Time to get touch-feely. The first panel of the day led by MediaPost Editor Joe Mandese takes a hands-on look at the importance of the touch interface on tablets and other devices. Is it really key to boosting engagement and building into branding strategy? The panelists including execs from Coldwell Banker, Razorfish, and iCrossing agreed that touch is the way digital interaction is going, especially for upcoming generations that just assume touchscreen functionality in devices. Rachel Pasqua of iCrossing noted that in working with Hearst in developing magazine apps, the idea of reading static pages really disolves because of the …

No, not even according to one of its biggest proponents, Fidelity Investments' Chris Needham. That's a problem, because Needham told OMMA Tablet Revolution attendees that tablet advertising is "300% more expensive to advertise on" than on "similar properties on the Web." "Clearly, it is not 300 times better," he admitted, adding that that lack of "efficiency" is one of his major concerns about tablet based advertising.

Kicking things off with the morning keynote is Chris Needham, VP of Interactive, Fidelity Investments, which has been among the earliest brands advertising on the tablet platform. By way of context, Needham explains that apps and digital generally are key elements of Fidelity’s marketing and advertising efforts. Digital accounts for about 40% of the total marketing budget, with amount of online spending increasing each year. He also stresses that the digital medium is all about driving action and efficiency. “At the end of the day, its about clicks, swipes, whatever you want to call it,” he said. When it …

So, where does an advertiser start with tablets? Scale and standardization, said Chris Needham, VP of Interactive at Fidelity Investments, during his opening keynote at OMMA‘s Tablet Revolution conference. But, is a tablet a portable pc, or a truly mobile device? Let’s call it a truly portable device, which consumers are using everywhere, including in their own homes, said Needham. How are people using it at home? As a multi-tasking device anywhere in the home -- for guys, that includes the bathroom. For Fidelity Investments, what are Needham’s tablet-related goals going forward? Advertise out of category, first and foremost. Then …

That's what Fidelity Investments VP-Interactive Chris Needham used to describe his opening keynote at OMMA Tablet Revolution in New York this morning. Actually, the presentation turns out to be more than an advertising journey. It is also a "publishing" journey, according to Needham. "Fidelity is one of the largest advertisers in the tablet space, which isn't saying much these days," he said noting that Fidelity tested its first app in 2010. But, he noted, "We're also a major publisher." In fact, he said, Fidelity is now the "leading app publisher in the financial services space." "We see …

MediaPost's digital guru Steve Smtih is leading off the company's Tablet Revolution, our first tablet-focused conference. So where does the device popularized by the iPad fit in to the media landscape? While the tablet is still mostly the province of early adopters, Steve points out that the potential change it represents radiates far beyond the 5% of people already using them. For the first time in 15 years of digital media, the focus is on creativity rather than just reach. The tablet is poised to more immersive than either the desktop PC or smartphones. If not a revolution, but certainly …

Tablet Revolution program chair Steve Smith said called it that - "this thing" - at least a dozen times in the first few minutes of his opening remarks. He was talking about tablet computers, of course. But this thing, may be a better description, because "in many ways the tablet represents an evolution in media," according to Smith. Noting that it has the "dimensions and immersiveness of the printed" page, but equipped with a browser that is generating the kind of engagement and interaction that "few Web sites have ever seen before." In other words, we've got another …