small agencies need larger footprint to win today

Posted on August 1 by Al Moffatt

Independent agencies should not be lulled into a false sense of security in thinking that their relationships with their local clients are immune to the global economic trends and incessant need to increase market share.

Addressing attendees at the third annual Advertising Age Small Agency Conference and Awards, on July 27 and 28, Worldwide Partners President/CEO Al Moffatt told the group of senior executives from independent advertising agencies that the need to tap into growth markets is no different for a mid-size client than for a multinational.

For American companies, the growth is not in the US, but it in places like Latin America, Brazil and China. But in emerging markets, clients see American companies as being weakened. So they see opportunities in the US.

What this means for independent agencies servicing expansion-driven clients is that to avoid losing the clients that the agencies have helped grow domestically, they need to convince clients that they are larger than they are and have more resources at their disposal than they do.

Margins and scope-of-work creep continue to be the issue. Agencies are being asked to do more, but they are not hiring. So they have to do more with fewer people. Advertising has always been a difficult business, but it does seem to be getting harder.  For instance, there has been five recessions in the past 30 years.  Assuming each recession lasts about 18 months, that means that agency operates in very tough times at least 30% of the of the time. Additionally, local clients are willing to start with small agencies, but after a while ‘body count’ always becomes an issue and agencies need resources, especially today when an agency can’t possibly do anything in-house.

The current global recession is further impacting visibility of client and agency management when it comes to global expansion. In a bear market, localization will always win out over globalization. In tough times, people tend to become less global and more protective. The dynamic is strange for independent agencies. Small and mid-size agencies are not only feeling pressure from large networks, but also from mid-size agencies in emerging markets where their clients need to go.

Here is the link to the AdAge Small Agency Conference:

http://adage.com/article/agency-news/slideshow-advertising-age-small-agency-conference/229009/

Tweet this!Tweet this!
Posted in Advertising | Tagged , | Leave a comment

agencies uneasy about future, but could be silver lining for indie shops

Posted on July 20 by Al Moffatt

The confidence level of independent advertising agency CEOs worldwide regarding current economic conditions remained relatively unchanged in June when compared to the March Worldwide Partners Advertising Confidence Index, but they are far less positive when asked to forecast business conditions six months from now, and not one respondent, regardless of where they operate, said the global recession is over.

Other findings of the June WPI Index are that, with the exception of their counterparts in the Asia Pacific region, CEOs in other regions of the world have a dramatically increasing negative view about government policy and how it impacts the ad industry. Additionally, Europe/Middle East/Africa region executives say their confidence level about current business conditions plummeted 23 points to 73 in June from an already dour 96 in March.

The WPI Advertising Confidence Index across all measures of the survey for the second quarter of 2011 is 104, with 100 being the benchmark standard established in December 2010.  In March, the index across all measures was 107. The June index is down slightly, but not statistically significant. However, the outlook grows more ominous when the CEO’s share their forecasts for their business six months from now, as the June index drops to 96 compared to 108 just last March. Asia Pacific executive are far and away the most positive about overall at present (123) and in their views about business conditions for the remainder of 2011 (120). In North America, the confidence index across all measures in June was 107, down from 129 in March. Latin American agency managers come in at 84 when rating current conditions, compared to 94 in March. In the EMEA region, the confidence of agency CEOs is materially eroded, coming in at 73 when commenting on current conditions

The CEOs of our partner companies are telling us that for the first half of 2011, there has not been a material erosion of how they see business and economic conditions on the global level, though there is variance regionally, with Asia Pacific executives the most robust by far. What is worrisome is how they view the rest of the year. Just about every metric WPI tracks is trending downward, and the confidence index fell to 96 in June from 108 in March when the CEOs look out over the next six months globally.

Worldwide Partners agencies is the same group that back in early 2009 when the publicly traded advertising conglomerates predicted single-digit cuts in ad spending for that year, said it would be far worse. The Worldwide Partners agencies were right, with global ad spending dropping 20-25% compared to the 6-8% that the holding-company networks stated.

Meanwhile, in the United States, the closely watched Conference Board Consumer Confidence Index declined 3.2 points in June, after posting a decline in May. Consumer confidence is waning, and we have our network of entrepreneurs not feeling better about economic conditions and unfortunately expecting them to get worse.

Opinion on the impact of government policy on the ad industry has been tracked in the WPI Advertising Confidence Index since its inception. However, in June there was a dramatic increase in the negative view of the current and future involvement of government in the industry.  Globally, positive feelings about current government involvement in their business plummeted to 78 in June from 139 in March. However, the reason for the negative view depends on what region the agency operates in.

