• by Mitch Oscar , Op-Ed Contributor, September 10, 2008

On Sept. 18 in New York City at The Helen Mills Theater, MPG & MediaContacts, Havas siblings, will launch The Collaborative Alliance, a quarterly forum where content creators, technologists, distributors and researchers meet to vet their interactive televisual propositions (television, broadband, wireless and out of home).

 

Its mission is to provide media professionals, advertisers and their agencies in attendance with the opportunity to make sure they "get it right" so that the applications developed meet the specific needs of marketers in their quest to provide the best possible platform for their messaging and consumer engagement. The technologists, distributors and researchers contribute engineering time, resources/content and technological wizardry to create prototypical models for the venture. In exchange, they ask that those who attend the forum contribute brainpower (marketing and media) and assets (video and branded).

The aim of The Collaborative Alliance is to help navigate the future of the consumer and advertiser relationship within the evolving televisual landscape. If you are curious about its evolution or wish to attend, please let me know. Below is a list and brief description of the keynote presenters.

 

emarketer
emarketer CEO Geoff Ramsey will walk The Collaborative Alliance through the numbers and trends shaping the online video advertising market. Questions to be addressed: how big is the online video ad ($) market, how many and what types of people are watching online video, what are their video habits as well as offering insight into the video snacking (user generated) vs. gorging (TV shows/movies)debates.

MediaBank
MediaBank's CEO, Brad Keywell, will present the company's vision of the future of media buying operations technology and business process management systems as well as how its A/X analytics product is incorporating advanced and future media developments (including evolving media platforms and applications) into a "future proof" operational system.

OTX/MediaPost
During late Spring/early Summer, OTX, a leading global consumer research and consulting firm, and publishing and content company MediaPost, agreed to field an online survey to ascertain how ownership and usage of media and digital media devices differs (or not) between the general consumer (OTX 5,000-member panel) and media professionals (MediaPost subscribers and MPG participants). OTX, along with media research firm Sequent's Jim Spaeth, will present the results of the survey.

Acxiom/Time Warner Cable/Navic
Leading data management company Acxiom, cable operator Time Warner and interactive technologist Navic have recently completed a market trial that married linear cables inventory, interactive television applications and lifestyle data. Acxiom's Joshua Herman, Time Warner's Sandy Kobayashi, Navic's Tom Walsh and MPG's Mitch Oscar will share their experiences, processes and learnings from their interaction with the consenting constituencies i.e., the advertiser, the ad agency, the cable system operator, the interactive TV technologist and of course, the manageable data.

NDS
NDS, a global leader in the deployment of interactive technology that allows operators to deliver digital content (media and advertising) to televisions, set top boxes, digital video recorders, PCs, mobile phones and portable media players will present their latest iterations of dynamic ad insertion, targetable DVR applications and second by second audience measurement.

Daisy Whitney
TVWeek Contributing Writer and host of the New Media Minute Daisy Whitney will introduce attendees to some of the emerging and unique programs and advertising opportunities in Web video, i.e., creation, packaging and monetization. Independent online video creators Tim Street, the executive producer of French Maid TV, and Paul Kontonis, the CEO of web video studio For Your Imagination will share aspirations, anecdotes and frustrations.

Quantcast
Adam Gerber, CMO of media measurement service Quantcast, will discuss his company's evolving hybrid audience measurement solution, combining traditional panels with census level direct measurement, which is increasingly being utilized to provide improved packaging and targeting solutions for digital publishers and marketers/agencies.