| There were over 12,000 individuals from all over the | | | | etc.? No. Which method(s) depends on your audience |
| place pre-registered for the conference. The hotel | | | | and how you can reach them the easiest."What |
| was packed like I haven't seen it since 1999.On the first | | | | impressed me, representing Main Street, was that he |
| floor of the Hilton on 6th Avenue there is a bar with a | | | | was not a zealot for a certain solution, especially |
| huge seating area of tables and curved couches. It | | | | requiring a huge budget. His comments focused rather |
| doesn't open until 5-6 in the evening, during the day | | | | on the importance of having a big idea.Those of us |
| people use it as a place to sit while they are waiting | | | | who are not particularly creative must rely on those |
| for something or just killing time. There are always 2-3 | | | | who are for help with the insights that flesh out the |
| tables in use.During Ad:Tech every seat was taken - | | | | importance of the big idea and then craft the solution |
| attendees comparing notes and connecting with their | | | | that will, hopefully, make it a household name.But we're |
| contemporaries to discuss ideas they'd just picked up | | | | skeptics - since most of these experts see theirs as |
| in one session or another or from a vendor in the | | | | the solution of choice, and are willing to massage our |
| exhibit hall. You could feel the buzz, the energy!The | | | | big picture until it becomes a big picture that their |
| press/speaker/blogs room had been relocated to a | | | | service is uniquely suited to provide. (I'll be telling you |
| room three times larger than before - a dead | | | | about my experiences along this line, when I spent two |
| giveaway that this was going to be special.The event's | | | | days in the exhibit hall. But that's another |
| opening keynote featured the head of the organization | | | | story)According to David, "When you have the big |
| Drew Ianni, Chairman, Programming, ad:tech | | | | idea and an open minded team to consider how to |
| expositions, laying out their blueprint for the future of | | | | make that idea relevant, the method you use to get |
| Ad:Tech as it expands its presence worldwide.As he | | | | that message to the right people will just feel |
| illustrated their growth strategy he alluded to the "bad | | | | logical."Once example of the big idea being promoted in |
| old days" of just a few years ago. I remember | | | | the right way was so obvious I almost laughed out |
| attending one of those events - when it had been | | | | loud. You see I had witnessed it first hand - like so |
| moved from a gigantic space the previous year and | | | | many others, but because it seemed so natural I |
| combined with another organization in a much smaller | | | | dismissed the creativity associated with it.Last |
| location and the luncheon could still have been held in a | | | | weekend we had friends visiting us from Arizona. We |
| Manhattan apartment.That was on the back-end of | | | | met them at their Times Square hotel and took them |
| the dot com bust and conventional wisdom seemed to | | | | to dinner at one of our favorite Italian restaurants, |
| give Ad:Tech one more year before it would become | | | | Mezzogiorno, at the corner of Spring and Sullivan |
| a small part of another industry organization. To see | | | | Streets in SOHO, one of the cool neighborhoods in |
| the slides describing the strides they've taken and the | | | | NYC everyone has heard about.The streets are |
| plans they have in place demonstrates that the original | | | | narrow and always bumper to bumper as the cars |
| "big idea" has come full circle. That with Ad:Tech as | | | | creep between Broadway and 6th. Ave. The |
| with business and life in general it all comes down to | | | | occasional doubledecker bus makes the journey as |
| execution of the mission.The keynote was to be | | | | well, just barely fitting between the cars parked on |
| delivered by David Lubars, Chairman and Chief | | | | both sides of the streets.And there are always lots of |
| Creative Officer, BBDO North America.I had not taken | | | | people strolling along the sidewalks. It's a combination |
| the time to read any of the pre-conference materials | | | | thriving little mini neighborhood, landmarked historic |
| or promotion so I had no idea who the keynote | | | | district, and tourist destination all rolled into one.One |
| speaker would be.When I got to my seat in the | | | | merchant, it's pretty expensive to have your store |
| second row and saw the name and title on the huge | | | | there, came up with a novel idea for promoting their |
| screen I remembered why I always sit up front. It's to | | | | business during the 12-14 hours a day they are not |
| keep me from leaving early. Sitting up front means you | | | | open - but when people are still going by their front |
| can't sneak out. Common courtesy keeps me in my | | | | door.So when David mentioned this advertising |
| place. Invariably I pick up something so I continue the | | | | strategy as an example of the big idea (for that |
| practice.While Drew was telling us about David - that | | | | merchant), one that did not require a Fortune 500 |
| he had come from Fallon, Minneapolis "where he was | | | | budget, being delivered in a way that just made sense |
| responsible for some of most memorable and | | | | - ah ha. I had just witnessed it. An idea was so simple, |
| out-of-the-box advertising campaigns including | | | | so cheap and yet so effective.You see in most if not |
| Citibank's 'Identity Theft' series and BMW Films" - I was | | | | all neighborhoods in the City when the stores and |
| looking along the row in front of me trying to figure out | | | | restaurants close the last person out pulls down these |
| which one of the blue suited businessmen has was.I | | | | horribly ugly gray metal grates over the entire front of |
| was familiar with these campaigns, as a TV viewer, | | | | the place.Over time people tape pieces of paper with |
| so I was interested to see the guy who came up with | | | | their message on them, about a lost cat or an |
| them but not sure how this would translate to regular | | | | opportunity to lose weight, or attend an event of some |
| people like us.Drew said that David had come to | | | | sort - which, when removed, leave the corners of the |
