Why Interactive?

It's not just the hype the brought me into interactive. It's that I've always been a part of it, and as long as I have my eyes, fingers and a fully functioning brain, I will always be a part of the www.

Being only two years out of school, I have a lot to learn, so I can hardly sell myself as any kind of expert. My strength lies in my well-developed instincts about technology and online trends. This is not really something they can teach you at school, and I know lots of people my age and younger who just don't get it.

My love of the Internet can be traced back to 1997. I was only 12 and I can still hear the vivid bbbbbbbrrrrrrrrcccccccccctttchhhhhhhhhhweeeeeeeeee of dial up.

I created my own Geocities homepage when I was 13 which was actually just a blog, but it still got 100 unique visitors every month! I've learned that it's much more difficult now to find an audience.

I was an mIRC, Chathouse, ICQ fanatic, used Napster/Morpheus, played online multiplayer games until the wee hours of the morning, had an AsianAvenue account, and had taught myself basic HTML.

I've ridden the wave of the Dot Com Boom even though I was too young to realize it. I've observed with fascination the evolution of social media, user experience, direct marketing, e-commerce, gaming and content sharing.

So tomorrow, when I meet face-to-face with one of the leaders in Canadian digital marketing, I will remember who I am. While I don't have influence over the future of the Internet or shaping it on a large scale; I will always stay true to my vision...

The Internet is a limitless arena for influencing the way people think/feel/act by:

• Providing information to the people who want it
  
• Unique and personal experiences that are meaningful and useful
• Transcends physical boundaries by connecting people and ideas
  

And as the depth and breadth of the Internet grows, so will I.

Future of the Internet – Colleen Decourcy, Chief Digital Officer, TBWA Chiat/Day

May 27, 2008 - Internet Day, Toronto

In the ballroom of the Sheraton, over 300 members of the Toronto Ad Club and guests were gathered to hear Canadian Business’ It Girl tell us about her vision of the Future. Everything was branded from the flowers by The Weather Network and “Colleen Decourcy brought to you by Yahoo! Canada”.

It soon became quite clear that Decourcy was not here to promote the people who made this event possible. From references to Google instead of Yahoo! and pointing out the obvious pitfalls of display advertising and microsites, Decourcy gave us all a reality check. I resisted the temptation to chuckle out of respect for the AOL media sales guys who made it possible for me to attend.

Beyond “Shoot the Monkey”

Despite the fact that DA weight allowances continues to slowly increase and there are ever so many ways to get in front of consumers online (page take-overs, top layer, expandable, dynamic text, etc.), Decourcy points out that we haven’t really evolved much since the “Shoot the Monkey” animated gifs of yesteryear.

She challenged us to think about all the other touchpoints at which to reach our audiences. Each consumer has a “deck”, she tells us. Like a desktop. This is a challenge I face everyday when clients and overzealous account execs want to throw in a widget here and a facebook app there. Their objective is to give the client as much bang for their buck, but there’s a tendency to look only in the obvious places, but not the relevant ones.

Yet Another New Era in Advertising

My favourite part of the presentation was when Decourcy put the digital age into context of the media timeline. When films were first being made, they were produced like a live performance. Except the same excitement an audience gets from seeing live theatre where anything can and does happen doesn’t exist in a dark, isolated theatre. The rules changed.

So in the last 10 years or so, when we’ve evolved from websites and e-mail to websites, e-mail, social networks, blogs, wiki, mobile, etc. why are we still developing “Shoot the Monkey” creative?

Things I Learned

Here are a few of the notes I took during the presentation... clearly not verbatim and barely legible in reality:

• Medium = conversation + cooperation + empowerment
• Satiating the desire to spend time
• “It’s not about what we do, but how we use the technology”
• If you want to be relevant, we start at the consumer’s reflexes
• We were early in jumping onto the advertising media bandwagon – should have focused more on digital product development first
• Long-tail = deeper engagement
• Brand Belief vs. Brand Behaviour
• Time for the next creative revolution
• It all has to lead to digital
• Technology is an enabler not a destination

Wrap it Up

Decourcy only had time to present two case studies: Pedigree and Method, and I was sad that she couldn’t get to the iPhone campaign. What’s exciting about her work is that she brings all media together into something that really taps into consumers contextually relevant situations.

This is an individual who is not afraid to get inside her audience and find out what really makes them tick. Decourcy is renowned for a unique consumer profiling technique which I’m very curious about. Of course it’s her trade secret, and the Future of the Internet presentation was more about her philosophy and POV than giving away her methods.

The presentation ended with Q&A where Decourcy hesitatingly admitted that she thought Spot Runner’s “stuff looks like shit”. I was happy to discover at that point that it pays to be brutally honest.

Totally inspired

I went to a Toronto Ad Club event on Tuesday, May 27 for Internet Day 2008. This year’s keynote was Colleen Decourcy, Chief Digital Officer of TBWA Chiat Day, NYC – my very first industry idol.

