Live Blogging: The Future of Marketing Summit
The Acid Test >> How prepared really are we?
A round of quickfire Q&A on the most pressing issues and ‘what ifs’ that surround the sector moderated by Martin Bowley of Kendall Tarrant Worldwide
My Take:
A panel of dinosaurs. I was shocked. SHOCKED!
Neil Jones, MD at Carat talked about how brands should pick the media channel for their communications first, and then do the creative that fits it best. Creative takes the back seat to the channel. Hmmm.
When asked if this was some kind of extension of The Media is the Message, he was clueless. As channels are so important to him, you'd think they would be first in line to take advantage of new ones. Given the conference title, you might even think media companies on the panel would be enthusiastic. Not so.
When asked if Carat (or any of the other panelists) had thought of buying space on Rocketboom, or any other video or audio podcast, the audience was treated to long blank stares.
Sheryl Norman said she needed agencies to help Coke figure out new media since there is no one at the company in charge of it. Her title? Head of Integrated Marketing Services. Hmmm.
She spoke at length about the power of TV advertising and how great Coke's TV spots are. Quick: What was the last great Coke ad you saw on TV? Exactly.
Bjarne Thelin - Chief Executive BARB (the Broadcasters' Audience Research Board - the UK's version of Nielsen) said that he is happy to measure whatever channels that pay up to be measured. When repeatedly asked if they're doign R&D on how to capture and report on data from smaller fringe channels, he had nothing to say.
Theresa Wise, Partner, Media & Entertainment at Accenture wins my dinoprize, however. For as much as I thought that Neil Jones' smug and oblivious answers' were ignorant and short-sighted, Theresa was downright pathetic. Allow me to paraphrase a bit of the Q&A from the panel:
Question: One blog is created every second. What do you think of the long tail of the internet? Is there value there? Things like MySpace, do they have value?
Theresa: No. The Arctic Monkeys are the exception to the rule. I don't think you can reach a wide enough audience on places like that. There are all these people out there writing whatever it is they do. And bands. But, who says they'll be successful. I don't see it happening.
Question: What is the most future-looking thing you've seen recently?
Teresa: Memory sticks that hold movies. In the future, you'll be able to take the memory stick with a movie on it and put it in your phone. You'll be able to use that same memory stick to watch that movie in your hotel room.
Question: When speaking of consumer advertising and the adoption and use of new media, don't you think it is a bit naive to call it a dotcom crash? After all, consumers have done nothing but use it more.
Theresa: Well (laughs) Boo.com is a great site, isn't it?
The panel:
Bjarne Thelin – Chief Executive BARB
Neil Jones – Managing Director Carat UK
Theresa Wise – Partner, Media & Entertainment Accenture
Sheryl Norman – Head of Integrated Marketing Services Coca Cola
Friday, March 03, 2006
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