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How to thrive as a second city agency 0

For decades, three markets have consistently dominated the ad sector — New York, LA, and Chicago — yet a growing percentage of industry dollars are coming from other cities that aren’t historically associated with the advertising and media businesses. These are the second cities.
How to thrive as a second city agency
I use the term “second cities” with respect and affection (and in the same spirit as the name of the leading comedy troupe in the country). By second cities I mean markets like Atlanta, Dallas, Charleston, Minneapolis, and Seattle where some strong agencies are based. (San Francisco straddles the line — it is far smaller than the “big three,” yet it is home to a number of major agencies and offices.) This piece is about such agencies — shops trying and, in some cases, succeeding as major national players. Some say second city agencies face different challenges and opportunities. Let’s take a look at what it means to be second city, and whether it matters.

Getting into pitches


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Winning new business has always been a primary concern for agencies, wherever headquartered. For this article, I spoke with 23 people and most acknowledged that being a second city can affect their ability to get into pitches.
A leading pitch consultant, who asked not to be identified, believes the reluctance of some brands to consider second city agencies stems from perceptions about scale and expertise, in addition to vanity.
“It can be hard to convince some clients to consider [a] second city agency because of fear they lack the resources [and] expertise to serve major accounts. They may also question whether an agency keeps up with digital innovation. Sometimes it comes down to emotional factors, like wanting to feel ‘big time’, or reluctance to travel to ‘Omaha’ for meetings.”
Quite a few of the folks I spoke with acknowledged that they get their share of questions regarding resources. Most believe that this sort of concern is an issue of perception versus reality.
Tamara Bousquet, Executive Media Director for San Diego-based MEA Digital, said:
“I’d bet my job that our work, our people, are better than most that come out of leading cities and shops.  Our clients, who have been working with us for 4 plus years, 8 plus years, are getting better work than they’ve received at other agencies. These long-standing partnerships are proof of our staff and agency’s excellence.”
Smart second city agencies recognize opportunities to take advantage of their location by differentiating themselves from the dozens of medium-sized New York shops. Consider Richards Group — it’s spent years selling Dallas as a reason why they are so adept at persuading Middle America.  

Recruiting and retention


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When you run an agency, you need a host of skills sets. Many people with desirable skills choose to live in leading ad markets. That being said, a number of great people are unable or unwilling to live in Chicago, Santa Monica, or Chelsea.
Such people are not evenly distributed in every city and town. It’s certainly no accident that many agencies locate in tech hubs and college towns with strong technology and marketing programs. Steve Parker, Jr., co-founder and managing partner of Levelwing, pointed to Charleston as a perfect example: 
“Our largest office is in Charleston, SC. Although many see Charleston as a destination for vacation, it is home to some large and highly sophisticated technology businesses such as Blackbaud, Benefitfocus and Boeing.  Additionally, many software companies are based here. Colleges such as The Citadel, Charleston Southern University and College of Charleston are part of our community.  Close-by Clemson University and the University of South Carolina have strong mathematics, engineering and technology programs.  In December 2009 Forbes rated Charleston as the 8th Smartest City in the World.”
This leads us to the subject of salaries and retention. There’s an urban legend about an AMP who started in Manhattan making $13,000 a year, lived with 11 others in a studio, and ate nothing but ad-network-branded Tic-Tacs for a year. In reality, ad people in the top markets make significant coin. But when you buy your Tide at Gristede’s, the “fat” paycheck doesn’t go far. Most second cities are far less expensive. The chart below calculates the cost of living equivalent to $75,000 a year in Manhattan.
Those I spoke with emphasized that rather than offering people a precisely equivalent salary, they pay people to have a better life. Credit altrusim and the reality that an Atlantan wouldn’t be willing to live in an apartment where they can stand in the center and touch all four walls.
No one I interviewed said that being in a second city automatically made for greater employee commitment, but several said that the issues facing major markets don’t reflect their daily experience. According to Bousquet:
“I’m not dealing with the ‘entitled’; those who think because they’ve worked in this business for 6 months they deserve a raise and a promotion.  Our folks appreciate the opportunity to do great work on great brands with great people; we don’t deal with the ego of younger employees that many large agencies in large cities say they deal with daily.  In fact, our average employee tenure is 3+ years and that’s something we’re proud of.”

