My, has Mullen come a long way. What was once merely a reliable regional shop is now attracting the hottest digital brands around — including Google and LivingSocial — and gets entrusted with international campaigns despite the fact it doesn’t have any offices abroad. In 2011, Mullen found 20% revenue growth while having a lot of fun with its work. For Zappos, it executed a zany homepage takeover on Yahoo’s website so viewers saw a scantily clad man running across the screen. The point was to demonstrate that Zappos is about a lot more than shoes. To get the word out that JetBlue lets passengers’ first bag fly free, it set up an exhibit of celebrity luggage in Los Angeles that also raised $50,000 for DoSomething.org. Its biggest project was leading the international brand launch for Google’s Galaxy Nexus phone, for which Mullen’s creative is running across four continents. The agency is charting the course for the next generation of leadership, making Alex Leikikh president in its Boston office as Joe Grimaldi moved to Chairman-CEO.

Big congrats to all of the agencies profiled in the A-List issue, in particular McGarryBowen, Ad Age’s Agency of the Year, and Droga5, Creativity’s Agency of the Year. Winning and being bold was their recipe for success.

This production is unlike anything I have done before. In my career, I have placed billions of dollars’ worth of ads for clients and felt little more than the satisfaction of keeping a budget straight; but here, today, we are running radio spots, print ads, banners and straight-up walking into businesses and handing people a website URL that will actually help them — no BS or misdirected strategic frameworks or anything like that. Google is here to help, period. What we are doing is good for them, and if enough people around the country hear about it, it’s good for Google and “Howtogomo.com.” Yeah, it’s marketing and whatever, but we are actually going to help real people and real businesses up close in a place that needs a bit of a pat on the back. So I am not ashamed to admit it: It feels good to work in advertising today. Plus the people in Mobile are so thankful and happy.

So, let’s go! Mobilize Mobile!

GoMo is an initiative that aims to help businesses build mobile-friendly websites. And, in an era when three mobile devices are activated for every baby born on earth, GoMo couldn’t be timelier.

Consider these facts:

• Web searches from mobile devices have increased 400% in the last two years.
• Soon, more people will access the web from a mobile device than desktop computers.
• Businesses can increase consumer engagement up to 85% with a mobile-optimized website.

But in spite of these compelling statistics, only 36% of American businesses have mobile friendly sites. Everyone else is missing out on a huge opportunity to reach customers in a new and very personal way.

As advertising professionals, this is exactly the kind of opportunity we should be encouraging our clients to jump on. A campaign without mobile strategy is really just not a complete campaign anymore. This is as rich and as crucial a field to be playing in as the internet itself was 15 years ago, and the time to do it is now.

And that’s where GoMo comes in. Visit the case study section of GoMo to learn more about how consumers use mobile and understand best practices for mobile sites. You can even run your site — or your client’s site — through the GoMoMeter for a personalized report on how to get mobile-friendly.  Get smart about mobile, and get ready for a revolution in digital creative.

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.

So here are five recent dynamics that every marketing professional needs to stay on top of:

• Apple announces big news
  • The launch of the iPhone 4, iOS 4 and the iAd platform are all intertwined and add up to significant news for Apple and the mobile industry. The iPhone 4, available June 24, will not be revolutionary, but is absolutely a significant step in Apple’s evolution, and its key benefit will allow marketers to add rich media and video – at scale– in their mobile marketing communication. The new iOS software allows consumers to interact with brands in a deep and meaningful way without ever leaving an app. As a result, the ad itself will now be as important (if not more important) as a branded application.
  • The new iAd platform also caught marketers by surprise as many scoffed when Steve Jobs said that the starting price to play was $1mm. But after less than two months, Apple tallied $60mm in advertising commitments from intrepid brands like Target, Geico, Nissan, Citibank and Disney to name just a few. The Nissan Leaf communication is particularly compelling and true to Steve Job’s vision, the new ad platform allows brands to tell cohesive and powerful stories. The iAds will start to roll out on 7/1.

• The mobile wars continue to get volatile
  • The Google purchase of AdMob and Apple purchase of Quattro was just the opening salvo in the battle between these two Silicon Valley behemoths in the small but fast growing mobile ad market. Google blasted Apple last Thursday for imposing new rules on developers that bar rivals from selling ads inside the iPhone and iPad. Apple recently amended their rules to prohibit developers from sharing data from  iPhone apps with some companies and thus preventing AdMob from targeting ads giving their iAd platform a huge advantage.

• 4G becomes a reality
  • With the launch of the Sprint HTC Evo the next wave of mobile computing has emerged and make no mistake about it, this is a big deal. 4G mobile will be as important for brands and consumers as the shift from dial up to broadband. 4G will be 10x faster than 3G and there were actual lines at Sprint stores for the Evo as Sprint underestimated demand for the new phone. The Evo represents the most phones sold in one day in Sprint history. More than anything else, 4G will be a catalyst for video consumption on smartphones.

• M-Commerce starting to gain traction
  • As more consumers browse and shop via mobile devices and mobile geo apps like Foursquare and Gowalla continue to increase in scale, M-commerce will accelerate and big marketers like Home Depot, Lilly Pulitzer, Armani and 1-800-Flowers are finally starting to pay attention to its potential. Shoppers will order $2.2B in merchandise from mobile this year up over $1B from last year and as a result about 30% of retailers now have mobile commerce web sites.

• AT&T eliminates unlimited data plan
  • Many marketers and app developers are extremely nervous that just as the mobile market is poised to take off AT&T’s new “pay as you use” model will put a major crimp in consumers’ appetite for rich mobile content. Only time will tell, but if consumers start to think about “how big a file is” and if it’s worth it to download, the nascent but growing medium will be hindered.

