Rishad Tobaccowala Talks Brand-Building, Damage Control and the Art of Seduction
At ad:tech Chicago last week, and prior to his opening talk, I approached Denuo CEO Rishad Tobaccowala in hopes of scoring an interview later on. He was in a hurry and answered in a way I found brusque and upsetting—which ended up colouring my feelings about the keynote.
Tobaccowala emailed to apologize immediately after reading the article I wrote, and was also good enough to give me almost three hours of his time in an interview—more of a conversation, really—later that week.
We never did get around to a formal Q/A. But I learned so much about branding and relationships from him that most of the gems would be lost if I didn’t whip out the cam and start recording.
See the footage below the drop.
read more...Sharpie, Ben & Jerry’s Squeeze Merit Out of Social Media Sphinx
My last ad:tech Chicago session was the Social Media Industry Forum, presented by Geoff Ramsey of eMarketer.
The sesh had a festive air for many reasons, not least that it was Ramsey’s birthday. ad:tech’s Warren Pickett burst in near the end to furnish him with candle-lit cupcakes.
But the company was also lively: we had a frothy, sometimes cynical and perennially candid band that included Digital Marketing Manager Katie O’Brien of Ben & Jerry’s, President Rick Murray of Edelman Digital (which does interactive stuff for B&J’s), PR/Social Media Manager Susan Wassel of Sanford Brands (here to rep Sharpie), and Digital Strategist Akash Pathak of DraftFCB, which worked with Wassel to bring life to Sharpie’s label.
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Weighing Hearts and Brands on Ancient Scales
ad:tech Chicago’s “Love for Sale—How Great Creative Seduces Its Target” session was broken into two discernably useful parts: statistics on online dating, and seduction as a metaphor for marketing.
We’ll begin at the beginning.
The Online Dating Crowd
Accompanied by Liz Ross of Digitas US, Fusion Idea Lab’s Matt Brennock regaled us with both statistics and close-to-home anecdotes—the kind that’s fueled many a romantic comedy.
I heard one guy say the pair had great chemistry, and he commended them for “[opening] the kimono” the way they did. Given the topic matter, and Brennock’s zeal for reminding us (first once, then twice, then…) that men really do just wanna get laid, the geisha metaphor was oddly appropriate.
Some stats:
- The average online dater is 42 years old.
- Match.com remains tops, with 3.4 million uniques/month, but people increasingly drift away from these big-box dating sites and into more niche fare: j-date, veggiedate, Christian singles. (AdAge blogger Kelly Eidson seized this opportunity to send me a link to STD Match, a dating site targeted to people living with sexually transmitted diseases. There are also—as if you didn’t know—ethnicity-specific sites.) If the world wasn’t our oyster before, the marvelous advances of the internet, coupled with mankind’s enterprising creative spirit, have ensured it certainly is now. There’s a match worth blogging. read more...
The Next Big Thing In Advertising: Anyone? Anyone?
Welcome to The Next Frontier In Advertising—Widgets, Apps, and Viral Video at Chicago’s ad:tech Conference.
Or, as one tweep called it, “Shiny Objects 101.”
Or, as I would call it, “Let’s talk about what we’re doing today and whether or not it can be measured.” I think maybe we need to work on our session naming conventions next year.
Everything starts out ok, except for the fact that I have to sit on the floor and my right foot keeps falling asleep. The room is packed, because, of course, everyone wants to know what cool thing is next, what new technology will make their client’s eyes light up and cause said client to bestow large amounts of money on their marketing partner.
So first the expert panel talks about the difference between widgets and apps. Most of us have probably used both at some point. A widget is a small flash application that delivers a small stream of information…say, the weather in Chicago or your Twitter feed. An app is essentially a microsite…a stand-alone experience. Like those Pick Your Top Five and What Flavor of Ice Cream Are You? things that are always asking to access your Facebook page. And also the things that let you turn your iPhone into a kiddie phone that won’t let your three-year-old accidentally dial your boss.
And then it happens. The kick-off question from the audience: “Which one is more effective?”
