dark-net like "clubhouses" that are established in private spaces will be the next wave of online relationship infrastructure that provides that lasting privacy. But will they be able to gain mass-market penetration? There's this strange tension between wanting privacy, and wanting celebrity. Trying times for a marketer! Cheers!

Portable ID's

Im not the most avid blogger but when i have something to say, that i think is of worth...im going to say it! So that said...in a past post i discussed the end of the registration page, and the use of profile data ( from social networks for example ) in order to facilitate the data brands need to message their audience.

To be a little clearer the next stage of the social web is going to evolve from a few social network sites to a "consisten backdrop of online activity" according to Forrester analyst Jeremiah Owyang. "Technologies like OpenID and Facebook connect will allow individuals to traverse the Internet with their social connections along for the ride". All this is great news for brands who are still struggling with the challenges the social web can bring. Read more here

Social Networks are like the Manhattan Bar Scene

Social Networks are like the Manhattan Bar Scene - well at least that is how it looks from the outside looking in on this fickle internet world. Myspace is not cool anymore - as Social Media Expert so 'expertly' put it " Todays cultural icon is tomorrows passing fad". Sad, but true.

Facebook is receiving a lot of love in the social media headlines and Twitter is the latest and greatest. There are so many more up and coming bars...ahem...digital social platforms... that the moment I write about them here, they may already be irrelevant.

So how does a brand figure out what works for them now? How do they remain relevant? How do they know they are lining up outside the coolest bar in town ready and willing to pay their entrance fee? The short answer is they don't. The longer response takes us down the path of marketer responsibility. I have said this a few times before, but why do so many brands place their IP into their agencies hands? Why do marketers in these organizations not wish to take their brands public perception into their own hands? There are a plethora of reasons as to why this happens, but going forward, in a recession no less, i think we will see brand managers, marketers and co making sure they, along with their agencies, know the right bar to visit on a Saturday night as well as the right publisher to spend their money with. Who that will be in 6 months time remains to be seen....

Facebook and Twitter are currently the bars, sorry publishers, of choice for many brands... what's yours?

Market To The Max

Im on a panel titled Getting Results from Social Media – Success Stories & Proven Tactics from Leading Digital Experts. Thanks to the brilliant Blake Cahill from Visible Technologies who has helped to bring myself and fellow panelists together to disucss such a timely topic.
If you are in seattle and can make it down today please do. Details can be found at: http://www.markettothemax.com/

Getting Results from Social Media – Success Stories & Proven Tactics from Leading Digital Experts

Twitter, Podcasting, Facebook, Online Video, Blogging – it’s enough to make a marketers head swim. Join us as our panel of experts and practitioners explain the latest in social media, and what’s really working.
Moderator: Blake Cahill, Visible Technologies
Panelists: Sean O’Driscoll, Ant’s Eye View
Jessica Michaels, Wunderman
Stephen Rose, Microsoft
Lisa Coffey, Google

Saving Journalism

There is a lot of discussion in the press right now about the demise of the print newspaper. Print circulation is right down even though total readership is up. Online versions of the newspapers are seeing soaring rates of dedicated users however no one pays for content so how is this model sustainable? Who is going to pay for the journalists to go out and do what they do best? Advertising revenue pays for some of it but with the declining CPM rates how is that sustainable or profitable in the long run without compromising good editorial content? Some talk about subscription models - but we, the consumers, are now convinced that we don't need to pay for news content so how do newspapers change a mindset that is now deeply entrenched in our culture? What is incredibly interesting to me about this discussion is how did Apple convince the world to pay 99c for a song? Why is this not a model for news content - quality news content? Maybe its the payment system and the fact that still as yet, it is rather clunky and lengthy online experience. What if we were just to pay one cent every time we accessed a news site? Or every month we paid one dollar for access to NY Times.com of the FT.com? Would love to know what peoples thoughts are on this topic....???