For instance, EMEA agency CEOs may see government-induced austerity measures as being a negative because it has drastically cut public-sector ad spending. In effect, government has become a smaller client for many shops, or stopped spending all together. Agency CEOs in the U.S. may see increasing government debt and regulations—the inverse of the EMEA situation—as having a negative influence on clients and agencies. The US economy is less based on production and more on consumption, which continues to lag. If consumers are not consuming, client budget cuts are not far behind.

Other key findings from the June WPI Advertising Confidence Index are that:

  • Globally, respondents say that their clients are feeling less confident about the current state of business conditions. That index is down to 115 in June from 131 in March.  Clients in Asia Pacific however, remain the most optimistic (135).
  • Those responding are also less confident about new business, as the index in June fell to 109 from 124 in March globally.
  • Respondents are also less optimistic concerning agency income in June. Globally, that index fell from 140 in March to 115 in June.
  • Not one CEO said that the global recession responded that she or he felt it was over. At best, 28% of them said it is “somewhat” over and 72% say it is not.

Despite the negative indicators revealed in the WPI index, economies like the one we are experiencing tend to encourage consolidation, especially among the publicly traded global players. If one or two of the holding-company ad networks get gobbled up, then the small or mid-sized clients in those deals become even smaller fish and in time can feel ignored. Independent agencies then become increasingly attractive options for clients seeking attention and great work.

Who knows? These hard times might eventually give rise to better days for independents in terms of new-business opportunities. It has happened before.

Tweet this!Tweet this!
Posted in Advertising | Leave a comment

is h&m’s green push hype or hope?

Posted on May 20 by Al Moffatt

Contributor: Yulia Volkova

Consciousness of H & M or Corporate Social Responsibility as just a new Marketing Strategy?

Going green or environmentally friendly became a wide popular trend amongst corporations that claim their sincere consciousness of the surrounding world. Suddenly, companies started to feel responsible over their employees, quality standards and the consequences of their operations. However, the question is: does the main drive of this trend come from abrupt need to compensate the environment for all the wrongs or is it just all other marketing and competition strategies, like price competition or product differentiation became old fashioned?

Just over a month ago H & M launched its new collection named as “Conscious Collection” which is presented only in white color. The whole marketing campaign of it stresses pretty hard how H & M company cares very much for the environment and their endless efforts “to provide fashion for conscious consumers” (direct quote from www.hmconsciouscollection.com). However, it’s quite tough to imagine an environmentally conscious person shopping for clothes made in Bangladesh, Romania, China or Turkey. What’s more, it seems quite illogical that an environmentally friendly final product can be way cheaper than the normal one, talking about T-shirt for 4, 95€, despite the fact that “H&M’s business concept is to offer customers fashion and quality at the best price”. The so called best price, which is 4,95€ per T-shirt sounds quite real if we take a time to trace a trip of a “4, 95€ T-shirt”.

First of all, the cotton imported from the US costs 1 euro per T-shirt (400g) plus an incredible ability of Bangladesh factory workers to hold their need to go to toilet by not drinking water (in 30-40C degrees heat). Above all, the reward for a worker (70% of them are women) who makes 2000 T-shirts alone a day working the normal shift of 16 – 17 hours a day is evaluated by the H & M company as 1,18 Euro a day. (Mark Starmanns 19.12.2010.) That’s probably what H & M means under the heading of Strengthening Communities, as part of their 7 commitments they work toward (www.hmconsciouscollection.com).

H & M also claims to bring up the consciousness in their customers as well. Then again, for the cheap price as 5 euro per t-shirt anybody in the world can be considered as environmentally conscious. It also sounds quite illogical thinking that normally ecologically friendly products cost more than normal ones, like let’s say the Body Shop products. Therefore, I believe, truly ecology-conscious customers will sacrifice bigger budget than 5 euro to make the world a better place to live in.

Contributor Yulia Volkova

Tweet this!Tweet this!
Posted in Advertising | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

account managers are the most important people in an agency

Posted on May 16 by Al Moffatt

Agency account managers/handlers have been and continue to be the least appreciated people in the agency business. But they are also the most important people at an agency, especially today with countless fragments of marketing and advertising flying about. Account people control the information flow to and from the client/agency and within the agency as well. Thus, they have an significant impact on agency finances, account profitability, agency creativity, client/agency relationships and retention, agency morale, agency perception, etc., etc. The thought of account managers being nothing more than bag men or over-paid messengers is naive, archaic and down-right stupid. Show me an agency that still believes this, and I show you an agency that does crappy work, is unprofitable and that is circling the drain.

