Posted March 3rd, 2010 at 1:57 pm by Wayne Friedman
ESPN will be launching cross platform research effort, ESPN XP, in the coming months.
Artie Bulgrin, senior vp of research for ESPN, in speaking at the 4A’s media conference, says the new research effort will measure cross media audience, usage by platform, and advertising efficiencies.
It’ll start this up summer around the FIFA World Cup soccer event.
“We don’t believe in replacing currencies,” says Bulgrin. “We want to reveal the value of cross platform.”
The research effort will work in conjunction with the Disney-ABC Television media lab that started up in 2008 in Austin, Texas.
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Posted March 3rd, 2010 at 12:44 pm by Joe Mandese
It's been a while since former Madison Avenue media star David Verklin has addressed the Four As, and the last time, it didn't go over too well, when he pinch-hit at the last minute and took the stage with one of his patented "crackle of change" speeches that left many in attendance grumbling about why they should listen to the former Carat chief telling them where their businesses are going.
So it was indeed a surprise to see Verklin show up Tuesday as a previously unannounced guest speaker,especially when he's still brandishing some arrows in his back from some of some of the fits and falsestarts of Canoe Ventures, where he is currently CEO. But it's always nice to see his face.
Canoe's Verklin makes a surprise appearance.
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Posted March 3rd, 2010 at 12:31 pm by Wayne Friedman
Advertising agencies need to transform themselves – but not necessarily towards traditional functions. There should be moves shifting to new information and technologies.
“Agencies need to think to like software companies,” says Greg Smith, chief information officer of McCann Worldgroup. “Software companies are entrepreneurs.’
With consumer and clients developing new software and systems – with the limitations of computer storage for individual companies — agencies are threatened to be left behind. “We will lose opportunities if we don’t do this.”
One of the ways of improving this is moving to so-called “cloud” computing, where agencies get access to immense storage and computing power — and also without having to buy expensive software downloads – at centralize locations at big computing companies.
“It will allow us leverage core competency of companies such as Microsoft,” says Smith. “It gives us scale.” Smith says this could save agencies 30% on information costs, in some cases.
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Posted March 3rd, 2010 at 11:58 am by Wayne Friedman
In the crucial days around September 18, 2008, when the financial troubles were escalating — and a number of major financial institution were on the verge of bankruptcy — now Treasury Secretary Tim Geithner, then the president of the Federal Reserve Bank of New York, started making a list.
Andrew Ross Sorkin, reporter and columnist of The New York Times, in speaking at the 4A’s media conference, says Geithner was drawing up a list of those companies that should merge – Goldman Sachs and CitiCorp; CitiCorp and Wachovia; and Morgan Stanley and J.P. Morgan; and other combinations.
Of Geithner, Ross says, financial executives were about to give him a nickname – eHarmony.
Of the economy now, Ross says, “The patient has stabilized but hasn’t gone into rehab.” Ross says unfortunately not a lot has changed with Wall Street. A lot of new practices are needed to start up for things to get better.
All that means the economic recovery could be a much longer process – especially given the U.S. underemployment and unemployment rate.
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Posted March 3rd, 2010 at 11:26 am by Wayne Friedman
Some inner city high schools have had some troubled times.
But Ron Berger, chairman of Euro RSCG U.S., says there is some hope. Two years ago the High School for Advertising and Media opened up in September 2008 – all with the focus on advertising and marketing.
The 4A’s have been involved almost from the start – helping to shape the curriculum — as well as number of media platforms and media agencies. Students closer work on branding assignments, go on field trips, and work closely with many industry professionals.
The first class is due to graduate in 2012. But unlike most city schools – especially some troubled ones in New York City — Berger says these results will be largely positive. He says the school is on pace to graduate about 90% of its students.
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Posted March 2nd, 2010 at 6:57 pm by Wayne Friedman
Some critics worry Apple Inc.’s iPad will control content much like Apple does it music and other content through its iTunes store.
But one Conde Nast magazine executive doesn’t think so. Magazine content providers will demand to stay close to their readers.
“It’s very important that we own the customer,” says Chris Anderson, editor-in-chief of Wired Magazine, in speaking at the 4A's media conference
It’s all about personal relationships, he says – not business relationships with intermediaries such as Apple’s iTunes or others.
Says Anderson: “I do have a relationship with bands. I don’t have a relationship with music labels.”
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Posted March 2nd, 2010 at 6:33 pm by Wayne Friedman
True magazines on the web haven’t worked. Hello, iPad!
Chris Anderson, editor-in-chief of Wired Magazine, highly touts that the iPad, and future digital electronic tablets, will give magazines some new life that magazine content on websites — running through laptops — haven’t.
“Tablets are going to replace laptops for many people,” he says in speaking to at the 4A’s media conference. “I have drawers full of many electronic devices. [But the difference] is that tablet is a personal device."
Most of all Anderson says digital tablets will finally give magazines a tactile feel — a new tactile digital feel — that consumers always loved with the medium. “The tablet is something you use while leading back – much like a magazine."
Wired's Anderson
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Posted March 2nd, 2010 at 5:54 pm by Wayne Friedman
Unilever likes a lot of the traditional in the advertising business – but also demands much of the new from its agencies.
“I’m a big fan of the AOR relationship,” says Kathy O’Brien, vp of personal care for Unilever, in speaking at the 4A’s media conference. “With our brands teams changing so frequently, it’s nice to have a true partnership. They are the keeper of brand equity.”
What does O’Brien look for in a media agency? “Strong strategic thinking and good channel planning — and the ability to incorporate digital media that is not silo-ed out,” she says. Recently, Unilever went through an extensive media review which stayed with incumbent Group M agency Mindshare.
With success in many digital and new media platform areas, Unilever for its products is looking aggressively beyond just traditional media platform.
“We hope they move past the 30-second commercial,” she says. “We need to find the next way to talk to consumers.” For example, she notes, that social media “is the fabric that is going through all our communication efforts.”
Unilever's O'Brien
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Posted March 2nd, 2010 at 4:04 pm by Wayne Friedman
Think about promoting your young advertising executives?
Just hold on a second. Are they like – doctors – trained under the most stressful conditions, all with the complete understanding to help your clients marketing needs?
Maybe you’d wish they had training like those young doctors on “Grey’s Anatomy”, those in residency.
Helena Touseull, senior account director for JWT USA, said during the 4A’s media conference that, for one of the event’s ‘Transformer’ segments, that using an advertising ‘residency’ program would help build junior ad executives into more promising senior executives.
“The next generation is critical to our industry,” she notes. Touseull says future marketing challenges can significantly improve with properly trained minds. “I’m here to talk about embracing your talent by upping the ante of getting into advertising.”
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Posted March 2nd, 2010 at 2:56 pm by Wayne Friedman
For Electronic Arts, it could be a big kicking year.
The gaming company FIFA soccer product, already a $3 billion franchise, is due to grow – thanks to a little soccer event in the summer called the World Cup.
Andrew Wilson, senior vp of Electronic Arts, says this year the game will reach 20 million to 30 million players. A new marketing campaign looks to expand that market.
“This is our ‘Avatar,’” says Wilson. “This will bring ‘Avatar’-like returns.”
“Games continue to be the fastest growing segment in the entertainment sector,” says Wilson. Much of this is because its characters are getting more human-like.
“These characters are processing a thousand decisions a second. That one of the reasons people keep coming back to play.”
EA's Wilson
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