Here I am trying to compare the virtues of blogger, typepad, wordpress and drupal.

Any thoughts?

Observations from a self-confessed analogue media dinosaur:

Who wins when the irresistible force meets the immovable object? The answer is Japie. After more than 30 years of reach, frequency and GRPS, it takes a lot to get this dyed in the wool media man on a plane for 18 hours to go listen to a  conference on digital advertising. But Japie is the digital equivalent of the whirlwind in The Wizard of Oz and so, like Dorothy, I wake up somewhere over the rainbow at AdTech Chicago 2009.
So what did I learn?
Well the bad news is that I know less about digital advertising than I thought. And the good news is that even an analogue media dinosaur like me can learn it. Why? Because speaker after speaker emphasized the simple reality that digital advertising is all about marketing. Yes the discipline has its own jargon like all media … I mean what the hell is a widget? Or the difference between upper funnel and lower funnel keywords … but if you frame the jargon within the marketing context it begins to make sense.
The biggest barrier to embracing the new technologies is not the technologies themselves, but seeing them as some kind of standalone theme park. You know you can have a lot of fun but you get off the ride wondering where the next “bigger and better” thrill is going to come from. The real challenge is not creating a closed digital ecosystem that exists apart from the brand, however exciting and engaging that may be, but to integrate digital media applications into the overall brand communication. It’s about achieving the balance between playing with the next “bright shiny object” and communicating sustainable brand values and properties.
Easier said than done. Sure! But that’s the challenge. Too many marketers see digital media as the latest form of direct response advertising.  See it only as a promotional mechanism to create short term sales spikes, rather than as a platform to enhance competitive brand positioning. You might not be able to beat the recession but you might just be able to beat the opposition.
So that’s the top line observation but what’s the bottom line takeout? From a media perspective there is a marketing communication jigsaw puzzle. It has a set number of pieces like radio, TV and print. But unless you know where the “digital piece” fits into the puzzle, you won’t ever see the big picture.
So next time Japie says “go digital” … just listen to him. It’s cheaper than flying to Chicago.
Gordon Muller
GSM Quadrant.

Gordon is a media planning specialist and has been for many years. He advises large companies on media strategies. ( soon digital strategies!)

The keynote address here at ad:tech Chicago was by Rishad Tobaccowala, CEO of Denuo and Chief Innovation Officer at Publicis Groupe Media. It took the form of an interview by Drew Ianni of ad:tech. Rishad offered some outstanding advice and comments and below is my take / synopsis of his various comments and statements:

The top 3 aspects of digital Rishad considers worth noting:

• social
• mobility
• search

The issue with social is that it is relatively easy to scale the audience, but difficult to scale the marketing.

Both agency structure and client structures are not built for the future of marketing and needs to be changed.

One of Rishad’s biggest issues is that it is not about advertising but about marketing.

He referenced a recent study in terms of which all the various marketing and advertising channels were surveyed to measure its efficiency. Out of a scale of 100, TV scored 112. According to Rashid TV still works. Word of Mouth however scored 132. This is where social media comes in and where it can be utilized to market a company’s products and services.

He also believes that the single greatest thing a company can do to sell more is not advertising or marketing, but rather to have a  superior product or service or a niche market. This will get people talking and do more for your business than any marketing or advertising. He cited Google and Apple as good examples of companies that get people talking.

One of the major benefits of social media is the way it allows a brand to LISTEN to its clients and detractors. Focus on those detractors and their influence and not just on your fans.

Drew Iani and Rishad Tobaccowala

It’s day one of Ad-Tech here in Chicago. The proceedings are due to start in a few minutes. The toughest decision today is going to be which sessions to attend and which to miss. All in all I will attend 7 sessions today. They are:

1. Keynote presentation: Advertising 3.0
2. Keynote round table: State of the Industry
3. The power of the social graph
4. From digital presence to customer engagement
5. Leveraging social media and UCG to achieve clear goals and business objectives
6. Online video industry forum discussion