Excuse me?
read more...Search, Social Media, and Sex
Remember the opening keynote speech: social, mobile and search are the trends of the future? Let’s talk about search. And I don’t mean keywords, text, or how your site or product ranks on Google or Bing or Yahoo. Those are so 2008. What’s hot now—and in the future—is social search.
Social media has opened the doors to so many touchpoints—images, video, voice, and mobile. And if you need proof of how search is changing, chew on this: YouTube—that site with all the user generated video content—is the third largest search engine.
Wednesday’s expert panel in the session Search—Not Just About The Desktop Anymore: Tactics and Techniques for Emerging Platforms, started out discussing whether or not social is just the flavor of the month. Which we all know the answer to, because we all know that guy who said two years ago, “Facebook is just a fad. Put your budget towards banner ads, because that’s where it at.” And is now wishing he could CTRL-Z his words.
read more...Hard Knocks in Social, Starring Rishad Tobaccowala
I admit it: I was eavesdropping.
Me and a crew of other bloggers invaded the press room early today. We were setting up our things, chatting about nothing, when I overheard something really interesting.
I looked up just as the guy was finishing his surmise: “In the future,” he was saying, “I think people are going to wonder what the need was for keyboards. Or why we needed dial-up to access the internet. It will be free, and everywhere, like air.”
This struck me as simple but inspired. I put my glasses on, checked out his tag: Rishad Tobaccowala, CEO, Denuo. It hits me: Hey! This is the guy who’s doing the first keynote!
So I sit and futz with my thumbs for awhile, and finally I get up and walk over.
read more...ad:tech Chicago Delivers Eye Candy…And Valuable Insight
The Chicago ad:tech conference is always much smaller than the coastal behemoths New York and San Francisco but the “windy” city (which, by the way didn’t get it’s name from the wind , rather the “windy” politicians) has its charms. The river. Navy Pier. Lake Michigan. And a conference setting that’s manageable.
As always, the exhibit hall is where a lot of the action is. Where the conversation occurs. Where old acquaintances are rekindled. Where you can hear your share of elevator pitches. And where booth babes pimp products. Hey, it’s an ad conference. These things happen.
Check out the pictures here.
read more...Get Your Party Pants On; ad:tech Chicago’s Just Hours Away
For those of you that value conferences for the “networking,” ad:tech Chicago’s opening night party kicks off at 8PM on Tuesday.
It happens at Enclave, which you probably remember from last year. From 8-10 there’ll be open bar and hors d’oeuvres—usually tasty but scarce; I stand by the kitchen entry for just this reason. From 10-11, it’s a cash bar, which is your cue to exit stage left and go find a good jazz club anyway. That’s what Chicago’s really about,* and boy will that SEO guru think you’re cultured!
Good news: sporting your ad:tech badge grants you free entry. Register before September 1 for a free expo hall pass. And if you want to know where Enclave is, it’s at 220 W. Chicago Ave—right between N. Franklin and N. Wells.
See you by the kitchen.
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Yes, There Will be Parties During ad:tech Chicago
ad:tech in Chicago is quieter than New York or San Francisco when it comes to parties. Though the Chicago conference has, indeed, been host some some great events such as the MySpace cruise and a host of other evening events, the smaller market and shorter show length nets smaller and fewer parties.
This year, as was the case last year, the Chicago Interactive Marketing Association along with Tatto Media, TargetBase and Net-Results will host a party at Enclave from 8 - 11P. There’s open bar from 8 - 10 P so don’t be late. Enclave is located at 220 West Chicago Avenue between North Franklin and North Wells.
We’ll let you know about other parties as the roll in.
read more...Early Bird Discount Ends Friday
If You’re planning on attending ad:tech Chicago, make sure you take advantage of the early bird discount which ends Friday. That’s tomorrow, people! Use the promotional code EMCH93 and get an additional $200 off the conference rate.
At the conference, you’ll see speakers such as Mark Gambill, CDW VP and Chief Marketing Officer; Janet Eden-Harris, J.D. Powers & Associates VP of Web Intelligence and Joel Rubinson, The Advertising Research Foundation Chief Research Officer.
