The Dogs of Summer Await ad:tech New York

OK, so Chicago ad:tech is over. In fact, it's been over for two weeks since exhibitors cleaned out Navy Pier but, hey, like everyone else in this industry, we've been busy enjoying summer vacation and haven't had time to state the obvious: Chicago ad:tech is over and the New York show is but three short months away.

The Chicago show, as Angela pointed out, focused more on the basics and less on the fluff. The New York show, the Mother of All ad:tech's, will span four full days separating the session portion of the show from the exhibit hall portion of the show. There will be overlap on one day but it will be interesting to see how this new format pans out.

Even if you're only at ad:tech for the learnings provided by the sessions and shun entering the the exhibit hall and all that comes with it, certainly the pure mass it provides will be missed on the session only days. Alas, ad:tech is growing out of its Hilton clothing and will soon need to don its Javits Center duds much to the chagrin of many. But fear not, no matter where 10,000 marketers meet up, it is sure to be a good time. That's one thing we are very good at.

Ruminations Over ad:tech Chicago, and ad:tech in General

I was trying to think how I could adequately top off my ad:tech Chicago coverage but have been admittedly hard-pressed, mainly because one speaker in my last seminar, Actions Speak Louder Than Clicks: Exploring the New Laws of Relationship Marketing, reminded me of Dr. Strangelove, and that singular thought wouldn't go away.

This is the third ad:tech I've been to. One thing I noticed about each respective conference is the variation in social culture - yes, even marketing culture can be segmented.

iPod? What's That? iPhone the New ad:tech Giveaway

No less that two companies are promoting the giveaway of the techno toy dujour at ad:tech in Chicago. One company, Website Magazine, is giving one away on the show floor with the usual business card dump. Another, Wunderman along with TDI, is giving one away during a party they are hosting Tuesday night at Delacosta from 6P to 9P. So if you're drooling for an iPhone, there are at least two chances for you to get one here at ad:tech Chicago.

Guitar Hero II to Provide Entertainment During Chicago ad:tech Conference

Now this ought to be good. If you were even remotely considering attending the ad:tech conference at Navy Pier in Chicago July 31-August 1, there's something that just might solidify the decision for you. We've all been to various industry events and parties where, for whatever reason, co-workers eventually find themselves on some stage doing some strange thing providing endless humor and enjoyment for everyone in attendance. And, no, we're not talking about Arnold's Boston office pole dancing at a recent Christmas party. Though it might be interesting to see what all the booths babes would do if a giant pole appeared in the middle of the exhibit hall floor.

Chicago ad:tech Takes A Good Look at Search

If you're into search, the ad:tech Chicago conference is where you want to be this summer. Exploring the mashup of search, video and contextual targeting in a session called Search + Video + Contextual Targeting: The Holy Grail? are Yahoo Video Strategy Director Rebecca Paoletti, Avenue A Razorfish National Manager Patrick Moorhead and Organic Customer Insight Group Director Chris D,Alessandro. The trio, along with moderator GM Planworks/Starcom Mediavest Group Exec VP Curt Hecht will explore the coming marriage of video and contextual advertising.

Three other search-focused panels will examine local and mobile search, the maximization of search across all areas of a large, multi-faceted brand marketing company and redefining search as a category to better understand its full potential for marketers.

ad:tech to Debut New Exchange Series at Chicago Show

ad:tech has announced a new Exchange Series debuting at the Chicago conference, July 31 - August 1, 2007. The Series is an on-site learning extension of its panels, workshops and technology exposition. Each day of the conference begins with a morning keynote.

Wednesday morning begins with "The Art of Conversation: Building Great Brands in the Digital Age". Panelists Tor Myhren, Executive Creative Director/Executive VP, Leo Burnett Detroit, and Robert Levrone, VP, Television, Dow Jones are introduced by Boyd Peterson, Senior VP, Consumer Research, Yankee Research Group. The presentation will explore how all marketers can leverage digital media and platforms to establish a dialog with their customers and how they can leverage the resulting conversations to learn more about their customers, continually optimize messaging and delivery, and ultimately, drive brand preference.