It’s 1997 all over again,” assessed Maria Mandel, partner/executive director of digital innovation at Ogilvy Interactive. Mandel drew a parallel to today by hearkening back to the late ’90s when ad agencies were acquiring interactive shops to build new media acumen and resources. Now she again sees deja vu on the horizon, with more agencies seriously looking to acquire mobile ad firms and expertise.
Mandel’s comments came as a panelist during a roundtable session at the Mobile Marketing Forum on Nov. 14 in Los Angeles. The day-long event of panel discussions and case studies was sponsored by the Mobile Marketing Association (MMA), a non-profit group established to lead the growth of mobile marketing and its associated technologies. The MMA has more than 500 member companies spanning agencies, advertisers, handheld device manufacturers, wireless operators, aggregators, technology enablers, market research firms and other shops focused on the mobile space.
While Mandel and her agency panelist colleagues are enthused over mobile marketing and advertising prospects, they acknowledged that there are still obstacles to overcome in order for that potential to be realized.
Eric Bader, senior VP of digital connections at MediaVest Worldwide, noted that a relatively small buy for a mobile campaign entails logistical complexities that require extensive man hours, often making the initiative far more expensive than it should be. He explained that campaigns frequently have to go across different mobile phone and digital device carriers, all with different standards and no agreed upon serving technology. This, he said, can make it “exponentially harder” to handle the mobile aspect of an advertising/marketing campaign.
And there’s still a considerable learning curve to be mastered by the clients themselves, related Renee Borkowski, senior VP, digital & database marketing, at Arc Worldwide (an affiliate of Leo Burnett Worldwide). “Brands are challenged by the medium…they’re even struggling with their own cellphones” when it comes to more sophisticated uses such as tapping into richer experiences offered by broader band content, she observed.
Borkowski said that clients generally are doing well in areas where marketplace adoption and penetration are most established like text messaging and mobile Internet, but agencies need “to teach [clients] as we go” for emerging, more ambitious, less exploited mobile forms of communication, including rich content.
MediaVest’s Bader related that there are different means whereby mobile campaigns are being funded, the first jumping-on point being “the maverick stage” in which a client or brand with a maverick spirit finds money in the “couch cushion” portion of budgets to invest in experimental mobile initiatives. “Almost nothing is integrated at this stage,” he said.
The next, more advanced stage that’s aspired to, he continued, is indeed when mobile is part of not only an integrated campaign but an overall allocation of dollars. In this scenario, mobile serves a role in communicating with consumers–in concert with and complementary to other platforms–and is measured and valued as such.
As for the impact of Apple’s iPhone on the mobile landscape, Bader observed that consumers access mobile media because they want to participate in something or want to get answers. Thus the direct WiFi line for iPhone users, he said, “can only be good for consumers and everyone,” including its implications for the mobile marketing community.
Bensimon Byrne’s “Short Life Stories” For White Ribbon Wins ONE Screen Best of Show
“Short Life Stories,” created by Bensimon Byrne Toronto on behalf of White Ribbon, is the top winner in the global 2024 ONE Screen Short Film Festival, the premiere short film festival produced by The One Club for Creativity celebrating global filmmakers from both commercial advertising and film industries.
“Short Life Stories” tells a fictional story of a young trans woman as she celebrates the beginning of her new life and navigates the obstacles that ensue.
The work was selected by a global jury as 2024 ONE Screen Best of Show and Best of Region: North America, as well as winner in the Best Casting, Best Cinematography, Best Editing, Best Fiction, and Best Music Composition disciplines.
Klick Health Toronto also had a strong year with five ONE Screen wins. They include three for “47” on behalf of Café Joyeux (in Best Animation, Best Branded Entertainment Film, and Best Production Design), and two for “American Cancer Story” on behalf of Change the Ref (in Best Directing and Best Drama).
Other 2024 ONE Screen winners are as follows.
Craft winners
Best Emerging Filmmaker: Parker Schmidt Santa Monica “Bowl of Life”
Best Screenplay: Zulu Alpha Kilo Toronto “Living From Work” for Zulubot
Best Type on Poster: Lucky Together New York “Don’t F*ck With Ba”
Best Visual Effects: Candice Wu Los Angeles “Erasure”
Genre winners
Best Branded Content Film: Stink Films Berlin “The First Speech” for Reporters Without Borders
Best Comedy: FCB Chicago “The Last Barf Bag” for Dramamine
Best Experimental Film: Parker Schmidt Santa Monica “Bowl of Life”
Best Independent Film: Violeta Films Mexico City “The Mark... Read More