So get with it people. Register now.
read more...Summer’s Fun But So Is Chicago in September
Alright everyone, it’s been a nice long time since we last talked and saw all of you in San Francisco for the last ad:tech conference. Now it’s time to get ready for the next conference which occurs September 1-3 in Chicago at Navy Pier. So here’s the run down. There’s a lot going on.
Keynote speakers included Starcom MediaVest Group President and Chief Digital Officer Sean Finnegan, Google managing Director of US Sales Jim Lecinski and MLB Advanced Media President & CEO Bob Bowman. Other speakers include Target Group manager of Media Strategy Jerry Courtney, Nielsen Online Senior VP of Research and Analytics Charlie Buchwalter, Kraft VP of Consumer experience Lisa Mann, OfficeMax Senior VP of Marketing and Advertising Bob Thacker, Gigita Chicago President Tony Weisman and so many more. You can view the entire list here.
Yes, Twitter will be discussed. What’s a conference these days without it. But other topics such as SEO, audience mapping, widgets, branding, location-based targeting, social CRM, mobile, video and much more.
MobileMix, a new series launched at ad:tech San Francisco returns with advice on how to integrate mobile into campaigns, how to engage social users on mobile devices and how to track campaign success.
And if you simply can’t wait until September to get your ad:tech on, check out ad:tech Virtual, a series of webinars. Two are scheduled so far. One is called Cashing In on the Top 10 Hottest Areas of Digital Marketing. The other’s called Building Great Brands in the Digital Age: Guidelines for Developing Winning Strategies. There’s more information about each of these on the ad:tech homepage.
And, yes, there will be parties. We;ll be sure to let you know when and where they occur as soon as the information in available. So get ready. It’s the perfect event to get yourself in gear for the Fall. Because, after all, Summer only lasts so long.
read more...Sneak Peek into the ad:tech Press Room
Here’s a wee throwaway video I took in the ad:tech press room, which is where we hole up from morning ‘til the first party of the night.
Featuring Brent Terrazas, Steve Hall and Really Loud Guy Who Asks for Business Cards and Puts You On Annoying Mailing Lists.
Seriously. He doesn’t even ask for your name. It’s just “Miss, got a business card? I HAVE A NEWSLETTER.”
read more...Email 3.0: Smiling Into HAL’s Eye
While “The Role of Email in a Web 3.0 World” was mostly theory, I liked its feel-good flow. Moderator Christopher Marriott of Acxiom Digital got panelists comfortable without making viewers feel like they were sitting on the outside of an inside joke. It’s a rare and beautiful skill.
Marriott acknowledged it was late in the day and told us up-front that the panelists were debriefed on his questions beforehand. As a result, he said, they came laden with slides to answer three major questions:
1. How might the nature of email change as it goes more completely cross-platform?
2. Can email coexist with the semantic web (web 3.0) ... or co-opt it?
3. What role will The Consumer play in creating web 3.0 email?
Before we get too deep down the rabbit hole, let’s define web 3.0.
read more...Conversational Marketing: Four Truths And One Lie
Moderated by Nielsen Online EVP of Digital Strategic Services Pete Blackshaw, the Keynote Panel Conversational Branding: Are You Listening? examined the notion of conversation as it applies to marketers engaging with consumers. On the panel were Dell Social Media/Blog Outreach Senior Manager Rhichard Binhammer, Nestle Head of Digital Marketing Michael Moore, Edelman Digital President Rick Murray, BlohGer Co-Founder Jory Des Jardins and COmcasts Corporate Communications VP Jennifer Khoury. Out of the panel came four truths and one not so true bit of information. Can you guess the not so truthful approach to conversational marketing?
1. You need to really focus on reaching your customers with authentic conversation through all touch points. Jennifer Khoury, VP, Corporate Communications at Comcast Corporation emphasizes this point—if you’ve come up with a great strategy for authentic conversation make sure that it’s not just a one-off strategy. Customers calling your 1-800 line should be getting the same honest chat as people using Twitter.
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