Ed's Letter - Jun 07

Ever get the feeling that you who play in the business of marketing arena are lost in this big silo where theories abound and good ads or campaigns are only heard of at award shows or seminars? And that people can preach to you about this new medium and that new technique until the cows come home but you still ask yourself "will my customer give a damn about all this?" or "will it really help my business?".

I used to get that feeling once in a while but I recently had the opportunity to listen to some of the world's leaders in digital marketing and that has helped re-jig my perception of the effects of their work.

I was invited by Microsoft to attend its 8^th Annual Strategic Account Summit in Seattle this month - which by the way was an amazing experience and a very rejuvenating break - and aside from the wealth of current knowledge being shared, it was hard to ignore the Microsoft speakers' regular calls for the audience to get in touch with them to partner on new ideas.

As speakers such as Kim Kadlec, VP, worldwide media for Johnson & Johnson, Kevin Wall, founder and CEO of Control Room, Ben Silverman, CEO of Reveille, and Michael Jackson, VP of marketing and advertising for GM North America (who recently announced he will be stepping down) took to the stage, it became more and more apparent how all these guys are the figurative potter's tools which are shaping today's digital marketing world.

The deals that they sign to marry their content or ideas with technological developments such as those of Microsoft are in more facets of our lives than we know. From their web TV channels to their instant messaging campaigns to their interactive mobile banner ads...  I was overwhelmed by the sea of possibilities the discussions presented.

Other big names who spoke include Microsoft chairman Bill Gates in one of his final public speaking engagements, DraftFCB chairman and CEO Howard Draft, Publicis Groupe chairman and CEO Maurice Levy, Droga5 CEO David Droga, and Microsoft corporate VP and chief media officer for MSN Joanne Bradford.

Not bad for an event that started out as a 20-man gathering eight years ago in the Microsoft campus in Redmond, Seattle.

I think the main thing I got out of the event was hope - hope for all marketers who spend hours, days, months and years on the cutting edge of their digital craft trying new ways to make better business. You definitely will not notice it right away, but every campaign you launch and every click you get on your ad adds to the global ‘ball of yarn' that digital marketing as an industry is spinning. Every step takes you closer to a more mature, cost effective and accountable playing field which everyone wishes for.

Cheers to no more flying blind online!

Debbie Cai

editor