I managed to get along to ad:tech in Sydney last week.  Enjoyed the key notes and many of the sessions (was reminded of a downward quality curve as day progresses graph though).  Conference-wise, what impressed me most were the four Twitter streams set up and promoted to attendees (and non-attendees) to converse, joke, comment and add insights through the entire conference. Hash tags (#) means searchable on Twitter ergo #ATSYD refers to the general conference stream, with #ATSYD1, #ATSYD2, #ATSYD3 used for the three breakout rooms running contemporaneous sessions.  At times I suspect there was more in-room Twitter participation than directed at the speaker.

Someone posted that tweating in conference is akin to passing notes in class and it certainly felt that way to me; slightly disrespectful to a speaker trying to carry the audience through a complex thought process as laptops and phones are furiously typed.  But the upside is huge.  4000 tweats got crunched down, a whole lot of attendees got to know each other via Twitter, we got to comment directly to the speakers and panels immediately following the sessions.  It was a highlight of the event and added tremendous value to the sessions.

One of the key themes this year was the movement of brands into the online conversation rather than merely being a flash sideshow.  There were numerous case studies of integrated use of social media to drive campaigns.  Facebook, Twitter, MySpace, mobile, web and WOM (word of month) combining to build communities.  The emphasis on social media to reach consumers over-shadowed search and display, despite the obvious dominance of the latter two sectors.  Being in the online display business was almost redefined as traditional media!

I really enjoyed the first keynote, Nick Brian (CEO, Mediabrands) who stated that Recession equals Restart.  Nick proselytised that it wasn’t enough for marketers to just hold off, waiting for things to improve, but rather to hit the restart button and redefine their marketing strategies - with digital innovation at the core.

Here are 10 lessons from social media as provided via Twitter from @servantofchaos

1. Don’t believe the hype
2. Use subtle branding i.e. you don’t want to appear lame
3. Social media is not free … You are putting your reputation on the line
4. Learn from other people’s mistakes
5. Be quick ..New ideas are only unique for a short time … It’s the zeitgeist baby!
6. They won’t come. You have to use social media
7. Constantly reinvent … Your social media beast develops a life of its own. Sounds like a teenager!
8. Keep path to trial simple
9. Understand how your audience uses social media
10. Be brave … Social media is not for the faint hearted

… the huge volume of international traffic hitting some of the major sites must surely mean Domestic UBs are a better measure of potential advertiser reach than ‘all UBs’. I think I’ll post further on this.

… Ralph Brayham’s transfer from Ferrit to Telecom Broadband signals what many in the industry have been speculating since its inception. Telecom’s operational split on 31 March may drive news on the Ferrit.

… the Vague As Brothers are the best new internationally recognised music group to come out of Christchurch in recent years (book them on +64-3-355 6767).

… the Advertising Exchanges arrival down under will make selling your distressed inventory quicker but will the ads finally arrive at the publishers on deadline? I think not!

… the NZ Television Broadcasters Council should try to publish its Media Release announcing a 2.14% rise in 2007 TV advertising revenue on its own website. They really need to start getting this online thing.

Got the email below from TUANZ today. The entry form looks simple. Take a chance & enter before Wednesday 5pm!

Just two days remain to give the team who work on your Web site the recognition they deserve. Entries in the 2007 TUANZ Business Internet Awards close at 5 pm this Wednesday.

Becoming a finalist gives great exposure and kudos for organisations, and a huge morale-boost for the managers and staff involved.

Why not give it a go? Entry is a simple on-line process - taking only 20 minutes or so.

Click here for complete awards details including a link to the online entry form. Be in, and be recognised!

Ernie Newman
Chief Executive
Telecommunications Users Association of New Zealand Inc (TUANZ)
www.tuanz.org.nz

Lance kindly told me to push on with the blog last night so I said I would.  And I had promised to link to Bernard’s thoughtful posts.  Bernard was fired up about (real) broadband this week.  We need to get much more vocal about this issue.  Together.  You know - coordinated, like …

So I’m back.  It’s been a hectic three weeks since I boarded the Trade Me rocketship.  Hello to all my new-found friends and hello to all my old friends I’ve been neglecting.