The Ultimate Agency

I usually don't do a straight up cut and paste but this article really struck a chord with me. This is an issue both client and agency folks alike are trying to grapple with right now...and ultimately, the ultimate agency will have to possess all of the skills sets stated below.Small scrappy boutique agencies who have to be master of all - not jack of one - are getting it right. The bigger agencies are struggling...big is going to have to learn how to be small again.

Tuesday, February 3, 2009
The Future Agency Of Record Will Be Social
By Joe Marchese

There is a quite battle raging in the advertising industry over who will become the Agency of Record (AOR) for marketers' social media efforts. With traditional media for delivering advertising declining in reach and effectiveness, and an even greater call for advertising efficiency in a down economy, becoming a marketer's social media AOR can be a huge win and provide a map to a much-needed new business model and revenue stream for agencies.
Further complicating matters, as technology improves and the proliferation of social networks continue, all media will eventually be considered social media. So those agencies that win the title of social media AOR today, may very well simply evolve into a marketer's overall AOR, acting as the central point of all of a client's marketing initiatives.
The battle for the social media AOR title is even crossing what was once well-defined lines within the advertising industry. It seems to make just as much sense that a marketer's social media initiatives are handled by a public relations agency as it does to enlist a media buying agency. Maybe the creative agency is the right lead for social media efforts? Would it be better to have a small company focused on social media in its DNA, or a holding company, with its expansive resources? All seem viable, and all likely are. It will come down to who can evolve to meet the demands of stewarding a client's social media efforts. Here is a brief look some of the players and what makes them a potential fit as social media AOR:
PR - Because success in social media is more "earned media" than "paid media" -- and isn't earned media what great PR companies deliver? It is obvious to nearly every advertiser that to be effective they need to be in people's social content, rather than simply being placed next to people's social content. It's like the difference between being covered by the New York Times vs. buying an ad in the Times. Buying ads is just fine, and there will be a place for it, but it's not the holy grail.
Media Agencies - Because "free media" is a bigger fairy tale than unicorns. There will be significant capital outlay to earn people's attention in social media, which will need to be spread across various social media vendors and creative partners. It will be incredibly important to track real costs and measure ROI.
Creative Agencies - Because nothing is more important in social media than the idea and execution. With bought media, marketers were at least guaranteed reach even for bad ideas and bad execution; with social media, bad ideas and bad executions are over before they start. Additionally, social media is going to demand creative iteration and evolution based on real-time consumer feedback.
Research/Consultancies - Because "listen to the consumers" is the buzz phrase of choice for good reason. Social media provides as much, if not more, value as a way to listen to people's needs and wants. Marketers can finally have the one-to-one relationship they have been looking for and do a better job of creating and distributing products people want. They just need a way to hear people, and be heard, through all of the noise.
Independent Focused Agencies - Because managing social media efforts requires not only a unique skill set, but a unique relationship between a client and its social media agency. Independent agencies focused on social media have the advantage of structuring their offerings, relationships and organization to maximize return on a client's social media initiatives.
Holding Companies - Because if you think about it for a second, they have all of the above, all of the pieces of the puzzle; fitting them together seems to be the tricky part. But if the holding companies can pull from their various resources to provide an overarching social media solution, it might be hard to compete with them.
Search Engine Marketing Agencies - Because their DNA is based on the type of ongoing, iterative relationships (re: partnerships) necessary to allow success in social media. SEM firms redefined ROI for marketing initiatives, and while social isn't search, it's not broadcast, either.
In the long run, marketers will need agencies that possess all of the above skill sets -- or at least one agency proficient in coordinating a seamless effort across all of the disciplines required to activate their brands in social media.

2009

Back in Seattle after spending a very relaxing month in Australia. Australia is truly beautiful...i would say that though i guess since everyone has some sort of emotional connection to where they grew up. Feeling refreshed and renewed with a new perspective on life / work balance. (very important! ) and super excited about the year ahead.