“I’m tremendously excited about Sean coming on board to run digital media and social influence,” said John Moore, Chief Media Officer at Mullen. “His Forrester background makes him a unique asset and embeds in Mullen one of the preeminent thinkers in a space that is keeping CMOs up at night. We look forward to Sean creating a new vision and helping our clients navigate critically important channels like social, mobile and gaming, to name just a few.”

“Integrating different media silos is an imperative for marketers to succeed in the digital era,” said Corcoran. “And to do this at Mullen – with its hyperbundled approach to integrating creative, media, and technology, along with its stellar portfolio of clients such as Google, Zappos, and JetBlue – makes the opportunity even that much more exciting.”

Mullen's Brendan Marrese with the stars of "How I Met Your Mother"

For those unfamiliar with this mob scene, the Upfronts is that time of the year when television network executives host the start of important advertising sales periods, attended by both press and major advertisers. We are subjected to an endless onslaught of self-promotion, sometimes interminably interspersed with Fall Television trailers. It is so named because of its main purpose, to allow marketers to buy commercial airtime “upfront,” or several months before the television season begins in the Fall.

After three days, 44 new trailers and ever-escalating hyperbole, what truly distinguished this year from seasons past? A few themes emerged:

Social media is television’s friend – BFF, in fact – the mantra of the week. As ratings were not as affectionate this past year, many of the networks kept touting their number of Facebook “Likes” and Twitter followers – social media is now the new “water cooler.”

• Of all the networks that sang this tune, only the CW – the smallest of all five – “showed,” rather than “told.”  It introduced an innovative collaboration with mobile LBS app Shopkick, featuring special giveaways when viewers activate its Sound Print technology and view commercials live on the CW Networks. The CW also thought up Cwingo: where viewers can play the game during a live broadcast, either on Facebook or cwtv.com, and have the opportunity to reap rewards by watching ads embedded in the game itself. This was an excellent effort to address engagement concerns.

• Ironically, Social Media also led to the premature leaking of all schedules on Twitter, in advance of the announcements – this, the networks blithely disregarded.

Conan O'Brien on stage at the 2011 broadcast upfronts

The Hollywood talent pool needs a strong dose of bleach: As in years past, some themes (or memes) never die:

• Familiar Period Pieces: ABC’s Pan Am, and NBC’s The Playboy Club hearkened the look and feel of AMC’s successful Mad Men franchise. ABC’s Charlie’s Angels epitomized the ’70s – likely the most visual, one-trick show that ad buyers secretly suspect will bomb (along with ABC’s cringe-worthy Bosom Buddies remake, Work It).
• Fairy Tale/Fantasy: Forget anemic ratings and aging demographics. Attendees were transported into the land of the twee (NBC’s Grimm,  ABC’s Once Upon A Time, CW’s The Secret Circle). More mature attendees enjoyed  various “Lost” doppelgangers (FOX’s Alcatraz, FOX’s Terra Nova, ABC’s The River, CBS’ A Gifted Man).
• Why outsource when you can “in source”: Networks – NBC, in particular – shamelessly shilled shows by stars with franchises across their properties – Chelsea Handler on NBC Primetime (Mid-Season) and E!; NBC’s Playboy Club, again with franchises on both nets; the TBD Brian Williams Show, featuring reporters from NBC News, CNBC and MSNBC.
• Women are now worthy: This year, there’s a bumper crop of shows with female leads. Kudos.  Prime Suspect; Whitney; Are You There Vodka? It’s Me, Chelsea; Charlie’s Angels; Two Broke Girls; New Girl; Revenge, etc. Some are even strong characters – better yet, some shows were even good.
  