On the contrary, show me an agency that does great work, has great morale, is profitable and has the reputation of being an innovator, and I’ll instantly know that their account people are great communicators, great negotiators, great strategic thinkers, great analysts, great financial managers, have great people skills, and also appreciate and encourage great creativity – regardless of media and venue. I had the pleasure of being at Chiat/Day during their heyday. I can tell you first hand that Chiat’s account people were some of the smartest, most creative people I’ve ever been around. No wonder the agency was an innovator. Of course, it didn’t hurt to have Lee Clow or Jay Chiat, but without strong, smart account people, the ideas wouldn’t have been generated, the edgy work would not have been sold, and the clients would not have paid the agency so handsomely for doing the work in the first place.

So it is in this spirit that Worldwide Partners is putting on an Account Management Leadership Workshop June 6-9 in Chicago. The two-day cohort sessions will stress persuasive communication and presentation skills and account leadership skills. For now more than ever, the old saying of ‘Garbage in, garbage out’, is more true than ever before. We’re just trying to do our part to cut down on all waste, if you will.

Tweet this!Tweet this!
Posted in Advertising | Leave a comment

social media broadens appeal of royal wedding

Posted on May 13 by Al Moffatt

Contributor – Hannah Gabrielle, London

One problem marketers regularly face is how to create events and communications that appeal to a variety of demographics. Something happened here in the UK in the last few weeks that achieved this with aplomb: the Royal Wedding, between Prince William and Kate Middleton. There aren’t many things that really bring the nation together, but this was one of those rare occasions that did. Perhaps this was because it is traditional, peculiarly British and, well – frankly it was a good excuse for everyone to get an extra day off work and to have a right royal knees up (excuse the pun)!

Up and down the country people held street parties as though we had all gone back to the 1950’s. There was an air of celebration that saw divisions of age, ethnicity and class fall away. Up and down the Mall (the road leading up to Buckingham Palace) the mix of demographics was impressive – even groups of floppy haired grumpy teenagers had their curiosity piqued and had travelled  down to wave a flag and watch the cavalcade pass by. A friend of mine who is 25 sat and watched the ceremony with his best friend’s 80 year-old grandmother. Outside my flat in south London the local Rastafarian’s were having a reggae street party complete with enormous sound systems and billows of marijuana smoke. In fact, the event was so popular that viewing figures of football matches for that weekend plummeted – something very unusual in the UK indeed!

It also upped the social media ante: here in the UK last year’s Prime Minister Election was hailed as the first ‘social media’ election and this was this was the first social media royal wedding with Clarence House tweeting about preparations for the big event.  This was a wonderful way to break down the reserve of the royal family and give the nation unique access to the excitement and nerves around a wedding. It really succeeded in making the royal family feel personable – as in the past it has been criticised for its relationship with the public. As a tradition and institute that defines out national identity it is important that it recognises itself as a brand and builds its relationship with the public. The wedding has clearly helped them to build the brand and strengthen its connection with both the British and international populace, and Twitter was the ideal channel to achieve this.

Perhaps the secret to the unifying aspect of the wedding and something marketers could learn from, is that it made the population feel that we all belonged to one identity – and we were willing participants. For one day we all belonged together and we were all happy about that fact. Despite a few grumbles about the fact us tax payers were footing the bill there was a general consensus that it was a lovely occasion and it was healthy to unite the British population ahead of us hosting the 2012 Olympics.

Tweet this!Tweet this!
Posted in Advertising | Leave a comment

north america & latin america strong in wpi global ad index; clients/agencies crisscrossing globe

Posted on April 29 by Al Moffatt

Independent agency CEOs in North America and Latin America are upbeat about current and near-term business and agency conditions.  However, their EMEA counterparts are less confident about current and future prospects – all according to the March 2011 Worldwide Partners, Inc., Global Ad Index.  The WPI Ad Index is the only one of its kind to measure the sentiments and confidence levels of agency CEOS worldwide.

The WPI Advertising Confidence Index across all measures of the survey for the first quarter of 2011 is 107, with 100 being the benchmark standard established in December 2010.  This indicates that agency managers feel seven percentage points more positive overall in March on a worldwide basis than at the end of the fourth quarter of 2010. In North America, the confidence index in March is 129, or 22 points higher than the global index. Agency bosses in the Europe/Middle East/Africa are less positive across all measures compared with the global index with an overall index of 96, which means that EMEA agency executives are four percentage points less confident than the benchmark.  Latin American agency managers come in at 99, or about at the norm.

