55% of marketeres plan to increase spending on digtial video advertising in the next year, according to Randy Cohen of Advertiser Perceptions, and many of them cite its superior measurability -- especially relative to traditional TV -- as a key reason for spending more. On the other hand agencies (where 69% said they plan to spend more) cited engagement as the main reason for spending more.  In other words, Cohen noted, the marketers -- i.e. the clients, who control the budget -- are focused on ROI and efficiency.

Randy Cohen, president and CEO of Advertiser Perceptions, started off his presentation on digital video with a clip from "Video Killed the Radio Star," taking us back to 1981 when music videos were about to transform the world forever, definitively, irrevocably, for real.  "And how many music videos does MTV play today?  Zero," notes Cohen, underlining the fact that market shifts that are supposed to happen sometimes, in fact, don't.  I'd also point out that radio, while having a rough time of it, is still a $16 billion+ business annually.  So, arguably more vital than music videos nowadays.

There are more than 300 social listening platforms being used by Madison Avenue right now, according to Patricia Gottesman , President & CEO, Crimson Hexagon, a company that is among them.

Interesting view on a well-reported subject. Marketers buying TV media need to take into consideration the distraction factor with more viewers spending time multitasking on mobile devices while watching a show. Scott Brady, senior VP of digital analytics at Nielsen, said during a breakout session on mobile that 88% of table and 86% of smartphone owners use their device while watching TV.

Toyota Motor’s Scion division wants consumers to buy an $16,000 car online -- almost like they buy a blender. To do this, you better give consumers some big "confidence" when it comes to a brand's online marketing activities,  says Owen Peacock, national marketing and communications manager for Scion, in speaking at OMMA Global. The ultimate goal is to sell consumers line  through a dealer network. Still, this is only the start says Peacock: People may still want to do a test drive. Utlimately, he says, consumers in the future may only spend an hour at the dealer – taking delivery …

Spending $20,000 on a car without test driving? No, at the end of the day you're going to want to kick the tires. But where to do the test drive? That's the model that will likely change, according to Own Peacock, national marketing and communications manager for Scion, talking about Toyota's efforts to target young consumers. Ride share options? Digital is changing consumer purchase models for test drives, too. Mobile continues to influence purchase decisions. 10% of traffic comes in on tablets and mobile.

The big goal of Scion.com is to let consumers get most of the hassle of car-buying -- especially that crucical issue of figuring out finance -- out of the way, online, at home, according to Scion's Peacock, who adds, "That way the hour you spend at the dealer is just to take delivery of your vehicle." This model is an interesting combination of online and "brick-and-mortar" retail operations, which might be especially suitable for big-ticket items that require a lot of logisitical planning or paperwork.  As show MC Laura Martin notes, there's still the issue of the test drive, but …

Yikes: some 3 out of 4 Gen Y car buyers need a co-signer to get behind the wheel of their own car, according to Own Peacock, national marketing and communications manager for Scion, talking about Toyota's efforts to target young consumers (and the older consumers who make it happen financially).  While I'm just speculating, I wonder if that reflects the effects of the economic downturn, which has resulted in sky-high rates of unemployment among young American adults ages 18-30. Which in turn raises questions for marketers, about the long-term impact of the downturn on consumer behaviors among young adults who spent …

The upcoming documentary “Bully” is getting some critical acclaim and awareness -- but not completely with a younger audience yet. The Weinstein Company movie’s tracking is going for older U.S. movie goers. But Bladimar Norman, senior vp marketing for The Weinstein Company, speaking at OMMA Global, wants to add a younger crowd – like 16-25 years old. “The movie is playing to parents. But I want it to play to kids.”  So Weinstein is doing a bunch of social media efforts targeted to younger movie goers – as well as using some young celebrities to front the “Bully” efforts – …

Following The Weinstein Co. Senior Vice President-Marketing Bladimiar Norman's presentation on he's been using social media to market films like "The Artist" and "The King's Speech," OMMA Global San Francisco MC Laura Martin made an interesting observation.