  Christina Aguilera performs at the 2011 broadcast upfronts

• Music is BIG: With The X-Factor on Fox leading the charge, NBC’s The Voice returning in mid-season, after making viewers endure a quarter of Sing-Off, and the new musical drama Smash, the Glee effect is now utterly ubiquitous.
• Steven Spielberg and JJ Abrams are this season’s Jerry Bruckheimer, with shows on every network.

mediahub’s Prognostications:

• With an unprecedented amount of new programming in development, the networks are clearly hedging against a high failure rate.
• CBS will continue to dominate amongst all viewers, especially the older ones.
• FOX will continue to win amongst the key advertising demos.
• First to Go: ABC’s Work It (awful beyond words); Charlie’s Angels (just because Hawaii Five-O is popular does not make this vapid remake of slow-motion visuals a guaranteed success).
• Definite Winners: The X-Factor and Terra Nova on FOX are undisputed triumphs. That said, buzz on mid-season shows has been great, and NBC’s “Sliding Doors” — like Awake, and FOX’s Kiefer Sutherland vehicle, Touch seem to have warmed some cold, cynical hearts.
• The One to Watch: Two & A Half Men, with Ashton Kutcher – it may yet work, and his Twitter following could bring the median age of CBS down by at least 30 years.

His presentation piqued my curiosity, so I decided to follow up on Twitter and try to convince him to do a Skype interview with me. Mind you, Jyri’s no newbie to the Silicon Valley scene. He also founded Jaiku, which was acquired by Google in 2007. I wasn’t sure he’d take the call, but that’s one of the best things about Twitter, you can connect to literally anyone and most people will actually respond to you. This was the case with Jyri.

Below is a summary of the 30 minute conversation we had via Skype and the reasons why marketers need to pay attention to Ditto.

What it is

Ditto is an iphone application (coming soon to android) that allows users to say what they’re about to do and then get feedback from existing friends on Facebook or Twitter or other users in the same location. The inspiration behind Ditto was the insight that “where are you going” is one of the most common expressions communicated through mobile devices. The application aims to coordinate this planning process through the mobile, social and local information incorporated within it. Currently, it is tracking at about 10,000 downloads per week.

Why it’s different

Most LBS apps revolve around the gesture of “checking-in.” The thing about “checking-in” is that it’s about actions taken, what’s already happened, where you are already at. Ditto is creating a new category of services about the “near future” or what you’re about to do in the next 30 minutes to three hours.

Why it will prevail

Ditto will prevail amidst a marketplace of 400,000 applications for three reasons:

• It was designed specifically as a mobile experience. The product was developed as an application, similar to foursquare. It was born as a simple, touch experience that incorporates local (mobile) data. Whereas other social services such as Facebook and Twitter were created primarily as a PC experience, and are more recently integrating location-based services.
• The focus is on the user experience first and there is real benefit to the user. Ditto is building out more platforms and observing consumer behavior before monetizing. They are capturing and providing value at key decision points for consumers. For instance, Jyri talked about a situation where he was thinking about going to the movies to see Source Code. He put that information on Ditto. No sooner than five minutes, one of his Facebook friends responded and mentioned that Source Code was not anywhere near as good as [insert movie B]. Because Jyri knew this friend and respected his taste, he went to see the other movie instead. Through Ditto, Jyri was saved from seeing a movie he likely would not have appreciated.

• The marketing value is clear. Although Ditto’s priority is on the user, it is easy to see how marketing can actually enhance the user experience. Imagine suggesting that you’d like to get a cup of coffee and Starbucks responding to you with a coupon for a store nearby or a free sample of a new latte. For brands, reaching consumers at the decision point is extremely powerful. The user benefit also exists in that they are receiving offers that are relevant to them based on declared real time interests.

What do you say? Ditto?

According to a recent PopCap study, 83 percent of smartphone respondents said they had played at least one mobile game in the past week. Not only is gaming prevalent on smartphones, but also an AdMob study showed that gaming is the most popular activity on iPads (84 percent of consumers gaming from their devices), topping email and search. Farmville has surpassed 60 million users and Angry Birds is at 30 million free downloads, 12 million paid downloads and Angry Birds stuffed animals are getting four stars on Amazon.com.