Second cities and specialization


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Detroit and Las Vegas are two markets highly focused on business verticals. While agencies there work across many sectors, they are most known for auto and hospitality respectively.

Shawn Rorick, President of LVIMA, suggested that hospitality defines a big part — but not all — of Vegas.

“It’s a safe bet that an agency in Las Vegas is going to really understand the travel business. There are many world class experts in that sector here. Las Vegas marketers in particular can be more adept in getting insights through data collected by the casino/resorts.  Recession made our community of professionals even sharper because it requires the utmost sophistication to maximize ROI.”
Lissie Heinkele, a long time Detroit agency leader, considers regional expertise as particularly relevant.
“In auto, the three tiered marketing environment — national, dealer associations, dealers — is absolutely central to the business of moving metal. But there’s more than that. Auto marketing is some of the most sophisticated in digital. You can more readily find uberexperts here. There’s also a passion — many of us are true “gearheads.” When you’re amping up for a major launch, having that passion for cars brings out the best in programs.”
Being known for a segment has its challenges. “Sometimes people think we are all travel, all the time,” Rorick said. “That can be a hindrance when you are working toward broadening your category base.”“It can be challenging for agencies to overcome the ‘category town’ perception. But many Detroit agencies have clients far afield from the auto world. They serve these clients very well,” Heinkele said.

oing business with partners


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Many agencies in smaller markets report that fewer vendors visit them. These agencies experience fewer phone calls, “drop bys,” and requests for meetings. Thus, it is arguably harder for second city shops to keep abreast of important developments because the companies creating them don’t come knocking as often. While the internet certainly eases the strain, second city folks have to be more proactive about pursuing knowledge.
From the sell side, there appears to be great business in serving second city agencies. “It costs you a little more to get a rep to Dallas. But it’s worth the expense. When you make the effort you find a high level of ‘engagement’ from the agency teams in those markets.” said John Durham, CEO of Catalyst S+F and a long-time digital solutions sales leader.
Durham also notes that there is also a perception that second city professionals are better mannered.
“I appreciate manners. Agencies in smaller markets generally show a high level of professionalism. Mutual respect. It runs the gamut, but when you call on an agency in a second tier market, chances are the people will show up and engage.”

 
Adam Bergman, Senior Account Executive for Yume, emphasized that there is real money to be made in such markets:

“Some of these agencies are a heckuvalot bigger than they seem. Being in New York doesn’t necessarily mean a shop is big; being in a ‘second tier’ market doesn’t prove that an agency is small. Additionally, many of these agencies are careful to stay at the bleeding edge of the industry — to ‘prove’ that you don’t need to be in Midtown to be redefining and shaping the industry.”
More sellers are seeking local people to serve these second cities. Lynn Ingham, a leading digital marketing recruiter, argued that it’s harder — but not impossible — to find great people in these markets.
“Many top-notch digital sellers are in the big three markets. There are a few in the other cities, but you need to dig deeper to find them. Over time we’re seeing more great sellers native to these markets, and leading sellers trained in the big three markets deciding to move to other cities for a plethora of reasons.”
Lori Xeller, Director of Digital Sales at Republic Media in Phoenix, believes the talent is definitely out there.
“It’s true that the total pool of digital sellers might be smaller than a major market like LA or San Francisco, but they ARE out there. We’ve built a strong team by constantly keeping our eyes open for great talent and creating real career paths to keep our A players satisfied and growing.  I’ve found that our digital sellers are focused on being long-term digital consultants for their clients so they have deep relationships.  They are loyal to their clients and with their internal teams.” 

