Mobile was an especially hot topic at last week’s AlwaysOn OnMedia New York show, which brought industry leaders from the mobile, ad networks and agency space to discuss the role of digital in the coming year in light of tight budgets and the need for greater accountability.
The mobile channel is expected to grow steadily over the next decade.
“The iPhone is one of the best things to happen to the mobile space, because it has inspired so many others to copy it and come up with their own examples,” said Lars Albright, VP of business development at Quattro Wireless. “But it is just the tip of the iceberg.”
A slew of companies with new takes on optimization in ad networks, new mobile and online video platforms and social media technologies were in attendance.
The Rubicon Project and Widget Bucks addressed the fragmentation in ad networks, and Mixpo offered up some ideas about interactive online video ads that are served in banner impressions.
Amplify, a UK firm that just launched in the US with a technology that claims to logically read conversations online, was looking to partner with ad networks and social media sites who can use that information to serve intelligent ads. It does not offer an ad service itself, however.
“This is an incredible time for the birth of new successful enterprises,” said Chan Suh, CEO, Agency.com. “It’s not about advertising or about a campaign. The goal is to increase the revenue and profitability of our clients.”
But not everyone agreed on the benefits of digital. Brian Wieser, SVP of Magna Global, stirred the pot with a keynote that claimed traditional media is still the way for large brands that are looking to reach a mass audience to communicate. He even went as far as to say that large brands should not waste their time advertising online.
“The largest advertisers need everybody,” Wieser said. “One of the challenges for big brand advertisers is to determine the impact of smaller channels vs. the noise of traditional media.”
Still, most attendees saw the benefits of digital, as a tool for innovation.
“Innovation is taking advantage of $1,500 to make a TV spot and getting on Google TV,” Ruxin added. “Innovation is also understanding the channels you are working with.”