I originally read about Colleen Decourcy in a copy of Canadian Business that talked about her background as CCO for Organic Toronto, Chief Experience Officer at JWT and then Chief Digital Officer at TBWA Chiat Day. The article talked about her creativity, ingenuity and her ability to bridge the gap between digital and traditional experiences.

I kept the article at work because it really inspired me at a time when I didn’t know what was going to happen. At the time, I had just left a large ad agency for one that was virtually unknown to pursue a career in an area that most people had never heard of. Colleen represents a future that I wasn’t really sure existed.

After her presentation, I walked up to her and all the clever speeches I made up flew out of my head. I clumsily mumbled something and she gave me the sparkliest of smiles and embraced me. As others crowded around to speak with her, I backed away, numbed by the suddenness of it all.

I am thankful that the unconventional path that I had chosen last November had brought me to this point where I could meet someone that I look up to and be acknowledged by her. It may not have been the most daring of conversations, but in the grand scheme of things, it was kind of perfect.

Next post will focus on Colleen Decourcy’s presentation on the deep engagement.

Digital Intelligence

I totally made it up.

When I first decided I wanted to get into strategic planning, I didn’t really know how one became a strategic planner. So I kept my eyes and ears open and discovered that there are two ways in: research or very senior account management.

In interactive, digital strategists are still a new breed and they come from all kinds of backgrounds, mainly: technology, account planning or marketing management. Finding a digital strategist that can offer both technology and advertising expertise is rare and in high demand.

Recently, I was given the opportunity to jump into the digital strategy pool because of my advertising background and sharp instincts about the www. And like traditional strategic planners, I’m starting out doing hardcore research – a practice which I’ve coined “digital intelligence”.

I can see you…

What’s cool about online marketing is that a lot of what’s happening in your category is fully transparent. At any moment, you can dive into what your competitors are doing online if you’re willing to invest the time… and if you can afford it, the tools.

Unlike traditional advertising where ad effectiveness can be difficult to measure or predict, digital marketing can be a little bit easier to control but it requires the manpower to strategize, optimize and manage everything from media plans, search campaigns, SEO, landing pages, display creative options, user experience, etc.

For people who are go-go-go, this job probably sounds terribly tedious. But what makes this position so rewarding comes from knowing that the fruit of my efforts has an overall effect on the business. Educated clients make sounder decisions; a well-informed agency gains stronger trust; and a strategy based on reality rather than assumption performs better.

Snowballing

In this article from Adotas on Interactive Creative Skills that Every Agency Needs, while it doesn’t include a digital intelligence specialist, it does illustrate how interactive agencies can’t function the same way as a traditional one. In today’s interactive shop, we all put on different hats depending on what we’re naturally attuned to (and not necessarily on what we went to school for). As long as it’s all for a common goal which should always be to effectively drive consumer behaviour through online technology.

CaseCamp 7... Hobnobbing in Social Media

Toronto – Last night I attended my first social media conference, CaseCamp 7. Organized by Eli Singer, over 400 people showed up for the event – so many that people who had to work late (like myself) had nowhere to sit.

It felt like speed dating where case studies were presented in 15 minutes or less – although they could’ve been more… after all, who was counting?

There was a big networking dance party afterwards although I was still too shy to participate, I got to meet Sean Moffitt – a leader of buzz marketing. KOL's like Sean and Eli are a highly sought-after resource for any marketer today who wants to jump on the social media gravy train.

Here’s what went down…

Red Flag Deals

Derek Szeto, founder of RFD.com talked about their recent Boxing Week success, largely attributed to their SEO superiority built up over the past couple of years and the resources they devoted into building their community and their retailer relationships.

Story2Oh!

Jill Golick, a screen writer who has cracked into effective storytelling online using social media through two fictional characters: Simon Beals and Ali Barrett. She created these two characters on Facebook and used all aspects of social media (twitter, delicio.us, flickr, youtube) to create a storyline that engaged Simon and Ali’s friends (the real ones) in multiple touch-points.

It’s controversial because people expect their Facebook friends to be real, and although Jill tried to make it clear on all of Simon and Ali’s profiles that they were fictional – I don’t think most people really read profiles, and some people were annoyed that they were fooled by Simon and Ali just prior to CaseCamp.

Radiothon Diaries

Sick Kids Hospital increased their fundraising this year partially because of some really touching viral video content they put out. It was a last minute project and they shared some of the challenges they faced, but considering the increase in donations they saw, it was worth the hustle.