Managing the exit


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Many second city shops are independents, and some hope one day to sell to a holding company. Proximity helps when you are trying to make your business known to would be acquirers. Mark Naples, managing partner of strategy and communications firm Wit Strategy, underscored the importance of developing a prominent agency profile. 
“There are so many solid agencies out there.  Getting noticed by would-be acquirers requires a clear strategy that will generate a distinct identity, rather than more broad awareness.  For example, at the height of its powers a few years ago, CP+B had Alex Bogusky as the tip of its spear, smirking to us knowingly from the covers of national magazines.  But, what is CP+B’s identity today?  For non-New York based agencies, it’s harder to pull off getting the right kind of notice because proximity within a roughly 50 block radius drives a large measure of perceived importance to the trades and the holding companies. If the cool kids aren’t seeing you on their playground, it’s harder for them to accept that you might be cool too.”

What clients say about second city agencies


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When asked to draw some general distinctions, most of the clients I spoke with were careful not to make assertions beyond the experience they had with a particular shop. Most said that location had no real impact on the quality of work and relationship and that it’s about the agency, not the city.
One acknowledged that the out of town “thing” did affect the perceptions during the pitch, but that daily experience with the team quickly mitigated their concerns:
“You always have vibes, gut feelings, and concerns when you are picking an agency. During our last RFP, we questioned whether a non-New York agency would ‘get’ fashion. We ultimately chose them because they seemed like they’d be great to work with. They really are.”
Perhaps that’s a fitting conclusion. After all, we are in the perception business. Although it may not be a “real issue,” it is a genuine concern for some. Despite this, many second city shops are succeeding because ultimately what matters most is the quality of the team, not the address.ty shops are independents, and some hope one day to sell to a holding company. Proximity helps when you are trying to make your business known to would be acquirers. Mark Naples, managing partner of strategy and communications firm Wit Strategy, underscored the importance of developing a prominent agency profile.
Thanks to for publishing this first.

Posted on: 04-7-2012
Posted in: Oldest Living Digital Marketer

Welcome To The (Hype) Machine – Fragmentation Is So 2011 (Mediapost 2.15.12) 0

If you are the owner of a social network, a social website, a social app or any other socially enabled communication platform on the web, then you deserve to sit back, relax and have a cigar because you are part of the (hype) machine and that machine is in full swing!

The last month has been amazing in terms of telling a story of the influence of social media.  Three singular, unrelated events unfurled to tell a story of the scope of social media and the virtual hype machine that it feeds, and you are insane if you’re not paying attention.  If you’re a brand marketer, there are some interesting concepts to take away as well.

First we witnessed the Susan G Komen/Planned Parenthood social media fiasco and the Stop SOPA campaign, both of which were significant watershed moments in terms of using the web and social media to influence real world activity.  Though not globally on par with the Arab Spring from last year, both of these were examples of a viral torrent of support or condemnation for their respective movements.  In both situations, a movement began in social media that caused the reversal of political-hot-button issues and the people’s voice was heard.  Neither situation would have occurred without the popularity of social media, at the very least neither would have been reversed in such a short time.

The second event I will call out is this past week’s passing of Whitney Houston the night before the Grammy Awards.  She was a huge influence in music, and one of the biggest, most definable voices ever recorded, and social media was immediately ablaze with the discussion of the sad event.  The Grammy Awards followed up quickly, even changing some of their production to fit in the necessary tributes.  The news of Whitney Houston’s death went worldwide in seconds, and everyone was commenting on it from all sides of the globe. 

The third event is one that’s pending, and hasn’t even taken place yet.  It’s the IPO for Facebook.  Facebook’s impending celebration has the hearts of the valley all a flutter with the scent of money.  It smells like 1999 again, with secretaries and administrative assistants alike projected to be millionaires, and hundreds of people likely preparing to put down deposits on new homes in San Francisco.  Facebook is forecasted to be the largest tech IPO in history, and the ad business seems in line with this as they have selected Facebook as a preferred partner for ad dollars, surpassing Google in a recent industry survey.   If Facebook is indeed as big as it proclaims it will be, then social will have overtaken search as the premier darling of the data-driven Internet ad business.

On the surface these three events are only associated by one thing; the fact that they center around social media.  That in itself is all you need.  Social media is the modern hype machine, but unlike the days of Public Enemy, in this case you probably should believe the hype.  The learning that I see here is that social media, and specifically the advent of Facebook and Twitter, is causing a reversal in the fragmentation of media.  For years we’ve discussed the fragmentation of the media landscape, and how consumers are more difficult to reach with an effective frequency because of the way they spend their day.  What these moments are telling me is that when there’s a topic of interest to a large group of people, and when the hype machine is in full force, fragmentation can be reversed and a singular point of view can actually be established in a small number of places.  All of these situations drove people to social media, and social media became the hub for all of this activity.  The fragmentation only takes place before users flock to social media.  Social is the new hub.