The findings of the index reflect economic trends everywhere,. In the US there is some glint of recovery, at least in the financial sector, and many public companies are reporting good quarterly results. However, while things may be looking up on Wall Street, businesses on Main Street aren’t feeling as flush. Also, the struggling Euro, bailouts and austerity programs seem to be putting a dent in EMEA agency confidence. This future view may be a concern to the business at large, given the predictive nature of the ad industry as an economic indicator. Time will tell.

In terms of positive feelings about the outlook six months from now, globally the March index stands at 108, while North American index comes in at 114 compared to 129 for current conditions. The index for EMEA agency leaders is at 95 and for Latin Americans it is 94.

Following the trend of the Index, we’re seeing North American companies look to Asia and Latin America for growth since it’s not happening quickly in the States. Likewise, large and emerging companies in Asia and Latin America are going into the U.S. and Western Europe because they see gaps of opportunities left by weakened companies and segments in these traditional strongholds.

Of particular note, Latin American agency managers feel the most positive about new-business opportunities 6 months from now, which reflects Latin American’s rising business and economic fortunes.

Separately, the March survey shows that 60% of the 75 global survey respondents feel that their profits on digital and interactive advertising will increase.  North Americans feel the most positive about digital profits increasing, with 68% feeling such profits will increase. Fifty-five percent of those in EMEA feel digital profits will increase, compared to 57% of Latin Americans.

The WPI Advertising Confidence Index monitors a global panel of advertising agency executives on a quarterly basis. The panel is asked a series of questions dealing with their assessment of current overall business conditions in their market and questions dealing with their specific ad agency (such as views in hiring, revenue growth and new business activity) pertaining to the current quarter and forecasting six months out. The responses are then indexed to show an increase or a decrease on overall confidence of the agency panel. The WPI Advertising Confidence Index is a useful tool in tracking business optimism, as advertising is a leading indicator for economic performance.

Other key findings from the WPI March Ad Confidence Index are that:

  • Globally, respondents say that their clients feel positive about current business conditions. The global index is 131.
  • Executives are positive regarding current new-business activity, with that index at 124. The new-business outlook 6 months from now inches higher at 127 globally
  • Globally, the index is 112 today in terms hiring new employees, but looking six months from now its slips to 106; still positive, but slightly less so.
  • Agency executives globally have positive feelings about current agency income (index at 140 globally), and positive feelings about agency income 6 months from now is 105 globally.

The WPI Advertising Confidence Index is maintained by WPI, the world’s largest global network of owner-operated advertising agencies. In March, WPI polled managers from among the 91 agencies that comprise the network. WPI collectively employs over 4,900 people in 125 offices in 54 countries. In total, the network as $3.9 billion in clients budgets under management.

Tweet this!Tweet this!
Posted in Advertising | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

heineken shows the love after reaching 1 million facebook fans

Posted on March 24 by Al Moffatt

Contributor: Gemma Manangan, Canada

After reaching 1,000,000 fans on Facebook, Heineken has said thank you to their consumers by sending out a hug team in Amsterdam to spread some love, warmth and appreciation back to all Heineken lovers.

With the invention of Facebook it has become easier for large global brands like Heineken to connect with their consumers and create more ‘personal’ relationships.

Engaging fans on Facebook and interacting with the consumer is important. Social media is about having a two-way conversation, and what better way to make your fans feel connected than thanking them in real life?

This is also the type of marketing campaign that captures attention from the press.  Hugs from Heineken: what better way to publicize your presence on Facebook? Most companies give away free stuff when they reach milestones on social networks, but giving away hugs is a lot more meaningful and personal.

But upon watching the campaign video I can’t help but feel they fell a bit short of truly connecting with their fans. The video comes off too commercial and was boring to watch. It lacked authenticity and is unlikely to go viral.

It shows off the hug campaign as superficial and sexist. The girls, who all look like Dutch models, visit local pubs and give out hugs ONLY to male patrons. But as you know, many women drink beer (especially in Europe) and they do drink Heineken. Where’s the love for the ladies?! In addition to segregating women from the hug fest, the music for the video is a bit stale and boring to listen to, like a lullaby that induces you into a light sleep.

The campaign would have been much better if it was done with some genuine warmth. Sending out not only females, but also males, and creating a group of jolly people hugging EVERYONE at the pubs would have made for a more inclusive and authentic video that would make Heineken consumers around the world feel like a Heineken hug for them could be just around the corner.