TD Canada Trust Facebook

TD Canada Trust used a Facebook group to get in touch with 18-25 demographic which tied into a really cool event which involved kids, discounts and a shopping tour. As a bank, they had to overcome a lot of challenges mainly PR related. This case shows that it’s OK for a company to allow their customers to speak their minds. We’re all saying shit anyway and their acceptance of transparency goes a long way in promoting trust.

the people want to keep it real

i suggested several polls on tuesday, and finally ONE of them got approved yesterday.

then this morning, i was informed that my poll is officially WHAT THE PEOPLE WANT!

unfortunately i don't get to make any claims to prizes or anything, and i don't live in NYC so i won't get to see i emblazoned in times square, but at least... if i see it being sold at my local vw dealership... i'll know that i contributed to what will henceforth be the best vw campaign since the lemon.

the people want to be famous

what people want campaign

this question grabbed my attention immediately and when was the last time you saw an interesting message in a banner ad?

the neatly built and branded vw What The People Want microsite asks:

"Do you want an end to political correctness?"

or fun question like, "Do you want to take the tiny soap and shampoo bottles from hotel rooms?"

(btw, last time i checked the majority of people want both!)
users are encouraged to suggest an opinion of their own and the poll that generates the most positive votes gets:

• printed on t-shirts, bumper stickers, mugs and pins
• giant interactive sign in Times Square, NYC

opinion polls are not the nkotb of the internet obviously, but i've got to give a not to vw for showing some courage and doing something not a lot of car companies are willing to promote - honesty.

this is a solid buzz campaign that makes the most of people's love of online polls and interactive spectacles in outdoor spaces. the campaign that i stumbled upon was clearly targeted towards new yorkers, but i think vw should take this all the major cities across north america... and even the world. they can stretch this for miles by comparing what the people want in each city.

this campaign is especially timely during the u.s. presidential primaries. people are ITCHIN to make their vote count. this may sound crazy, but do you think that the people that vw is engaging are more likely to vote in the elections than not???

the final word

brand experience has never been so accessible to the masses than online, and gives off the general vibe that vw is thoughtful and progressive. what do you bet that those are two psych descriptors for the consumers they're trying to engage? not only did i have fun submitting my opinion, i liked that the vehicle push was secondary to the overall brand experience.

great url - lazy campaign

getahappyface.com

there's such a disconnect in the way most consumer goods are being advertised online. i found out about this campaign on adotas today and it was such a disappointment.

but let's talk about the good stuff first. the design is gorgeous. very modern and user friendly.

the best part are the video demos for their collection of st. ives elements widgets because what i really hate about downloading widgets is often, i don't know what i'm gonna get until it's on my desktop. and i uninstall them almost immediately because i haven't yet come across a commercial widget that i don't already use iGoogle for. so there.

i don't really see why anyone would want these widgets anyway - especially the GOODNIGHT TXT MSGs. does anyone want st. ives to write them a goodnight txt msg? they don't even give you an example of what kind of messages to expect. it all just seems really kitchy to me.

here's where the campaign really starts to fall apart for me.

as a part of the audience (female, buys a lot of competitive skin products), there are some essential question that this site simply does not answer:

1. is this product right for my skin?
2. where's the swag??? (i.e. discounts, sample offers, etc.)

then there are the hot spots. why does a bottle of cream need to rotate and offer hot spots of information? this is not a car or even a cell phone. you can't even magnify the back details to see ingredients.







then i took a look at their current display ads and they appear to have a deal with instyle magazine to promote a sweepstakes both online and offline, which is great, but is that all you're going to do? we all know how much you can charge for a Flash microsite these days so wouldn't it make sense to dedicate a bigger portion of your ad budget to drive online traffic? don't they want anyone to see the site???

from an audience perspective, the internet is a fantastic place to advertising detailed product benefits because people go online to read and that's a fact. i was happy to see that st. ives did an advertorial which only appears in lime.com.

anyway, i'm sure their offline campaign more than makes up for their online attempt.

the future of mobile

with the mobile boom looming, but obviously not in full boom as eMarketer points out in a recent report regarding the current spend trend in this channel. but i wanted to make a few predictions here so i'll have something to look back to and double-check my instincts in the future. ready? here i go!

1. boom thrives in the masses

at this very moment, the best form of mobile advertising is driven by events where consumers can enter contests or txt a msg to a jumbotron. at this time, txt is much more comfortable for the common people who may not have an iphone, sidekick or any other phone that supports wifi web browsing. until this type of technology becomes available at a reasonable price for your kid sister and your mom to pick up, mobile advertising will continue to be limited in scope.

2. let the leaders lead and the rest will follow

it will take 5 more years before this type of technology will be fully adapted by the average person. just look at the ipod! i think there was at least a 3 year drag between early adopters and mainstream. this is a strategy in itself because the early adopters want to adopt early, and the mainstream want to wait until the early adopters have deemed a product worthy before adopting. i myself can't afford to be an early adopter, but i feel ok with that because i don't really want to overpay for the guinea pig that will be nicely revamped and improved in only a few years.