Even in the case of the death of Whitney Houston, USA Today was running news stories on its iPad and iPhone apps that were nothing more than a collection of tweets from famous celebrities.  Their version of a news story was the collection of celebrity tweets?  That proves, if nothing else, that the journalists for USA Today were going to Twitter for their breaking news.

Fragmentation may be alive in terms of initial broadcast, but the machine is alive and well, and it is not going anywhere.  The machine is working, and the masses can be culled together for a single action, if you have a message that resonates with them.  The Superbowl showed that advertising could be used in this way, if you have the money to spend to reach enough of the audience at least once.  The lesson for a marketer is that if you are strategic, and you have enough money, you can indeed influence a large group of people at once.  You can put the hype machine to work for you.

Don’t you agree?  Who do you see that’s doing a good job of this?

Posted on: 02-19-2012
Posted in: treffiletti.com

I Mourn The Record Store (Mediapost 11.16.11) 0

Sometimes I mourn the simple things – the things that I miss from the old days.  For example, I mourn that your kids may never enter a record store.  Ever.

My boys will – I’ll make sure of that.  Music has been an enormous part of my life from when I was just a baby, and one of my favorite things to do was to browse the aisles of a record store for hours, discovering artists and inspiration from the most unusual of sources.  I used to buy records based on the recommendations of friends, or articles and reviews I read or, on occasion, just because I liked the cover art.   For better or for worse, that kind of intimate, personal experience is long forgotten because of digital (at the very least it is rarely a personal experience and more for the mass of bloggers who proclaim to be experts in new music).  You can still get reviews, but the tangible quality of a record store is almost forever lost.

Of course I feel like a hypocrite because I also love digital music.  Its easier to get, easier to store, and easier to share.  I discover music these days in an even easier fashion, from the comfort of my living room, but it’s still not the same as the smell of vinyl and paper that washes over you when you walk into Amoeba Records in San Francisco or Generation Records in New York.  I used to spend hours each week just trolling the new releases and the historicals to unearth some treasured artifact that would give my ears a taste of something they were missing.  When I was a kid, I used to sit for hours reading the liner notes of albums that my parents had collected.  I still remember three of the most influential albums in that collection; Sgt. Pepper, Zeppelin II and Sticky Fingers, by the Stones.  Those are three examples of records as art, not just the music, but the 100% delivery from cover all the way through.  They were the kinds of albums you’ll never see again.  You may hear them, but you’ll never see them.

If Steve Jobs were still with us, I think he would be plotting a way to bring the album back.  He may have pioneered the wave of digital music with the iPod, but I bet he still would have loved to find a way to recreate the physical record store at some point.  In some future day he would have mourned that experience like I do, and found a way to give it back to us.

If not Steve, then maybe one of you will figure it out.  Maybe you can find a way to revolutionize the delivery of the music in the digital age.  Artists like Radiohead keep trying; by delivering the digital at one stage, followed by the collectible closely behind.  The buzzword of the day is “Deluxe Edition”, which translates to overpriced, over-stuffed packages of extras that either add or detract from the music.  These packages are for the collectors and the die-hards.  The true fans.  What about the casual observer?   How are bands going to attract the new fan?  The one who would have taken a flyer on them because the cover art spoke to them or because they “sound like” someone they know and appreciate?  Maybe digital does deliver that audience, but maybe it doesn’t.  Maybe the tangible experience of music is gone from the album, and has settled in the live show.  Maybe what Prince does is right; give your albums away to ticket buyers, or even newspaper buyers.  Flood the market with free albums, in hopes that your live shows will become the preferred experience.  That may work, but not for everyone.  I love live music more than the next guy, but I can’t go to every show anymore – there’s simply not enough time in the week!