But judge for yourself: http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=smO1onPkA3Q

Overall, a good effort by Heineken, it just falls a little short of the bull’s eye for a nearly perfect social media campaign.

Tweet this!Tweet this!
Posted in Advertising, Interactive, Marketing | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

crappy beer, good story – so I drank it!

Posted on March 18 by Al Moffatt

Contributor: Hannah Gabrielle – London

Brewdog beers caught my eye recently when I went to a friend’s house for dinner. When he gave it to me he pointed out the label and told me to have a read. It read:

This is not a lowest common denominator beer. This is an assertive beer. We do not merely aspire to the proclaimed heady heights of conformity through neutrality and blandness.

It is quite doubtful that you have the taste or sophistication to appreciate the depth, character and quality of this premium craft brewed beer.

You probably don’t even care that this rebellious little beer contains no preservatives or additives and uses only the finest fresh natural ingredients.

Just go back to drinking your mass marketed, bland, cheaply made watered down lager, and close the door behind you.

I immediately barked with laughter. Then I took a photo of the label on my iPhone and MMS’d it to a friend I knew would appreciate it. Since then I’ve shown the picture and read the label out to at least five people – some of whom have told me they bought Brewdog next time they were in a supermarket that stocked it. What exceptional word of mouth! That’s the kind of marketing you can’t buy and all because the copy was so well crafted. It wasn’t until I was asked to write about the messages that resonate with people that I thought of this and dug out the image of the label.

denigrate

I don’t know if it is a peculiarly British thing to be enormously amused by someone denigrating you, but it made me think. Are consumers into S&M? We all know the kernel at the heart of any marketing campaign is to make the product exclusive – to create an essential desire or sense of lacking something; to drive sales by making the consumer feel that they need to be a part of it. Do we like to be told we aren’t worthy?

I’m ashamed to admit that when I took my first sip of the beer it tasted ok – nothing to write home about. But after I’d read the label it did indeed taste that little bit better. It goes to show – we’re all susceptible to clever marketing.

A friend in the U.S. tells me these kind of renegade local craft beers have been popular for the past 30 or so years, but that they’ve now become part of the mainstream. And to some degree the pride and exclusivity expressed by Brewdog can be recognised in other more mainstream UK brewers, such as Young’s London Pride who use the tag line ‘Made with Pride.’ It aims for a similar sense of reassurance, confidence and pride, yet the Brewdog messaging is more aggressive in turning its nose up at the consumer.

There’s something deeply reassuring about a brand that isn’t slavishly begging you on its knees to believe in it and become a part of its ethos but rather has unshakable belief in its own worth and is indifferent about your money.

Tweet this!Tweet this!
Posted in Advertising | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

Has SXSW Interactive Gotten Too Big?

Posted on March 14 by Al Moffatt

Contributors – Rebekah Giaraffa and Eve Riley, Worldwide Partners, Inc.

To say that South By Southwest Interactive is overwhelming is an understatement. It is a place to come and be schooled on the fact that you really don’t know very much when it comes to the interactive world, whether it is social media, user experience, SEO, SEM, website building, gaming, online television, platforms, so on and so on. One of the highlights of SXSW is that it is the platform for the latest and greatest in web technologies. Four years ago, it hosted the launch of Twitter and two years ago, Four Square. Now there are days of talks centered around how to better follow, manage and measure these two mediums that half a decade ago weren’t even a figment of the general populations’ imagination. But what will be the new revelation this year? So far, there hasn’t seemed to be anything. Does this strengthen the idea that SXSW is losing its touch; that it has gotten too big and more commercial focused rather than cutting edge technology?

Who are the attendees this year? From just looking around, observing and asking, it seems that there are more practitioners, advertisers, consumers and general observers attending the interactive festival. Have the next big idea generators fallen off of the attendance list? Is it just too big to be cool anymore?

The first day of the festival, Friday, for me (Rebekah) started off with what I thought would be a nice, quick jaunt over to the Hyatt from the convention center. While I had heard rumors of a shuttle, I had yet to see a festival sponsored one, so I lead my mission on my feet. 20 minutes and about 1 mile later, I found myself walking into the Hyatt exactly at 2:00. And when I looked towards the room for my session, they were shutting the doors to a 50+ person crowd that also had the session in their SXSW sights. My walking companion from archer>malmo, Ken, decided to turn around and head back. I figured I’d pop into the session next door. It was so-so. When it let out, knowing the fate of my first session, I swiftly exited and began my hike over to the convention center again.