| BBDO and had been charged with bringing a new, | | | | papers under the tape, or someone with a magic |
| progressive way of thinking to an advertising agency | | | | marker or can of spray paint will leave their mark. The |
| once dubbed the "old guard". More interesting.But still, | | | | owners will typically do nothing, unless it is an |
| how would it be possible that someone from this huge | | | | objectionable message, assuming that this is the |
| ad agency, with clients who spend more on a single | | | | natural order of things.What we saw as we strolled |
| campaign than our readers on Main Street generate in | | | | through the neighborhood with our out of town friends |
| annual revenues, have something relevant for people | | | | was a merchant who, instead of accepting the way |
| like us?When Drew introduced David, instead of the | | | | things have always been, used the grate to create an |
| staid businessman in a dark blue suit and shiny shoes I | | | | effective "billboard" that cleverly introduces their store |
| was looking for - an energetic guy wearing Dockers, a | | | | to everyone who passes by.Instead of an unbroken |
| tee shirt with a long sleeve shirt open down the front | | | | string of gray metal grates that make every store, dry |
| and Timberland shoes (I think I recognized the soles) | | | | cleaner, restaurant, and shoe repair shop look alike - |
| ran up the steps to the stage. I thought he was a audio | | | | now in the middle of the block one stands out. As we |
| engineer there to attach the lapel mike to the staid | | | | walked along we saw people look and point to it, one |
| businessman in the dark blue suit and shiny | | | | tourist took a digital photo for the folks back home. |
| shoes.Imagine my surprise. This was David Lubars, | | | | The point, everyone noticed and some will remember |
| Chairman and Chief Creative Officer, BBDO North | | | | it.David's message that it's about the idea - the delivery |
| America.The stage was set up like a TV interview | | | | method will emerge based on that - not the |
| show. Instead of a speech this would be a | | | | other way round - was perfectly illustrated.Whether |
| conversation. What happened was quite interesting | | | | you work for a company with seemingly unlimited |
| and enlightening to, I'm sure, everyone in the room. | | | | resources or are like the rest of us, it's about |
| Each of David's comments were little ah ha's that just | | | | performance - ROI. It's not about a particular branded |
| made sense. The only thing that threw some people | | | | solution.It's about delivering the right message in the |
| was when he referred to himself as "not being a | | | | right way to the right audience at the right time. A |
| Darren Stevens type of advertising man."BTW: For | | | | message that makes people want to go out right now |
| those too young to remember Darren Stevens was | | | | and get one for themselves!David's responses to |
| the character played by Dick Sargent in the early 70's | | | | Drew's well crafted questions - that seemed to have |
| sitcom, "Bewitched" Darren and his boss Larry Tate | | | | the wide range of the audience in mind, set the stage |
| were the prototypical gray flannel suited advertising | | | | for the entire event. The question was, would each |
| executives of the time. There are still many just like | | | | subsequent session build on that keynote or not? Yep, |
| them - their tried and true tactics still work. However, | | | | the keynote was the tipping point for the event.There |
| it's being able to see beyond what has worked in the | | | | were over two dozen break-out sessions during the |
| past that make David successful and his ability to bring | | | | next 21/2 days and we did our best to cover them. |
| along their clients into the new world of strategic brand | | | | The panels in each session were made up of marque |
| planning in a universe defined by short attention spans, | | | | companies like CNN, AOL, and Frito Lay as well as |
| massive media proliferation and where the consumer | | | | one person entrepreneurs and everything in between. |
| is increasingly in control.Drew, using the Barbara Walter | | | | As always there were actionable strategies from |
| interview style, sat down with David "to discuss the | | | | every quarter.We'll be offering observations from |
| new media landscape, the continued power of the | | | | those break out sessions we were able to sit in on |
| television commercial as well as the new opportunities | | | | over the next week or so. Be sure to join the |
| and threats that are emerging thanks, in part, to new | | | | discussion. We'd love insights and observations from |
| digital technologies, platforms and creative | | | | you. The RSS feed link is in the Meta area of the nav |
| tools."David's comments were reveling. Instead of | | | | bar.In addition we're going to do something we've |
| taking the advice of his friends, to move to LA and | | | | never attempted before.We're going to contact a |
| start his own interactive boutique agency he decided | | | | select number of exhibitors whose products and |
| to join BBDO in NYC - providing us our first ah ha - | | | | services seem to have relevant applications to regular |
| that it's not about the medium. It's about the message | | | | companies, companies spending their own money and |
| and delivering it in the most logical way.At BBDO he | | | | not shareholders money, when they develop marketing |
| would be able to work with clients to develop their big | | | | and advertising strategies.It will be interesting to see |
| idea and with creative people with experience in every | | | | who responds who doesn't - whose services are for |
| medium to work out the most logical way to get that | | | | people like us and who are interested in telling us about |
| message to their target audience. For him it's not about | | | | them in a semi non-commercial sort of way.Stay |
| the technology or medium it's about the message. The | | | | tuned, add your comments, subscribe to the blog feed |
| medium is just the vehicle.I his words, "Does it matter | | | | - get your trade association to do so as well. You |
| whether you use email marketing, forums, bulletin | | | | won't want to miss what's coming! I guarantee |
| boards, blogs, focus groups, TV ads, online videos, | | | | it.Wayne Messick reports on how Main St. |