I don’t know what the answer is, and after reading this you may not even be certain of the question, but what I know is that when my boys are old enough, they will be going with me to a record store.    They may not know why, and they may not know what to do when we get there, but they’ll figure it out.  I’ll be sure to show them.

Posted on: 11-20-2011
Posted in: treffiletti.com

Start-Up Watch COD: Doat remakes the mobile search experience 0

Most people agree that the most useful and pleasant mobile experiences occur in apps, not on  mobile-appropriate web pages. Apps have been the key to iPhone’s ascendance on domination in smart phones, and they have also propelled Android ahead of venerable competitors like Blackberry and Nokia’s Symbian. More apps means more market share, broadly speaking. Few or no apps = death in today’s smart phone environment.
But Mobile Search was singularly focused on finding the best content on web pages. At least it was until now.
 is an Israel- and San Francisco-based start-up focused on transforming mobile search by querying and providing results from apps rather than the web. When you search for a term in Do@, what you get in response is a sort of visual menu of app screen shots housing content appropriate to your request.
So what does that mean?
 If you want information or the trailer on Hangover 2, an ordinary mobile search result might refer you to the web site, which may or may not have a mobile version. With Doat, you get screen shots of the IMDB , Flixster, and other theatrically oriented apps. Tapping a particular result takes you to a version of the app delivered in HTML 5, essentially a web page but with the appearance and functionality of an app. This “page” simulates the functionality of the fully functioning app, and enables you to experience all of its benefits.
Here’s the vid:

Because app viewing experiences are designed for the small screen, there is a high degree of likelihood that your overall experience as well as info access will be better through an app. Additionally, because the user does not actually have to download the app before they review the content, Doat actually offers a powerful trial mechanism for app developers anxious to get more users, and for users to try before they buy
Because so much mobile search has a local component, Doat takes your location into consideration when you make your query. So, for instance, if you are looking for a restaurant recommendation nearby, the app will connect you to location-focused results in the Yelp app and the like.
I think this is a big deal for digital and for brands. For digital, it is, perhaps, a really positive harbinger of  a broader revolution in mobile user experience. I believe the figures are that mobile web access will surpass PC web access in about 2013 in the US – it already has in several Asian countries. But in order for Mobile Internet to deliver on its promise, basic connected utilities need to evolve experientially to be OPTIMIZED for the handset. Since Search is arguably the most ubiquitous such utility, Doat is an important step in the mobile transformation of the web.
From a marketing standpoint, the app-centric nature of Doat may be a reason for many marketers to rethink their mobile advertising and marketing strategies, opting for a greater presence in the world of apps. While it is too soon to tell how much app usage will come from Doat or its future imitators, it is plain that we’ll need to take a serious look at those figures as they materialize.
Doat has made its debut as an iPhone app, and is available for free in the App Store.

Posted on: 09-25-2011
Posted in: Oldest Living Digital Marketer

Start-Up Watch COD: Do@ Transforms Mobile Search by Querying Apps Instead of Web Pages 0

Most people agree that the most useful and pleasant mobile experiences occur in apps, not on mobile-appropriate web pages. Apps have been the key to iPhone’s ascendance on domination in smart phones, and they have also propelled Android ahead of venerable competitors like Blackberry and Nokia’s Symbian. More apps means more market share, broadly speaking. Few or no apps = death in today’s smart phone environment.

But Mobile Search was singularly focused on finding the best content on web pages. At least it was until now.

(say Doh-At) is an Israel- and San Francisco-based start-up focused on transforming mobile search by querying and providing results from apps rather than the web. When you search for a term in Do@, what you get in response is a sort of visual menu of app screen shots housing content appropriate to your request.

So what does that mean?

If you want information or the trailer on Hangover 2, an ordinary mobile search result might refer you to the web site, which may or may not have a mobile version. With Do@, you get screen shots of the IMDB , Flixster, and other theatrically oriented apps. Tapping a particular result takes you to a version of the app delivered in HTML 5, essentially a web page but with the appearance and functionality of an app. This “page” simulates the functionality of the fully functioning app, and enables you to experience all of its benefits.