3. connecting consumers in real time

where online advertising is driven by niche/social/contextual, mobile advertising will be driven by personal/instant/location.

save the earth - post a vid

Whole Earth Generation

today's kids are groomed at a young age to lead the future's brand advocacy which is controversial since their underdeveloped cynicism isn't adequate defense against advertisers. instead of preying on their innocence as some brands have done, whole foods is encouraging kids to get involved in a good cause (i.e. the environment).

timed lovingly with earth week, the whole earth generation campaign is asking kids to share a 2 min. utube vid showing what they're doing for our environment and they're encouraged to be creative about the format. the most popular vid will be featured in a campaign leading up to Earth Day (April 22) and the winning young activist will get to host a whole green generation podcast.

this is so good for the brand and the success of it doesn't necessarily lie in the numbers, but the deep emotional impact it's going to have on the whole foods families that participate.

scion figures out audience's sweeeeetspot

Scion Speak.com

i used to work on a car account which shall remain nameless, and we tried really hard to create a cult following using "viral" campaigns, stupidly slow "interactive" microsites and all the usual bs tactics used on a tired customer db. but unless the car is sexy enough to be in a james bond movie, cult followings are not for sale.

scion's Scion Speak microsite caught my eye because it doesn't force you to watch a 30 second flash intro of the car and there is nary a hot spot in sight. instead, you can create your own nicely designed decals for your scion (assuming that you own a scion) that you can print and get it tagged on your ride, or download as a JPG or buddy icon.

when you're done, your hot new badge gets added to a giant spiral shaped gallery where you can look and steal others:

Dear Baby Jesus, please bless Apple, Nintendo, Chanel...

www.christvertising.com

"Christvertising takes a whole new approach to market your brand. We skip the strategic deliverables. We pass on the matrixes, the deliverables and the metrics. We ignore any viral functionality. We focus on the ultimate end-user: God." - Dr. Evan Pelt, Christvertising.com

For real??? Prob. not but take a browse around because it is some funny fucking shit. Thank GOD it's Friday!

movie promo ppl are creepy

a facebook tactic to promote the movie, untraceable, was pulled before i got a chance to check it out. the movie's about a serial killer who broadcasts his snuff films online - and to create buzz, universal pics decided to create a facebook group: "Kill With Me"

the page promised:

"This guy is going to die. You want to see his stinking flesh burn and bleed and blacken? Until he's some twisted dead thing? This is what you want. And I've filmed it especially for you. The more fans I get, the more I'll show ..."

during the 5 days while this page was live, unipics slowly revealed more clips from the movie. and they expected the page to be pulled since facebook is clearly against content that's "hateful, threatening and obscene" and have moved on to more traditional means of promotion.

i really wish i could've had a chance to see how many people this group collected - even if it shows a really creepy and unscrupulous side of universal pics and its promo company, the picture production company, i bet it did the job! and i bet the movie won't be even 1/10000th as good as the promo tactic.

virtual ikea is so much better than the real thing.

ikea.com

fun! ikea takes disposable furniture shopping to a whole new level with this microsite.

• interactivity: check
• seamless video: check
• sells products: check
• improves brand identity: check

everyone goes to ikea. a trip to ikea may not be a facebook event to post about, and it doesn't matter if you make 25K or 100K; we all do it. ok there may be some brand-whores or anti-brand-whores who might snub cheap furniture, but judging from the line-ups any given friday night, saturday or sunday - i think it's fair to say : we all fucking go to ikea.

but how many times have you gone to ikea to look for the perfect (and affordable) tv stand and walk out, instead, with a new set of stylized drinking glasses and a belly full of spaghetti for only 99 cents?

i think creating a microsite that encourages online purchases is a fantastic idea for ikea. and here's why:

this site makes ikea furniture look amazing!

and let's face it, the ikea showroom has trouble hiding the wear and tear that their furniture is so prone to. so you take away the hordes of people and children; remove the frustration of trying to fit a 7 ft. tall wardrobe organizer into your car (will those fold down seats make any difference???) and - voila - we can pretend the furniture isn't made of particle board!

this won't affect their in-store sales at all because a trip to ikea is still entertaining and you can't buy their swedish meatballs or ginger cookies online. plus, for the kids, the ikea ballpit is so much better than gimpy McDonald's playgrounds.

plus d'inspiration!

adrien donot

photographer/illustrator/designer. can't find a bio on him tho - he might have wanted to be a musician when he was young.

ford takes model-obsession online.

fordmodels.tv

SMRT! what better way for a modelling agency to develop their brand online than to post candid (more or less) videos of their models??? of course anyone can put vids on utube, but they've actually managed to set up a profitable advertising system that hasn't (yet) tampered with the integrity of the pseudo b-roll.

according to Inc.com, this venture is already in the black. and at $200 production per vid, i'm not surprised.