I’m thinking of sailing this weekend.  And dropping by Elements.  Trout fishing season starts on Monday so summer really is just around the corner.  And it’s daylight saving time again - this Sunday at 2am in case you were hiding under the proverbial rock.

Might see you around the town, perhaps …

There are many examples where attracting customers via the web is cheaper than by merger or acquisition. And it’s sustainable too, reducing operating costs and minimising waste.

A tipping point is nearing where utilities such as electricity, gas and telecommunications will be completely transacted with consumers, companies and government organisations via the web and the mobile phone. Like all new business models, emerging new markets of consumers will drive and lead change.

The challenge in New Zealand is to reach a new consumer group, collectively known as LOHAS (Lifestyles of Health and Sustainability), also referred to as Cultural Creatives and Conscientious Consumers. Local environmental design agency, Moxie Design, calls them Solution Seekers and measures them at 32% of the New Zealand population. This group is concerned about sustainability, climate change, personal development, fair trade and human rights, the environment and health.

These consumers share some key characteristics. They buy brands with similar values. They are sophisticated purchasers albeit prepared to pay a little more, acknowledging a cost in delivering sustainable products and services. They are brand-loyal and willing to be educated.

There is a collision between advances in technology, a need for sustainable business practices and the emergence of this powerful consumer lobby. Ignore it at your peril.

The BBC reports that “European internet users now spend 14.3 hours a week online, compared with 11.3 hours watching TV, and 4.4 hours reading newspapers or magazines” according to recent Forrester research. Reflecting global trends, 36% of internet users said they spent less time looking at the television.

The report also stated that search engines would continue to drive online adspend, followed by display adverts and email.

“After five years of dipping their toes into the online marketing waters, firms have come to realise that the net is a valuable medium for client acquisition, retention and market expansion,” said the study.

Forrester predicts online advertising will grow to 18% of market share by 2012, up from 9% in 2006.  This figure seems fairly conservative to me.

From September you won’t need to buy a landline from Telecom in order to get your dsl connection at home. And now New Zealand has SkypeIn, you can buy a local phone number and voicemail for 50 euro per year. That means incoming & outgoing calls via the internet, sans Telecom (retail).

Many ISPs are launching their own Voice over IP (VoIP) services so Skype isn’t the only option open to you. And Telecom is working on a network upgrade to provide a dedicated voice channel for better call quality. I presume they’ll launch their Xtra VoIP service then.

VoIP offerings can include call forwarding (say to your mobile) plus many other features. I’m keen to know what levels of quality people are experiencing - I’ve had no problems using Skype for international calls from home.

The Internet is the coolest medium in America. Edison Media Research has published results of an American study showing that the Web has passed radio in the ‘cool’ stakes and is closing in on Television as the most essential.

Newspapers were named as ‘least essential’ medium by 35%, followed by the Internet at 24% (was most mentioned in 2002 at 33%), and both radio and television had the fewest mentions at 18%.

Internet and television have swapped places in the 5 years for ‘Most cool and exciting’ medium. The Internet was mentioned by 38% in 2007 (vs. 25% in 2002). 35% now say television is “most cool and exciting” (vs. 48% in 2002).

Two great quotes from Larry Rosin, President, Edison Media Research:

“It is not a stretch to say that the Internet has become just as important as television as a primary source of information and entertainment in the lives of Americans.”

“It is entirely possible that the Internet will lead in all positive categories five years from now.”

View the reports.

Andy Seybold considers that Sprint Nextel’s  spinning off of its WiMAX venture is paramount to admitting that WiMAX no longer fits into its overall business plan.  This should be big news for New Zealand as the spectrum auction advances.  Is anyone following the US changing market conditions?

Helen Twose at the NZ Herald has written an interesting piece on Yahoo!Xtra including two compelling statistics.

Kevin Bowler stated that time spent online was growing at a faster rate than any other media … with the number of people using the internet daily up 40 per cent in five years.

Helen also noted that for the week to May 20, the number of people in the 20-54 age group watching television was down 10 per cent on the same period last year, quoting figures from AGB Nielsen.

Assuming people are moving from television to the internet, this revolution is in spite of New Zealand’s poor broadband environment, data caps and pricy plans.