Here’s the vid:

Because app viewing experiences are designed for the small screen, there is a high degree of likelihood that your overall experience as well as info access will be better through an app. Additionally, because the user does not actually have to download the app before they review the content, Do@ actually offers a powerful trial mechanism for app developers anxious to get more users, and for users to try before they buy

Because so much mobile search has a local component, Do@ takes your location into consideration when you make your query. So, for instance, if you are looking for a restaurant recommendation nearby, the app will connect you to location-focused results in the Yelp app and the like.

I think this is a big deal for digital and for brands. For digital, it is, perhaps, a really positive harbinger of a broader revolution in mobile user experience. I believe the figures are that mobile web access will surpass PC web access in about 2013 in the US – it already has in several Asian countries. But in order for Mobile Internet to deliver on its promise, basic connected utilities need to evolve experienctially to be OPTIMIZED for the handset. Since Search is arguably the most ubiquitous such utility, Do@ is an important step in the mobile transformation of the web.

From a marketing standpoint, the app-centric nature of Do@ may be a reason for many marketers to rethink their mobile advertising and marketing strategies, opting for a greater presence in the world of apps. While it is too soon to tell how much app usage will come from Do@ or its future imitators, it is plain that we’ll need to take a serious look at those figures as they materialize.

Do@ has made its debut as an iPhone app, and is available for free in the App Store.

Posted on: 08-2-2011
Posted in: Oldest Living Digital Marketer

Where The Heck Are We Right Now? 0

(The following are my notes from the opening presentation at OMMA Global in San Francisco today.  I hope you like them)

“This is an exciting time.  There’s a lot of excitement.  There is the potential of a renaissance going on in the ways that marketers speak to consumers.”

I recently uncovered an article that I write in February of 2002 that said the exact same thing.

You’ve probably been to a conference of two over the last 10 years where you heard someone on stage start by saying that same exact sentence.

Is it because we’re stuck, or is it because we simply don’t know what else to say?

The topic for today is “The Great Race: Catching Up With Consumers” and the description is all about disruption. Sometimes when things are radically disrupted, your brain goes into shock and you can’t think straight.  Maybe we’re just so shell-shocked, that we can’t come up with anything new to talk about?

Just for the record, I don’t that that’s the case.

There are two revised themes I would offer up.  First off this is actually an Amazing Race; to quote a popular TV show.  The pace of which we run, and innovate, is mind boggling to the outside world.

Secondly, I want to focus on the running theme of disruption, because I read through the description of today, and the content we have for all of you, that is what resonates again with me.

Disruption is defined as the interruption of normal work or progress.   I don’t know about you, but every day of my career has some component of disruption in it. 

To disrupt is to throw into confusion or disorder, but I actually like disruption so I guess I must like confusion and disorder because it offers the chance for solving a problem.  That kind of disruption is what has kept me in this business for so long.

Disruption is also defined, according to Wikipedia (and I believe everything I read on Wikipedia) as a method of execution whereby all four of your limbs are pulled off simultaneously with animals or machines.  I don’t think that is what Mediapost had in mind – I can’t be sure though.

Depending on whom you talk to, the Internet ad business is now 17 years old.  When you turn 17, you typically go off to college, you evaluate whom you’ve been, and you reinvent yourself.  You find yourself.  You try to determine who you’re going to be when you grow up, and you begin to lay the foundation for your life as an adult.

I think we’re at a significant crossroads for the business where there may be a little more disruption, but it will be followed by some relative calm.  Think of this as the storm before the calm (the reverse of the old cliché).  I think the next 3-5 years will still feel crazy and even more disruptive than things were in 1994, or again in 2001, but by 2015 we should see things slow down while consumers and companies get used to the implications of this period.  I think what we are seeing right now is the laying of the foundation for the next 10-15 years.            People are catching up to the technology, and technology is catching up to the people.  In some recent research I have been doing I’ve uncovered that what we are seeing now with the advent of social media is actually just the fulfillment of the promise of the web.  Now that the web is fulfilling on that promise, and consumers are taking advantage of it, the rate of disruption should begin to slow down, to normalize and allow for growth.

