IAIP member Eric Williamson is attending the 18th annual SXSW® Interactive Festival and has been kind enough to share his reviews for various sessions he has attended. First up, the "Do Ad Agencies Need to Start Thinking Like Software Companies?" panel administered by Rick Webb, Matt Gallagan, Rob Rasmussen, Ben Malbon and Allison Mooney.
Do ad agencies put too much value on awards and awarded art directors/designers? Do awards really mean those art directors/designers can do interactive? Ad agencies think so and seek out those individuals.
Agree or disagree, it is the future. With the high demand for online advertising from clients, traditional ad agencies are turning traditional designers into interactive designers...
I've been thinking about this article for some time now. An agency creative I work with brought something to my attention when we were debating different creative paths. She had said that creatives view ideas differently than most people, that they see ideas as a form of currency within an agency and even their careers, so they are protective of them. This took me aback as I had never considered ideas to be that singular in ownership...
This question comes at a time when large advertising agencies are becoming more and more “INTEGRATED.” Is there a place for a web designer these days? I say, absolutely. It has just become more demanding. I come from a time when a web designer was an art director, designer, and developer. Despite the multitasking, it was much easier to develop your ideas back then because there were not a multitude of devices out there...
Agencies are refining skills and embracing the role as inventors while digital keeps breaking down into smaller pieces. See what was said about what digital integration means and will mean in the future.
Facebook is starting to experiment with a new type of ad that asks users to make comments on a question from the advertiser. The new advertising format mirrors the status update, but doesn’t depend on users signing up and invites dialogue.
Azher Ahmed, IAIP's President, has joined DDB Chicago as SVP, director of digital operations. Azher is tasked with, "refining all aspects of the agency process and infrastructure to best serve its clients’ needs in a digital world."
Social media has brought about change in the marketing and agency world, changing the definitions of paid, earned, and owned (Paid meaning buying a tv spot, Earned being coverage on a website, and Owned being the company’s website). With the changes brought about by social media agencies face the new challenge of figuring out how to integrate all three forms of media for maximum effect.
Studies have found that DVRs actually increase TV watching and increased retention of commercials that viewers observed. Smartphones have become the real threat of TV commercials as people will usually check their email or social network during commercials rather than just fast-forwarding through the ads.
With Coca-Cola celebrating its 125th anniversary, Unruly Media has put together the top 20 most shared Coke viral ads of all time. Which is your favorite?
