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6.25.13 Digiday logo

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(Digiday) – Do you remember when you were a child playing with your friends and completely losing track of time, ignoring the constant reminders about dinnertime? Did you ever turn a towel into a cape to become a superhero or an eraser into a car to become the next NASCAR champion? Did you ever find great pleasure in a mess of unorganized toys and odd clothes?

It’s this young, imaginative, free spirit that fosters happiness and allows creativity to peak. This childhood state is often coupled with inefficient chaos, which can ironically transform into creative masterpieces. Like all things in nature, people and ideas move through a life cycle of stages, including childhood, young adult, middle age and, finally, old age. Sadly, we often find that with age, execution, efficiency, ease and speed become heightened priorities at the expense of creativity.

Our industry is experiencing the young and old stages at the same time, which explains the feelings of turbulence and uncertainty. In its youthful state, digital media is creating an evolving, chaotic environment with a wealth of unpredictable possibilities and new ideas. Dynamic, inventive and strategic ideas are combining with technology to make the impossible possible, and it’s happening at an accelerating rate. We are in the childhood of a new industry era, and the proper environments
need to be cultivated so that we can achieve healthy growth.

Read more on Digiday.

(Reuters) – As more newspapers cut back on print to reduce costs and focus on their websites, a troubling trend has emerged: online advertising sales are stalling.

In the first quarter, digital advertising revenue at newspapers rose just 1 percent from a year ago, the fifth consecutive quarter that growth has declined, according to the Newspaper Association of America, a trade organization.

A flood of excess advertising space, the rise of electronic advertising exchanges that sell ads at cut-rate prices, and the weak U.S. economy are all contributing to the slowdown, publishing executives and observers say.

For an industry savaged by the erosion of print advertising dollars, significantly boosting digital revenue is necessary for survival.

Read more from Jennifer Saba at Reuters.

Digital is evolving with the progression of new screens, devices, and technologies. When Charles Darwin developed his theory of evolution, he coined the phrase “survival of the fittest.” In this competitive, digital media environment, evolution is best described by the phrase “survival of those who execute best.”

Why is execution necessary for survival? Currently, digital media execution has become one of the main obstacles for growth, largely due to the reliance on outdated methods of planning, buying, and implementing media. Eye-straining spreadsheets, endless emails, continual phone calls and even archaic fax machines (what?!), are the primary channels for execution; these are not sustainable or realistic for the ever-changing landscape. They are costly, time-consuming distractions that stretch valuable resources.

In fact, many media professionals today are drowning in logistical work that prohibits advancement. In a past study that we conducted among media directors, supervisors, buyers, planners, and account executives, 85 percent of respondents indicated that they would prefer to spend more time on highly strategic work, but instead, they spend the bulk of their time managing administrative or logistical activities. Additionally, this workload often results in a 10+ hour work day. These findings uncover vast improvement opportunities that can significantly unlock creativity, specialization, and modernization.

Plain and simple, “smart” execution should never be overlooked; it is the heartbeat behind every creative idea. Companies will suffer from employee frustration, stagnant processes, and even worse, a future destined for failure if media execution is not given proper attention. Companies need to persistently evolve and change with consumer needs, while identifying new opportunities to create speed and alignment. These opportunities should be driven by innovative technology coupled with digital expertise. Otherwise, competition will prevail. We all know that for every Facebook, there is a MySpace who did not evolve fast enough.

The future is up for grabs; it belongs to whoever executes best… 

Emerging technologies are expanding and overflowing into our daily lives. Today, most people do not distinguish between online display, video, mobile, internet radio, and digital-out-of-home channels. Instead, these emerging channels are automatically integrated into everyday routines, often simultaneously, to create an addictive, digital way of life. Mobile, video, and internet radio channels are just a few of the emerging technologies that are exploding in adoption and advertising growth.

These emerging channels are all on the rise, evolving into an all-encompassing digital experience for engaged and hungry consumers.

Great read by Mike Shields: Making the Wrong Impression - How sites with dubious content are attracting ads from blue-chip brands

Obviously, great writing like this has many low quality players scared based on the comments received.  Mike Shields is shedding light on things a lot of companies, many of the brand name ad tech companies, don’t want people to know.  But, that’s why journalism exists.  And that’s why high-quality, journalistic-based media companies deserve better than how the current SSP/DSP market is treating them.

Premium brand advertisers deserve premium quality sites and environments. If someone thinks it’s only about the audience and the environment doesn’t matter, they don’t understand how marketing works.

Mike, keep calling it as you see it. You’re on the right side of history as the industry matures and weeds out bottom feeding companies. Thanks for a great read!

This futuristic film is becoming more of a reality. Recently, we took another advance in the space with the latest 3D motion control technology announcement by Leap Motion. Whereas Wii and Kinect opened gesture-based technology to the public, Leap Motion has provided a gateway for the technology to enter a third dimension. CNET ran a great profile of the announcement. You can read it here.

While the technology is still in the very early stages and the application is still being finalized, this release should grab the attention of every advertiser interested in driving consumer engagement. If we are at the point where gesture-based technologies are introduced to desktops, we are nearing a point where adoption can move across all digital screens. Similar to Minority Report’s fantasy world of digital OOH and digital place-based media, any place that has a digital screen has the potential to be outfitted with this technology. As a result, a completely different user experience will come into play.

Imagine waiting for a bus, and having the opportunity to play Milton Bradley’s “Operation” game with only the movement of your hands. Or, imagine having the chance to make a virtual Boboli pizza by using your hands to scoop and spread the sauce, sprinkle cheese, toss pepperoni slices, and finally, to lift up and slide the pie into the oven. Instead of the typical “drag-and-drop” functionality that we are accustom to seeing through existing rich media, you could use the movements of your hands to make an action come to life. The possibilities are endless.

What else could marketers do with this type of technology?