I’ve been embarking on conversations with people over the last 3 months on this topic for a book, because I think our business is at that pivotal stage of its life cycle.  We’re fulfilling on our initial promise and it’s our “college stage” where we can reinvent ourselves.  For example, this business began by laying the foundation for its ad models on a print model, but as video is becoming more pervasive, maybe we can begin to go to toe-toe- with TV?  Social media changes the rules, but now we’re starting to write those rules and see how to use the medium going forward.  That’s our college stage – the chance to evaluate and redefine ourselves.  Thankfully, unlike college, I think we already had our drunken partying days of excess – those days are behind us – I like to call them 1998 and 1999.  This is our time to prepare for growth and maturity and to even potentially overtake TV as the single most important place to engage with customers through advertising and marketing.  And I think we will be.

There is truly no better period for disruption than right now.  Now we’re prepared for it.  It’s the Money Ball era of marketing, where we have the data and we know how to use it.

We can disrupt the business itself by making sure we grab hold of what works, apply it to what’s new and plan for where we want to go.  The data is there and it doesn’t lie.

Consumers are disrupting the business by latching on to mobile platforms and social media and taking the lead on when, where and how they interact with content and brands.  When they react positively to something we do, it’s great.  When they react negatively, we respond.

There’s disruption in the world of advertising as more advertisers are truly learning to become marketers, and the people in this business are learning new skills.

The model is disrupting as brands realize they cannot just broadcast a message, they have to have a conversation.  We’re all realizing that brands are becoming publishers and publishers are becoming brands, but consumers are the ones in control.

Not much of this is new, but it is all sinking in, and its all becoming more widespread than it used to be.

What is also interesting about this disruption is that some people were more prepared for it than others.

If you are going to be successful during this period, I have some advice.

  1. Do an audit of your systems – see if you have the right process in place to react to what is going on.
  2. Do an audit of your team – is your team the right one?  Do they have the skills?  Are they flexible enough to learn?
  3. Do an audit of your competition – what are they doing that you are not?
  4. Do an audit of yourself – are you up to the task?  If not, who can you bring in to help?  What do you need to succeed?

Over the last 3 months of conversations that I’ve been having I’ve heard some themes.  The single most important theme that has arisen is that people, not technology, drive this business. 

Those outside the business think we’re all about technology, but we’re really about people.  People and relationships.

People respond and use technology.

People create the relationships and share the ideas that drive this business.

And people are very resilient. 

The people who drive this business are passionate, and they actually ENJOY disruption. 

All of you in this room are the people driving this business and you ENJOY disruption, and if you didn’t you wouldn’t be in this room.  That being said, you may not be ready for it!  That’s why I gave the advice I just gave – part of being a strong manager, entrepreneur, employee is knowing when you know what you don’t know.  You might have to go learn something new, and if you are not up to it that doesn’t mean you can’t succeed.  It just means you need to surround yourself with people who can!

As we enter into the next stage of the business – our early adult years – we are being forced to create new infrastructures and new processes to respond to the disruption facing our business.  Agencies are looking for the way.  Publishers are looking for the way, and we are going to get there together.

What I recommend is this; to succeed in the next few years, create a plan.  Map out a strategy.  That gives you a framework, or a context, from which to evaluate ideas and tactics.  Your plan doesn’t need to be bullet proof; it just needs to be a plan.   Integrate social, search, mobile, video, display, etc. – think about how media opps work together.  Think about owned, paid and earned.  Think about broadcast and conversation.  Think about TV, radio and print with online.  Think about the tactics you have, organize a strategy and work from there.

By attending this conference today, you are showing an interest in finding a solution to your day-to-day challenges, so use the time wisely.  Engage the people you will see on stage, and the people you run into on the floor.  Ask smart questions, take down key advice and process the information presented so you can be successful.  That’s why you’re here, and I would personally expect nothing less.

In the meantime, I’ll try my best as emcee for the event to come up with fresh things to say; more fresh than “This is an exciting time.  There’s a lot of excitement.  There is the potential of a renaissance going on in the ways that marketers speak to consumers.”

 

Posted on: 03-1-2011
Posted in: treffiletti.com

COD: Waze means getting there without the road hassles 0

Thanks to the for publishing this first.