In the span of three short weeks mobile has grabbed the headlines in the majority of marketing press and I have a feeling that this is just the beginning. Although the platform garners less than a $1B (estimated $593MM in 2010) in ad spend, the sky is the limit for a platform that combines interaction, emotion and personalization. Any big trends that should be added to the above?

Doritos - "Keep your hands off my Mama!"

Doritos, Google and Focus on the Family.

They were the three brands left standing on the podium at the conclusion of BrandBowl2010. Why you ask? Isn’t it obvious, I say? Simplicity. Buzz. And dialogue.

Of course, we all know pulling off effective campaigns is a lot harder than it looks. It’s much easier to be an armchair quarterback, to write blog posts about how successful brands follow simple marketing rules, and then state those rules for all to see.

Boy, this armchair sure is comfy.

1) Production dollars don’t help you stand out at the Super Bowl.

In fact, they might help you blend in.

How do you squeeze your message through the spectacle that is the Super Bowl? How do you break through all of the hype, through the blaring graphics, the laser shows, the celebrities, the boatloads of slickly produced, over-the-top spots?

You chill out.

Google reused their elegant “Parisian Love” spot from their Search Stories campaign. It was nothing more than a simple screencast of an enthralling dialogue-free story. You (yes, you!) can purchase a license for Snapz Pro for $69, get yourself some royalty-free music and in an hour produce something similar yourself. Gene Simmons—and his midget—can eat their hearts out.

2) Pre-game buzz is worth more than any thirty-second spot.

Set against a white seamless backdrop, Focus on the Family had Pam Tebow talk about her difficult pregnancy. Then her son, 2007 Heisman Trophy winning Tim Tebow, tackles her to the ground. Goofy smiles and heart-warming feelings ensue. Not a particularly memorable spot in and of itself.

But Focus on the Family got their $2.6-million-dollar-buy worth before Drew Brees brushed his teeth Sunday morning. According to the BrandBowl, Focus on Family was far and away the most tweeted about brand among Super Bowl advertisers in the days leading up to the big game. That the actual spot turned out to be something of a non-event didn’t matter.

3) Mix the first two rules, add a dash of dialogue with your consumers, and you’ll win the BrandBowl!

Doritos’ “Crash the Super Bowl” campaign continued the brilliant crowdsourcing effort they’ve been running for three years now. It eschews top production values, in favor of building buzz and a community of avid followers in the months (and years, really) leading up to the game. It lets the people take control of the brand. The result is hilarious, simple, stand-out spots that get tweeted about in droves, make Doritos feel like a contemporary brand and makes them winners of the Brand Bowl.

Acknowledgment: this article was written with contributions from Andy Schneider.

BrandBowl2010 Winners

According to the 63,000+ Twitter users whose comments were captured in BrandBowl2010, Doritos was the most effective brand to advertise on the Super Bowl telecast on CBS this year. Budweiser Select55 was the least effective brand.

Mullen, and Radian6, a leader in social media measurement, created BrandBowl2010, a Twitter/Super Bowl experience that combined tweeting, ad reviews and a host of metrics to let viewers generate and view real time ratings of the TV commercials that ran on the big game.

The results were determined from a total of 98,656 Tweets collected at BrandBowl2010. The site provided an overall ranking of the brands advertising on the game based on a composite score that takes into consideration both volume of tweets and sentiment (positive or negative).

TOP SCORERS
When all was said and done, the top three brands were Doritos, Google and Focus on the Family. Doritos won the title by virtue of dominating the sheer volume of tweets. That was enough to keep them ahead of Google, which had a higher percentage of positive tweets.

MOST POPULAR
The most popular brands at the BrandBowl were McDonald’s and Dr. Pepper. Interestingly, neither of these brands had the sheer number of tweets to break into BrandBowl’s top ten—but the tweets about these brands were overwhelmingly positive.

MOST VOLUME
Again, the top three brands were Doritos, Google and Focus on the Family. These brands gapped the rest of the field in terms of volume of tweets, which dropped off sharply after the top three.

Free creative for Budweiser Select55

Mullen is offering Budweiser Select55, the last place finisher in BrandBowl2010, free creative services to make a better Super Bowl commercial next year. Mullen has produced four Super Bowl commercials in the past, including the Monster.com spot When I Grow Up, which many ad critics consider among the best Super Bowl spots of all time.

“Clearly no one wants to come in last place,” said Edward Boches, chief creative officer at Mullen. “So to ease the pain, we’ve made a commitment to recommend, for free, to the losing brand, creative ideas for next year. Perhaps we’ll even crowdsource those ideas, asking the entire social media community to join us in offering up free recommendations.”

The Top Ten Most Effective Brands on BrandBowl2010

1. Doritos
2. Google
3. Focus On Family
4. Snickers:
5. Budweiser
6. Bud Light
7. Hyundai
8. Kia
9. GoDaddy
10. Coca-Cola

The Five Least Effective Brands on BrandBowl2010

1. Budweiser Select55
2. Michelob Ultra
3. Teleflora
4. Honda
5. Diamond Foods’ – Pop Secret

The success of Brandbowl is due not only to all the people at Mullen and Radian6 who built it, but to many people in the social media community who helped promote it: @bbhlabs, @bigspaceship, @rga, @erproulx, @benkunz, @schwartzie14, @stevehall,  @kenwheaton, @lvanderpool and dozens of others.  That alone is a reminder of the worth of having a social network and a community.