What is surprising is that these numbers are not at the top of every marketers’ conversation as there are five simple data points to discuss:

• Gaming is ubiquitous. It has invaded the living room, the basement, the car, and the computer. Xbox has 25 million subscribers, more than Comcast cable. Windows is banking a piece of their mobile strategy on integration with Xbox Live via Windows 7 phones. The next logical screen would be the phone, and smartphone in particular.
• Mobile gives gamers the opportunity to play in their down time and when they are on the go. Because smartphones are portable and always on, consumers use games for entertainment throughout their daily routines – waiting for a bus, sitting on a train, waiting for an appointment, etc.
• Location enhances the gaming experience. Through mobile, gaming has a new dimension. In thinking about TRON or MINI, these games incorporated user locations and their distance from other consumers.
• Touch makes the game more immersive and personal. The smartphone screen is something that a consumer actually touches and influences. For instance, one of the first successful mobile games, Paper Toss, required users to swipe their fingers to shoot a wad of paper into a garbage can.
• Mobile is an inherently social activity. Phones originated as a social tool, used primarily to communicate with friends and family. Many games are also inherently social in that you play against other people. The smartphone is a natural canvas for social, mobile games.

While most of the marketing world has been pontificating, Angela Giovanello, Eric Montague and the Century 21 team has been doing. Working through appssavvy, our team embedded the Century21 brand into ngmoco’s WeCity application for iphone and ipads. We’re excited about the integration because:

• It is providing value. Gamers will now be able to add Century 21 branded structures, including a real estate office, a modern home and a skyscraper to their cities.  Users can also earn virtual profits that empower them to expand their cities and thereby advance within the game.
• In-game branding makes for a more realistic gaming environment. For many gamers, corporate branding within games only serves to make the game feel more realistic and exciting.
• We can connect with a new generation of buyers on their own turf. Instead of trying to reach a younger generation of consumers via just “ads,” we will be able to connect with them through providing game enhancements on a platform they already love.

We’ll judge the campaign through a branding study, interaction rates, and app downloads.  The verdict is still out on how this type of brand campaign will perform, but at the very least, we’ll know we had solid rationale and leveraged an important dynamic to provide real value for consumers.  We also don’t see our marketing efforts as isolated.  Everything we do is an iterative process.  Play.  Learn. Get better.  More marketers need to stop talking and start playing if they want to stay relevant to today’s consumer.

Check out additional campaign information on the Century 21 site: http://blog.century21.com/2011/04/bolder-faster-stronger-and-now-first/.

1.     The tablet has arrived!

While the conference is traditionally anchored by smartphones, this year, 48% of buzz was centered around tablets. It’s no big surprise that iPad has set the standard, but at GSMA, the LG Optimus and Samsung Galaxy received the lion’s share of the tablet buzz.

Tablet success lies in the fact that it isn’t a laptop, but it’s not a smartphone – it spans the functionality of both and it’s convenient. It also outshines other devices when it comes to video consumption, multi-tasking and content aggregation. Marketers should expect to see a barrage of new releases and exciting brand experiences on tablets in the next 6-12 months and subsequently need to think about building experiences that can live across multiple tablets.

2.     Manufacturers made their mark!

Nokia and Microsoft: These two giants revealed their new partnership which will allow them to deliver “market-leading mobile products and services designed to offer consumers, operators and developers unrivaled choice and opportunity.” Their combined efforts should deliver a global ecosystem with reach and scale, but the announcement is still raising questions within the mobile community. Despite that, the union demonstrates how rapidly the mobile world is advancing and evolving. Brands and advertisers need to keep up!

Samsung and Motorola: Their big news was the Galaxy S II phone. The S II phone was surprisingly light and thin, but its social hub feature was the talk of the town. This is where Facebook, Twitter, email and Messenger are aggregated into a single feed. Marketers need to ideate with this social hub in mind in order to truly weave their brand into the heart of consumer behavior.

