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 is 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 tablet is a personal device. Most of all Anderson says digital tablets will finally give magazines a tactile feel -- a new tactile digital feel -- …

Unilever likes a lot of the traditional in the advertising business â€" 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. …

Think about promoting your young advertising executives? Just hold on a second. Are they like â€" doctors â€" 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 …

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 â€" 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. 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 …

At the recent Copenhagen climate summit, a lot of talk was made about figuring out who was doing deforestation â€" and what to do about it. But it's stuff to be specific. “The trouble is in the Amazon, for example, it’s hard to know how much deforestation there is,” says Dr. Frank Rijsberman, Program Director, Google.org, which is the philanthropic arm of Google. Scientists are working are on satellite image systems but they are elaborate, very technical systems. Google is now aiding scientists in establishing these satellite photo systems. “We said 'we will help you scale this,'” …

A number of technical people and companies â€" both big and small â€" helped connect and find people in Haiti through SMS messaging, after its earthquake, said Dr. Frank Rijsberman, program director of Google.org, which is the philanthropic arm of Google Inc., in speaking to at the 4A’s media conference. This helped save lives, he says. Also web site areas started up to aid people in trouble. With Haiti being a very poor country, officials there were more than willing to accept all sorts of technical help, says Rijsberman. In contrast, Chile, with a more vibrant economy, …

The U.S. population is dramatically changing, says Graciela Eleta, senior vp of Univision, in speaking at the 4A’s. But the growth of multicultural consumers is now moving even faster than realized. There are 49 million Hispanic-Americans in the U.S. But by the year 2050, there will be 133 million. “That’s not that far away.” The U.S. Hispanic economy is $909 million. This GDP will double â€" soon, Eleta notes. Eleta notes 54% of people under 18 in major cities are Hispanic-Americans. “Marketers need to jump the line,” she says. That means over the line marketing â€" not as …

The recession has been bad, but for TV and other media platforms there are good trends. Steve Burke, chief operating officer of Comcast Corp. and president, Comcast Cable Communication says, in speaking the 4A's media conference. “We can’t find a lot of signs that things have improved -- except for advertising. It feels like it’s getting better.” Along those lines, Burke says, as Comcast said in the past, “we are committed to the broadcast model. I know that might seem a little contrary. With the right programming, you can have tremendous results.” As evidence, look at the Olympics …

Television programming and distribution merger deals don’t have a good track record. So why did Comcast Corp invest in NBC? “You only really get in trouble by doing nothing,” says Steve Burke, chief operating officer, Comcast Corporation and president of Comcast Cable Communications, in an interview at the 4A's media conference. "We live in a time that you have to willing to take risks." Burke said the criticism that media mergers between distribution and content companies don’t work is wrong. He said when NBC bought Universal six years ago, it gave crucial support for both companies. “They were …

In an early morning keynote address at the 4A’s, “Transforming Media Integration for Greater Marketing Impact”, Nick Brien, president and CEO, Mediabrands, says, the ad industry continues to suffer in one major area. “I don’t think as an industry we obsess enough about performance â€" internally and externally. Everyone is drowning in data. The issue is how do we measure it.” For media agencies in the future, he says, "it isn’t about being media neutral. It’s about being choice-ful. It’s about how powerful your creative is.” Brien says that marketing becomes much more like a limited TV series. …