I had to guess where I was going (the signage is a bit lacking) and thankfully guessed correctly. I sardined my way towards the room of my next session, only to find myself in the exact same circumstance! Really?! And I was a good 10 minutes early for this one! As I stood in line with my compatriots who had suffered the same fate, we began to ponder: It seems more crowded this year… It feels like there are more food vendors (this is a huge plus) and there are a lot more advertisers in this line than I remember the last time I was here. It seems that the SXSW experience has gotten segregated this year.

Last year there were 14,251 Interactive attendees according to SXSW. This year, the predictions are that the number is 30-40% more. That is 18,000 to 20,000 people that have graced the city of Austin. And this doesn’t even take into account the film and music folks. Well no wonder the seats are all taken at the events and the venues are scattered throughout the city. They are utilizing 10 venues this year, versus the 4 from last year.

While the growth of the conference can be a little annoying at times, it also does allow for niche segments to be presented on, such as more healthcare, finance and advertising sessions. It has granted us more opportunity to diversify our sessions, but has also been a little hard for those of us who can’t make a decision on what to see!

Does it matter that it has gotten so large? Will it affect the attendance next year? All in all, it probably doesn’t. Where else will we be able to be immersed in the interactive world in such a dynamic manner? Every year the city resonates with a dynamic buzz throughout (although a little more bleary eyed and weary by the 3rd day in) All in all, SXSW is a really amazing experience, that when you come armed with comfortable walking shoes, you can’t help but be amazed.

Rebekah and Eve are attending SXSW Interactive, one of the world’s largest interactive festivals. While they are there, you can follow our tweet feeds by searching #WPISXSW. You can check out some photos on WPI’s Facebook page.

Tweet this!Tweet this!
Posted in Advertising, Interactive, SXSW | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment

Social Media: Instantaneous Personal News Feed?

Posted on March 11 by Al Moffatt

Contributors – Rebekah Giaraffa and Eve Riley, Worldwide Partners, Inc.

South by Southwest 2011, SXSW, has begun in Austin, Texas. The first Interactive sessions started at 2pm today, March 11. Yet, this morning, attendees were rocked by news of the tragedy in Japan – an 8.9 scale earthquake with a devastating tsunami aftershock. While some of us learned of the events via news coverage with a warning of tsunami’s hitting the Hawaiian Islands and the west coasts of North and South America, many others found out about the tragedy from social media. Facebook provided the link for the Japanese to communicate to family and friends around the world and update them of conditions and their safety when all other forms of communication were dead.  Many of Japan’s mobile, electric, phone, internet and gas services are out, but those with a Blackberry have been able to update their status. A few copies of the posts are on WPI’s Facebook page, via Eve’s friends.

Not only has Facebook & Twitter provided the news of the earthquake, and effects on the infrastructure damage, but it also is a gateway into instantaneous work of earthquake aftershocks. While this is not the first time that social media has garnered attention for it’s role in reporting on natural disasters, is this now the expected norm? Friends and family are automatically turning to Facebook/Twitter to receive instantaneous news from loved ones afar. What does this mean for other forms of communication. A subject not new to debate, but as it continues to evolve where will it go? Not only has social media given a tool to those in damaged areas to send out mass communications, it has also provided a face to the story, an on the ground reaction and look into one’s devastating reality.

At a conference that pushes the boundaries of emerging technologies, it is interesting to witness how technologies like Facebook and Twitter provide a lifeline in a natural disaster. It makes one ponder where technology will take us and how they will help us in times of emergencies. In a technology-dependent world, how would we survive without our technologies? What does this mean for journalism? Can journalists who typically require years of school and training keep up with the rapid change in technology and the evolution of media delivery? Will seasoned journalists be replaced by the tech savvy due to necessity rather than journalistic integrity or will they learn to adapt their story to 140 characters?

SXSW is certainly the best forum to discuss these issues, debate them and look for solutions and possibly the next media. In one session that Rebekah attended, she learned of a phone agnostic – one that works with the “smart phone and dumb phones” – program called GroupMe that allows for group texts and phone call tree, where someone calls or sms’ one number and all phones on the registered list. Can this type of technology be an essential tool in disaster situations.

Rebekah and Eve are attending SXSW Interactive, one of the world’s largest interactive festivals. While they are there, you can follow our tweet feeds by searching #WPISXSW.

Tweet this!Tweet this!
Posted in Advertising, Interactive, Marketing, SXSW | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment