Twitter Stream from Digital Hollywood : SplashCast Blog

Twitter Stream from Digital Hollywood

Posted on May 7, 2008
Posted by Mike Berkley

Those of you who follow me on twitter endured quite a barrage of real-time notes / observations from Digital Hollywood, streaming from my BlackBerry on Monday and Tuesday. [Yes, my fingers bled.]

As an experiment, I am posting all those tweets below in this blog. I realize a blog is a very different storytelling / communication medium than Twitter, so it may not translate well. But this does create an archive of my notes that may also be helpful to you.

Panel #1: Deconstructing Advertising
Making choices in a universe of limitless choice: broadband, social networks, mobile, TV, cable, games, VOD, and ITV.

  • Adam Stewart is the “vertical director for media and entertainment” for GOOG. Huh? Google has vertical content? Where besides YouTube?

  • Future of advertising: moving from “ad buying” to “experience making”, so says Stephanie Sarofian, Digitas.

  • Everyone on panel agrees that consumer interaction with brand is primary focus of advertising going forward.

  • Accountability / tracking / metrics will become more important in this new world of advertising.

  • Gary Hebert from MSFT: branded entertainment is MSFT focus. Really?

  • MSFT: ultra targeted ads will be delivered based on what user is doing at that very moment on his/her PC (which web pages, apps are open, etc)

  • Discussion has shifted entirely to future of targeting.

  • Lack of standards is biggest road block in the value chain of digital advertising.

  • Google: advertising is currently in an “evolution”, not yet a “revolution”.

  • Biggest challenge for agencies is how to charge for “good ideas”.

  • Agencies: how to charge in a post-commission world? Agencies need to figure out how to monetize ideas.

  • From brand perspective: too many choices to connect with audience. Overwhelming.

  • David Wolf from Accenture: “Facebook has figured out that banner ads aren’t working, and is changing strategies.”

  • Wing Pepper of MRM Worldwide: “media technology platforms need to listen to agencies and cooperate more.” Translation: agencies know what brands want, tech companies don’t.

  • Google: “media platforms need to find balance between user needs and brand needs. But the user is more important.”

  • Wing Pepper (MRM) on widgets-as-ads: the more utility the widget, the better for brand.

  • MSFT: give users ability to “save ads” for later consumption to minimize interruption, lessen intrusiveness.

Panel #2: Advertising NEXT
Social networks, user generated video, search, blogs, IMs, podcasts, broadband and mobile — it’s the breakthrough year!

  • “Advertising NEXT” panel. McCann Worldwide, Kosmix, Starcom, Quantcast

  • “Search engines aren’t smart, they’re mathmatical. They don’t really understand context or intent”. Yet.

  • This panel is too heady, non tactical, and a bit pretentious. I’m bored.

Panel #3: Deconstructing Advertising
Making choices in a universe of limitless choice: broadband, social networks, mobile, TV, cable, games, VOD, and ITV.

  • Switched rooms to “Monetizing UGC Video” panel with MySpace, YouTube, and Heavy.com. Much better.

  • YouTube focusing on more devices for greater distribution. And on maximizing vid quality, based on device.

  • The Onion: offsite distribution deals (myspace, youtube, etc) is NOT canabolizing their onsite traffic.

  • Broadcast networks actively using YouTube to pilot/test TV shows. Hugely helpful.

  • YouTube: leveraging AdSense heavily for distributing video onto blogs, as a service for content creators.

  • When agencies create killer content for a brand, who owns that content? Agencies are starting to consider license models — they want to retain ownership of content they create for brands.

  • YouTube pre rolls send 40-50% of viewers away. Overlay ads only a tiny bit better.

Panel #4: Personalized Media Platforms
Widgets, user generated media, news, music, and blogs.

  • “Personalized Media Platforms” panel. Pandora, Userplane, NowPublic.com, JD Lasica, CNET.

  • Washingtonpost.com: “we’re on the Chumby”. Hey, I love the Chumby!

  • Washingtonpost.com: “we have to be everywhere: every mobile device, facebook apps, youtube, etc…”

  • Washingtonpost.com: “we are no longer a destination; we are everywhere where the audience is.”

  • NowPublic.com: “two types of personalization: content I like, and brands I like.”

  • Pandora: “personalization still requires too much upfront investment on the part of user”

  • Userplane: “over personalization can lead to an environment when no one learns anything new.”

  • Has social media fatigue set in? Do we really care that your cat drank from the toilet?

  • Discussion of twitter comes up. Is it valuable? I raise my hand to tell panel I am live tweeting them right now.

  • After I speak, the panel shifts attitude and begins talking about twitter with a different spin: it “can” be helpful. Funny!

  • Your current physical location in the world is going to be a new layer on top of all these web services…

  • …It will be a killer feature that truly connects people in the real world, not just on the web.

  • Mobile is going to be primary platform for identity, communication, content, engagement… everything.

  • Is privacy dead? No, but we need to move from opt-out culture to opt-in culture. Including ads, I think.

  • NowPublic on UGC: people are generally lazy about creating content; don’t package stories well.

  • Gotta say that the panels are interesting, but really no new thinking is emerging.

  • We are at the “sorting it out” stage in the media evolution, as opposed to “innovation” stage.

Cocktail Party
Where the real social application is applied.

  • Cocktail party at Digital Hollywood. Drinking with guy named “Lover”, porn star agent, and guy named “D”, snoop dogg agent.

  • Update: networking with who’s who in hip hop. Meeting all the hustlers who pair artists with brands.

  • OK, I’ve positioned SplashCast well in adult vertical through cemented relationship with “Lover”. Work done. Bed time now.

Panel #5: Contextual Media & Advertising
Transforming and redefining the relationship between the consumer, advertising, and media platforms.

  • First panel of the day: “Contextual Media & Advertising”

  • Panelists include Saatchi &Saatchi, NBC Digital, Glam Media, moderated by dude from Ogilvy & Mather.

  • Discussion of Glam transformation from vertical content play to vertical ad network.

  • Glam focusing on brand advertising rather than performance-based ads.

  • Saatchi+Saatchi blah blah blah blah… puleeese, say something new!

  • Saatchi one of the last agencies to keep creative and media under same roof.

  • TV2.0 is distributing the entertainment to consumers, where they want it in both time and place.

  • Discussion on data collection by advertisers.

  • What are consumers desiring at a particular time, place, context, etc? Deep data analysis can answer this.

  • Data collection by advertisers will provide so much benefit to consumers that it will ultimately win out over privacy concerns.

  • Intelligent, personal, friendly ads are better for users than the current state of display ads.

  • Saatchi working on tech that not only reads your mind, but can make purchase decisions for you.

  • Ha! That was a joke.

  • Ah, now talking about the topic of “engagement”.

  • These guys just talked for 10 minutes on “engagement” and said absolutely nothing!

  • Engagement is more about the creative than the media buy. Engagment is about emotional response.

  • “Ad technology does not create engagement, content does.” [I, for one, do not totally agree with that.]

  • Glam: syndicates content to their 500 sites, not just ads. Glam editors pick best stories to syndicate.

  • (My comment) Glam focused 100% on editorial content to create engagement, rather than creating more compelling advertising units.

  • Saatchi: fresh, always changing content is critical. Big task! (This we know at SplashCast)

  • In-video, contextual ads is holy grail.

  • Meta tagging of video is hella big task that no one still has an answer to (GOOG as well?).

  • How to monetize social networks? How do advertisers take advantage of this? Is there an economic model?

  • YES! Social network advertising “must be user initiated”. Opt-in ads.

  • “Social ads need to provide utility or entertainment to users”

  • “Contextual Media & Ads” panel grade: C-

Panel #6: Social Media & User Generated Media Economy
The content, personalization, lifestyle, and advertising phenomenon.

  • New panel “Social Media & UGC”: metacafe, kickapps, aol, youtube, redpoint ventures

  • Metacafe: 30 million uniques, largest indy video sharing site.

  • KickApps represented by my buddy, the VP BD, who shared the panel with me at Innotech last month.

  • YouTube thinks it is a platform, not a destination. Lots of video inputs, from all over the web, and lots of distribution outlets.

  • That is, youtube doesn’t think of themselves primarily as a destination.

  • Redpoint was early investor in MySpace.

  • Have social sites replaced portals? Yes. But more importantly: home pages in general are dead.

  • Users come to content sites not via home page, but directly to content sub pages via search / sharing.

  • This limits the site’s ability to program content and direct flow of usage.

  • Redpoint: brands are still uncomfortable with social media, but they know they have to take the leap.

  • Redpoint is really interested in platforms that enable users to become ambassadors for brands.

  • Redpoint guy is essentially saying SplashCast’s positioning / value prop is the future of advertising.

  • “Is there an ecommerce biz model for social sites?” yes, virtual goods / micro payments is interesting.

  • Metacafe: people don’t pay for content on the web. [earth shattering news]

  • YouTube in-video overlay ads are so-so performers.

  • Redpoint: video ads need to evolve into interactive experiences, rather than static 15 or 30 sec spots.

  • Brands can buy UGC contests on YouTube.

  • Metacafe got 3K users to embed a metacafe contest widget, which they call a success. Received 3M views.

  • Redpoint: “Google would admit that they are NOWHERE with brand advertising. Market still wide open.”

  • Social sites have huge audiences but can’t monetize. AOL can help them, hence their buying spree.

  • Facebook and MSFT struggling to make money from huge Facebook audience. Banner ads aren’t the solution.

  • I believe Metacafe is in trouble. Not enough differention and still no solution to UGC monetization.

  • Someone will buy Metacafe for their 30 million users , but Metacafe has no future on their own.

Panel #7: Widgets as a Platform
Content, advertising, communications

  • Sorry for the break in the stream. Here we go again: “Widgets as Platform”.

  • RockYou, Newsweek, Gydget, Clearspring, Mochila, Slide.

  • Discussion about difference between a widget and an application. Boring. Who cares?

  • The panel is acting very defensive, arguing why widgets are not a fad.

  • What are the widget business models? CPM, fixed sponsorship, cost per install.

  • ..Widget-as-ad is the newest model, possibly most promising.

  • What about MySpace risk? They have the control. Slide says risk is mitigated because MySpace needs Slide.

  • Slide: widgets need to do more than just give content; they need to enable communication between friends.

  • RockYou: the more simple, the more viral. The more universal the audience, the bigger the audience.

  • Clearspring: measure success based on realistic expectations. If widgets outperform web site traffic: win.

  • WidgetBox: development and analytics of widgets will become commoditized.

  • RockYou: highest CPMs go to apps with most engagement, and most vertically targetted.

  • “Slide is never going to develop branded widgets for brands.”

  • “Slide is going to let brands insert themselves into Slide apps.”

  • RockYou: selling installs to other app developers is primary biz model.

  • WidgetBox business is their consumer-facing widget directory. Different type of distro than Clearspring.

  • Gydget leverages existing fan-bases for providing their clients widget distribution.

  • I like the Gydget guy (vp of biz dev). Geniune person. Refreshing.

  • None of the widget panelists are investing in mobile. They don’t see the viral potential of mobile.

  • All panelists agree: use traditional CPM to sell widget distribution. Can’t charge for viral, it’s bonus.

  • Widget panel over. I will be on the Advertising 2.0 version with same panelists in NY in June.

Panel #8: Hollywood 2.0 (I was a panelist)

  • I was on a fantastic panel last night: “artists vs. suits”, discussing tensions between creative and $$.

  • I was a “suit”. I’ve been on both sides throughtout career, sometimes at the same time.

  • I got to share the stage with LonelyGirl15 creator and grammy-winning rapper Chamillionaire.

  • @mashable was in attendance (for free dinner?). Good to finally meet Cashmore face-to-face.

Comments

2 Responses to “Twitter Stream from Digital Hollywood”

  1. Austin on June 16th, 2008 10:09 am

    Thanks for posting. Went to follow you on twitter but link doesn’t seem to be working.

  2. las vegas one dollar pkoer on October 26th, 2008 3:53 am

    las vegas one dollar pkoer…

    tenth.Tennyson,propellers …

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