Responding to an anonymous audience question about why so many new brands are having a difficult time these days, Unilever's Rob Candelino quipped, "like Facebook," pause, then adding, "Google?"

Asked by moderator Bob Liodice whether "media is the new creative," Unilever's Rob Candelino quipped, "It's always been creative. It's not the new creative."

Who's doing great branding? Well, you can't beat cosmetics leader CoverGirl, says Brent Poer, EVP and executive creative director at LiquidThread. Not only is CoverGirl "aspirational AND attainable," but -- thanks to P&G's obsession with data -- Poer tells OMMA attendees that he actually watched his work for the brand impact sales. "How about Nike?" proposes Jennifer Kasper, GVP of digital/new media and multicultural marketing at Macy's. She loves the way the brand is smoothly transitioning from a focus on all-star athletes with unattainable skill sets to more average folks.

The second "Mitt Romney moment" of the day on Day One of OMMA Global came during the opening question of the "What Is A Brand Panel."

Lots of agencies focus on making mobile apps that work for users. CP+B recently made one that puts its users to work - literally .

So, what does it take to run a world-renowned creative beast like CP+B? A blazer, for one, says Andrew Keller, CEO and Partner of the company that Alex Bogusky built. That might be because Andrew (42) looks young enough to be a first-year intern, he admitted to OMMA Global attendees on Monday afternoon. Fashion aside, a good leader needs a healthy appreciation of economic realities, and the fact that brands need more for less. It's all about a "leaner model," according to Keller. "We've seen client's budgets get cut more than in half." Also worth noting, Keller said digital work …

That's more or less how the keynote conversation between MediaPost columnist Barbara Lippert and CP+B CEO-Partner Andrew Keller is going during the afternoon session of OMMA Global.

The rollout of near field communications (NFC) has been hyped as the key to mobile payments taking off. But agency panelists at OMMA Mobile suggested the industry won't wait for NFC-enabled handsets to hit critical mass for mobile payments to become mainstream. They pointed to the Starbucks mobile app, which people use to make in-store payments, and startups like Square, which recently teamed with Starbucks, as examples of how retailers and tech providers are bypassing NFC to power mobile payments. The lack of NFC in the iPhone 5 also won't help accelerate adoption of the technology.

Will the testing and learning phase in mobile ever end? Joule's Michael Collins says probably not, at least for the forseeable future, because all the business models and platforms are so nascent. But what he said is changing now is the brand commitment to mobile. While only a quarter of advertisers have budget alloted to mobile, Collins sees the proportion growing quickly. "It's still very much early days," he said, not just in terms of the tools but methods for mobile marketing. Ansible's Young agreed, but said it's important for brands to focus on testing the righ things. Too much …

Marketers are often urged to incorporate mobile as part of integrated campaings. But where does it fit in marketing mix? In an OMMA Mobile panel today, mobile specialists from agencies including Joule, Brunner and Ansible Mobile discussed how clients are approaching mobile. JiYoung Kim, SVP Strategy & New Solutions, Ansible Mobile, noted brands have ramped up initiatives in mobile in the last 12 months. "I am seeing mobile become part of the standard conversation during the planning period," she said. Michael Collins, head of WPP's Joule, agreed, pointing out clients are looking to mobile as a way to extend their …