Google/Android: Right now, Android is seeing 300K+ phone activations per day on 170 handsets from 27 device vendors – it is the world’s fastest growing mobile platform. Furthermore, Android-equipped tablets and smartphones from Sony, HTC, Motorola and Samsung were among the most sought-after devices. If there are any marketers who have questioned Android, now is the time to get over it. It’s not just about the iPhone anymore!

3.     Convergence of mobile and social:

Native social and mobile convergence is a ‘must’ on any mobile device. As stated above, both Samsung and Motorola made a splash with OS capabilities bringing social to the forefront of the phone. HTC even announced they have built a phone with its own Facebook button! The great news is consumers and brands finally want the same thing – both are looking for devices that amass all communication channels. The time is now and numbers don’t lie:

• According to Nexus (Mullen’s proprietary research tool), 16% of consumers said they WANT to interact with a brand via a social network on their mobile phone
• Facebook has 200MM mobile users…and this number continues to swell
• Social usage via a mobile device grew 56% to nearly 58MM users in 2010
• 40% of tweets come from mobile devices

Successful marketers will be those that not only leverage the endemic social platforms on mobile devices, but also those that consider the users social consumption on the mobile phone. Some questions every marketer should consider – when and how often are consumers accessing social platforms on their mobile device? How are they interacting with brands when they’re there? How can a brand’s experience be ‘sharable’ within the mobile/social sphere?

Indeed, the Logitech Revue is perfect for “devoted” fans like Cobenk because it allows consumers to sift through TV and broadband content using a keyboard to identify their favorite shows, actors and movies.   But what about the rest of us who might be a bit less fanatical? Would we be better off going with a competitor like Apple TV, Roku, and Boxee, or should we bypass the box altogether and go to a trusted name like Sony, Samsung or Vizio to get a TV with the web interface already built in? The choices are endless, and with no clear category leader, the decision can be overwhelming.

In the race for formalizing the blending of TV and Internet there are three key entities: TV set manufacturers, technology companies and content providers.  The fusion of the three is inevitable, but the question remains, will this happen in conjunction with the major distributors, or in spite of them?

On the technology and manufacturer side other than the inclusion of a box or hardwired infrastructure, the only appreciable difference is the price point.   For $299, Logitech/Google TV connects to your set top box and cable box and transforms your TV into a full internet browser.  For $230, Boxee allows the user to stream the web and access a library of apps, and for $99, Apple TV functions in virtually the same way but offers exclusive access to the iTunes library. At just $60–a mere two weeks’ worth of Starbuck’s venti lattes–Roku is perhaps the most affordable of all connected devices.

However, as each of these brands works to strengthen and differentiate its offerings, content providers are striking back.  Programs like The Daily Show and The Colbert Report are no longer available on hulu, for example, largely because the producers of these shows cannot find a way to monetize the site.  With content available for free the day after it airs commercially, avid users feel that they don’t need to subscribe to a cable provider.  This next-day availability has fostered a “cord cutting” phenomenon among consumers, and with fewer consumers willing to pay big dollars for cable, content providers have pulled back until they can find a way to make it work financially.

The right business model can ultimately solidify the content distributors’ place in the food chain.  And while hulu remains in limbo, Apple is making strides to solve the content availability problem with its vast iTunes library and legions of devoted customers who are accustomed to paying for content.  After substantially dropping the price of Apple TV, the company is also succeeding on the branding front, with one millennial noting that “Apple TV enables you to access the iTunes store on your TV, but honestly it owes as much of its appeal to the ‘Apple’ name as to the functionality.”

With a variety of price points and content models, there’s no clear winner yet, but it’s apparent that TV innovation is here to stay.  Stand-alone boxes that bring the internet to big-screen TVs have not yet caught on with the public, but over time, the inclusion of the same functionality in televisions will slowly bring the technology to the masses.  Consumer education about Internet-connected TV’s may be lacking, but that will change as manufacturers like Sony begin to launch ad campaigns to market this new technology to consumers.   And once someone develops an easy to use model that will pass the “mom test,” we will know that connected TV is here to say.  While the past decade focused on technological advances bringing consumers small screen multifunctional devices, there’s no doubt that within a few short years the TV, the largest screen in your house, will become the central hub of activity.

Fast forward to this year’s Super Bowl and by the 2010-2011 Upfronts, 80% of the ads for Super Bowl XLV were already sold! By late October, Fox had completely sold out, significantly earlier than in recent history, with many years not selling out until a week or two before the game. It certainly seems like an indicator that the economy – dare I say it – might be back, but let’s take a deeper look at the brands advertising in this year’s big game.

Pepsi invited fans to create their own spots.

Of course, the regular players like Anheuser-Busch InBev, PepsiCo, who is back after a one year hiatus, and GoDaddy.com will show up, but there are some other advertisers that might surprise you. First, there are expected to be at least 20 automotive spots airing this year.  This is nearly one-third of the total spots that will air during the game, and even more surprising, this is up from only six automotive spots in 2009. That is a 233% increase in auto advertisers year-over-year!

Of those 20 auto spots, both BMW and Mercedes will have a presence. This is a major statement as BMW has not purchased a Super Bowl spot in over a decade, and this will be the very first time that Mercedes will advertise during the most watched event on television. One would be hard pressed to believe that these luxury car makers would be throwing upwards of $3 million away on a single television spot if they didn’t think they could get a return on their investment.

Best Buy reportedly signed Justin Bieber and Ozzy Osbourne for an ad.

Careerbuilder.com is also returning to the Super Bowl this year, while consumer electronics retailer Best Buy make its debut on the telecast. Perhaps another sign that the economy is improving?

I don’t want to speak too soon here, but if Super Bowl advertising is any indication of the US economy as a whole, I am hopeful. High demand from categories like luxury brands and job search websites may serve as a bellwether that we have turned the corner, and who knows what other brands may come in and surprise us. Are things turning around in 2011?

Tell us who you think wins the Super Bowl advertising showdown on BrandBowl2011.

The recession in 2009 drove a heightened focus on efficiency and increased digital display and paid search budgets at the expense of other channels. Yesterday content portals dominated consumer time online and ad revenue. Today, clearly, social media has completely changed the world – brands are targeting consumers demographically, behaviorally and with dynamic messaging and offers that pertain to their preferences. Hyper targeting through the fray of content directly to audiences via large ad impression aggregators called ad networks has increased considerably. But wait, publishers suddenly realized that this practice of selling their impressions was de-valuing their content and thus eventually going to be a no-revenue model.

Now, Time Inc, CondeNast and other premium publishers are selling their content exclusively across multiple devices – smartphones, iPads, PC, Print, Web TV – forcing content to remain just as important as audience targeting in the digital realm. Digital content consumption will continue to fragment as Web-enabled TV’s explode in the next couple years. Eventually, we will see more of what Turner and Sports Illustrated are already pioneering, and that is securing a certain content alignment across multiple devices with one transaction, one sales rep. Impressions will simply be divided across the delivery devices as appropriate based on demand.

Other trends to watch are:

• In-game advertising due to the explosion and high consumer penetration of Xbox and PS3 systems that can dynamically serve ads
• Agency trading desks to answer impression demand for direct marketers
• Mobile, as consumption increases and adoption of daily usage grows for all age groups
• How Web on TV and the iPad are going to change the print world and content distribution forever

Get ready!

1.) Media, technology and the innovators dilemma
Consumer demand for access to content may just win out against corporate territorialism.  Sensing the pressing need to align, media and tech executives are devising a number of alliances in order to keep consumers watching, interacting and buying. One of the more promising burgeoning relationships to watch is News Corp & Samsung under which the two hope to provide access to Fox TV programming to tablets and Smart TVs. Other heavyweights in these discussions include Verizon, Motorola, NFL, Vizio, ABC and Google. The sticking point across all of these strategic partnerships lies in content control and compensation. Until a business model is developed that will satisfy both sides the media and technology battle will wage on.