OK, $5 will get you $10 you have heard of this one already.

Waze is a social mobile application providing free turn-by-turn navigation empowered through the live conditions of the road. This Israel-based start-up combines great turn by turn directions with real-time crowd sourced reports about driving conditions and congestion.

Based upon the idea that the 101 is only the best way from Palo Alto to San Francisco as long as the traffic is moving, Waze automatically detects the car speed of members, identifying congestion zones before Sky Chopper 10 makes it to the scene. You download Waze onto your smartphone, then take that phone with you (you were planning to anyway, right?) as you drive. GPS tells Waze where you are and how fast you are moving. When traffic slows or stops, Waze colors the roadway behind that user red on its real time traffic maps.

That’s the passive foundation of the platform, but Waze also allows people to describe road conditions at fixed points, and even photograph the causes of traffic issues and problems. Special local driving clubs help add more depth to the reporting, as well as a bit of fun and connection to others.

Before you even ask, please be assured that Waze actually won’t allow a driver to send updates and photos when the car is in motion. So don’t think that this is a safety hazard. Rather, the platform is out to save the enormous amounts of time and energy spent in traffic slowdowns and jams. Here’s a guided tour.

They have all the maps — the key with Waze is to get a critical mass of drivers signed up in a given market, so that they can offer genuine value in the driving conditions “essence” of the offering. To drive greater usage, the company is planning to incorporate some social gaming elements that reward people for desirable actions. That’s a nice twist and may add a little fun to the drudgery of commuting.

Waze works with the following smartphone platforms:

-Android
-iPhone
-Symbian
-Windows Mobile
-J2ME (RIM)

They plan to monetize in part through geo-loco-based ads and offers. That’s how brands and agencies can fit into all this. The added information that Waze can provide about a consumer may be valuable in a geo-loco context.

Posted on: 02-19-2011
Posted in: Oldest Living Digital Marketer

Thankful! 0

(Thanks to for publishing this first!)

Excuse me if I make this column rather personal this week. Because I am feeling rather thankful.

• Thankful that my Mom beat cancer this year.
• Thankful for being able to work with people I genuinely love.
• Thankful for working in a media environment that is more tsunami than placid sea. How fun is that?
• Thankful that I am one of the lucky people who has a job and an income, in a nation where far far far too many people do not.
• Thankful for health, joy, and my little ginger pup.
• Thankful for the blessing and curse of my work life: Powerpoint.
• Thankful that I get to write something and post it somewhere and people find it worth reading. All one of you. (Hi Dad!)
• Thankful for my own health and modest prosperity.
• Thankful for friends, family, and a roof over my head.
• Thankful for my Toughbook that takes a lickin and keeps on tickin.
• Thankful for Bridget Jones, my Scion XB, whom I love just the way she is.
• Thankful for the People’s Republic of San Francisco and all its quirky peculiarness.
• Thankful that the Governorship of California cannot be bought. Whatever your POV on policies.
• Thankful for Season Three of Jersey Shore. Yes, I know.
• Thankful that I have gotten to know fabulous people like Lissie Heinkele, Coco Jones, Lucy James, John Furey, and Joy Nestor this year.
• Thankful that I got to reconnect with magnificent people like Carol Phillips and Lori Xeller.
• Thankful that I got to keynote at iMedia Sydney and meet so many brilliant people with sexy accents.
• Thankful that my neglected friend Grecia got his teaching degree and is now surrounded with screaming 9 year olds. I hope they know how lucky they are. I expect they do.
• Thankful that I got to spend 8 hours at Powell’s bookstore in Portland last weekend.
• And while I still don’t care what you had for breakfast, I’m even thankful for Twitter.
• And 127 other wonderful people, places, and events.
• Thankful that Bill Bryson released a book this year. And Ian Sansom to boot.

Whether it’s things, people, relationships, bookstores, or your fingerprint-covered iPad, please take a moment to think of a few things you are thankful for. In this business it’s easy to get caught up in mayhem and tempests in teapots. But there is so much we can all be thankful for. What about you? What’s on your gratitude list this season?

Posted on: 01-3-2011
Posted in: Oldest Living Digital Marketer