8 Takeaways from ad:tech San Francisco

TopGetting social in real time
The recent ad:tech San Francisco conference had a good mix of topics (social and mobile everywhere), interesting presenters (although Guy Kawasaki and Arianna Huffington are hard acts to follow), and a great sense of energy. I walked away feeling that if you glanced away from this industry, you’ll be left in the dust as a marketer.

Here were my top eight takeaways from the conference:

1) “This is a more transformational time in marketing than ever before,” said 25-year industry veteran Antonio Lucio, the CMO of Visa. So true! Why? Mobile is anything, and anything is mobile. Power has shifted to the consumer. Everyone is multi-tasking, with one-third of people using three screens. The marketing funnel is now dynamic loops where consumers seek information from many sources and then become a source.

2) Given this, digital engagement and outreach must be integrated throughout organizations. For companies to succeed, digital must be an integral part of marketing, customer service and product development. Lucio also advises setting a directional goal for digital spend (Visa’s was 30%) and then tracking the impact on transactions, revenue and brand equity to find your right media mix. Hint: It’s higher than the 10% allocated on average today.

3) Define your media plan first: Given the power of the consumer, it’s even more crucial to “Think Audience First.” Lucio recommends starting by defining your media plan, essentially an engagement plan, based on consumer behavior with your products and their media consumption. Next, you should develop creative. Feels like opposite-land now, but it won’t soon.

4) The five (instead of four) “Ps” of Marketing: Brian Solis, Principal, Altimeter Group, believes we all need to add people to product, place, price and promotion in our marketing plans. Marketing is now about shaping and steering experiences. It’s about talking to the mind and heart of your customers via trans-media storytelling, not with marketing-speak.

5) KISS now means “Keep it Simple and Sharable,” ideally in 120 characters or less so that it can be easily retweeted, according to Solis.

6) Resist the desire to “market to” your fans. Per Solis, your fans are looking for value. If there isn’t value, then they will leave—it’s assimple as that. From the customer perspective that means regular engagement with special offers, interesting content, fun ways to participate and give back, not marketing messages.

7) My favorite quote came from Lucio’s keynote as he talked about the social web approach: “Marketing will become like sex. Only the losers will pay for it.” OK, that’s a stretch, but you get the point. Yes, companies will still pay to develop high-quality products that consumers buy and recommend, to support their customers, and to raise awareness. The key is to seed, nurture and support it properly (marketing 1:1:many) to get more reach and frequency from your marketing spend.

Some predictions from Dr. Jeffrey Cole, Founder of The World Internet Project: 1. Screen time explodes, 2. Privacy concerns will reach a peak, but because digital content needs digital advertising they will get addressed, and 3. Social networks will fragment over time. Facebook will reach 1B UVs and then decline. We’ll see!

One more thing… Try a Yahootini, which was featured at the Yahoo! “Powering Performance” party. Here’s the recipe:

1 shot of Ketel One Orange Vodka
Splash of Blue Curacao
Splash of Raspberry Liqueur
Splash of Lychee Puree (or more to your liking)
Lemon Wedge
And then while you are being oh-so social, multi-screening and enjoying your Yahootini, share your thoughts about Lucio’s principles of the social web:

Sharing is the new Giving.
Participation is the new Engagement.
Recommendation is the new Advertising.
By Christine Beury