2.) Television revolution 2.0

The sale of 3D and Internet connected TVs has not taken off the way television manufactures had hoped. In an effort to jump start slowing sales and get consumers excited, this year is a full court press on “Smart TVs.” The new models have computer like functionality, tablet design, and are fully equipped to run customized applications at faster speeds. Games will be front and center in the new Smart TVs  across all manufactures and may threaten the likes of Sony PS3 and Xbox.  Players on all sides are jumping into the fray, with new comers like Cisco aligning with Cable companies in an effort to circumvent the Rokus, and TiVos of the world. Given the skyrocketing appeal of tablets, it is a fair assessment to say that Smart TVs are an inevitable trend. Consumer demand is slow, but rising – 21% of televisions sold last year were Internet enabled and that number is forecast to jump to 50% in the next three years. Despite all of the momentum, there are still hurdles to overcome before you find the latest “Smart TV” at a Best Buy near you. Boot up time, remote control complexity, and uniform operating platforms plague developers and frustrate consumers.

3.) 4G has arrived

Verizon, Sprint, RIM, and AT&T are all in the fight for 4G supremacy. Sprint is taking the lead in the war of affordability as it unveiled its first 4G under $200, far lower than other available models. With the finalization of Motorola’s corporate split, Motorola Mobility is now poised to be more nimble in the aggressive cell phone and tablet game, and T-Mobile announced it too will lower price points on 4G offerings. The competition is heating up, and it will absolutely accelerate the adoption of 4G among consumers. Efforts abound with manufacturers scrambling to provide 4G options and some like Motorola are offering “upgrade” contingencies whereby consumers who buy their Xoom 3G tablet will be able to get a technology upgrade to 4G in the near future.

4.) Tablets are the rage
Apple was a no show at CES (no news here), but make no mistake – this was the year of the Tablet, the star of CES.  Though still in its nascence, the adoption rates for tablets are high, and steadily climbing. Forrester is now projecting that 82 million Americans will own a tablet by 2015. It seems that everyone is looking for a seat at the tablet table – Motorola Mobility debuted its version, Windows is developing a new OS for the device, and Comcast announced they will soon enable streaming capabilities. Even the most traditional media platforms are seeking a reinvention as Rupert Murdoch hopes to breathe new life into the newspaper business through his tablet newspaper (dubbed the Daily). Though the growth of the device is not in question, not everyone agrees on the real usability of tablets. Toshiba announced it will take a different approach and offers its tablets without a wireless carrier under the assumption that tablets will be used more like laptops than cellphones.

5.) Autos and Apps – a perfect marriage

Not to be left out of the App craze, automakers are quickly launching a plethora of applications across different vehicle models. From the comfort of your car you can book a reservation at your favorite restaurant, update your Facebook status, or even book movie tickets. Toyota, Ford, GM and Hyundai are all racing to develop the most customized and futuristic in car entertainment systems in their new models. Voice activation is the key to these applications allowing both the driver and the passengers to interact safely. The new systems not only have entertainment value, some will also have intrinsic safety value allowing users to keep closer tabs on their car’s health and predicate when services will be needed. As with all the other aspects of our lives, Internet connectedness will become the standard.

So as you can see, there is lots to watch for in 2011 and beyond. CES continues to grow in scale and importance as it influences the work we deliver for our clients, and the way all consumers will be engaging with content in the future. I’ll be sure to post a recap six months from now to check the progress and the prognosis of all the major topics.

We’ll be sharing the stage with a group of outstanding agencies, including Wieden+Kennedy, which is cleaning-up with its Old Spice work, and our sister IPG shop HUGE.

mediahub’s award for best media planning and buying comes as a result of the strategic planning done in the process of winning JetBlue and activating the You Above All campaign, as well as the innovative use of alternative media platforms for Olympus.

This honor is certainly a nice way to start the year, particularly as the group of agencies being recognized is, in the words of OMMA editor John Capone,”one of the strongest in recent memory when it comes to our criteria of innovation and industry leadership, perhaps owing to the fact that as budgets sagged and the ground shifted beneath their feet, the fleetest ruled the day.”