TWITTER TWITCHES

At yesterday's South by Southwest Conference (SXSW) in Austin, attendees were expecting Twitter's keynote to unveil a new advertising platform. WRONG!

Instead, they skirted around a new feature dubbed @Anywhere. Details were very fuzzy and some likened it to Facebook Connect.

The press hammered the keynote as attendees made a beeline for the exit doors:

"Likely the most horrifically devastating keynote in SXSW history" (Fast Company)

Maya Baratz, manager at MTV, tweeted: "There are hundreds of people in the room. Someone. Anyone. Kanye this keynote and ask Evan a good question."

GIGOM: Twitter fails to live up to SXSW hype."

Twitter has been groping for a business model that will sustain the company as they begin to slow their growth and field questions on the value of a smaller-than-expected base of frequent users.

Frankly, they had their opportunity to execute on an exit strategy last year and blew it. The contagious YAWN at SXSW will not sit well with their benefactors as they watch their investment sour.

DIGITAL STRESS POLL

Having made the rounds of at least a dozen agencies over the last few weeks I am beginning to notice a few stress cracks for those strategists, communications planners, ad-ops managers and personnel dedicated to the digital landscape.

Doing more with less is the mantra executive offices are chanting in the face of a recessive economy. But to what end?

Paths of least resistance are followed in order to play "catch-up", often passing by initiatives that could enhance the outcome of media campaigns.

Who's at fault?

The economy, the bean counters at the agencies, marketers pressuring agencies to do more for less, the swarm of data vendors offering countless alternatives with questionable accountability or the publishers who barrage media and account teams with often short-sighted promotions?

"All of the above" will eventually wear down digital practitioners until the stress cracks shift to create burn out. We risk the loss of bright minds to other industries if we don't relieve the stress.

OMMA BEHAVIORAL - DATA POWER BOOSTERS

If you came away with anything from OMMA's Behavioral Conference on Thursday in New York, it was the notion that general agency professionals and brand marketers are simply confused by the complexity of data and analytic delivery and measurement options.

Rishad Tabaccowala, member of the management board at Vivaki, opened the session with a keynote that drove home the need for simplicity. KPIs and results are the currency utilized to judge performance. The "pipes" that target audiences, driven by data, should hide behind the walls, managed by the "plumbers" of data and analysis.

Rishad went on to offer three reasons agencies get hired .... Insights, Inspiration (as opposed to perspiration and hallucination), and Ideas.

An audience question that follows stumped the the panel on "Which Data Finds The Right Audience".... "Who can qualify the quality of third party online data?"

It's a sad commentary on our state of affairs when the data is referred to as so much snake oil.

Very much like STP's Power Booster, few understand the origination and quality of the data but tentatively accept the fact that adding layers of data segments to their targeting options (or in STP's case adding it to your tank) will somehow enhance performance and outcome.

Therein lies the problem that slows acceptance of online as a viable alternative. The industry is running ahead of itself with little regard for mapping a destination or taking the time to truly learn and educate along the way.

Matt Freeman, CEO, Mediabrand Ventures

OMMA METRICS-- WHAT'S IN YOUR COOKIE?

Yesterday's OMMA Metrics conference in New York drew an impressive gathering of brand managers, agency execs and pioneers in the analytics space from a wide range of companies trying to make sense of all the data.

There was no question that the cost basis for media has long been based on scarcity while new media focuses on value as its cost basis. This shift will drive a deeper reliance on data according to Adam Gerber, Chief Marketing Officer at Quantcast.

John Burbank, CEO at Nielsen Online noted a collaborative strategic partnership formed with Facebook to utilize its 400 million strong membership as a source for an "opt-in panel" for measurement. Joe Mandese, Editor-in-Chief at Mediapost asked about opt-in rates which Burbank skirted as a "state secret".

The afternoon keynote, given by Vipin Mayer, EVP Global Director of Data and Analytics at MRM Worldwide set the stage for a lively panel that focused on the need for brands to drive ad dollars from analog to digital media given proven roi measures.

The panel missed the one ingredient that could potentially become the snowflake that starts the avalanche ..... comfort. The 800 pound invisible gorilla in the room, television, is in the DNA of most major brand marketers. The easiest segue to digital media for television centric brands is broadband video. It breeds familiarity. Those in the analytics space would do well to consider a focus of initial efforts on video platform measurement.

OMMA Panel - The New Steroid - Data

STRESS MANAGEMENT

PHD (Omnicom) Reception, NYC

Long past are the days when media reps had to cool their heels in a reception area while waiting for a meeting. Productivity rules.

But productivity is a two way street as time pressures build on both ends of the buy/sell relationship. Strategists and buyers on the agency side of the equation are doing more with less as media reps are finding it more difficult to secure face to face time with the buyers.

In today's digital ecosystem selling also requires reaching out to agency personnel outside of the media department. Account services, research and creative teams are now part of the mix effectively lengthening the sales cycle.

Tools of the trade have changed as well, making it easier to manage time while multi-tasking. Smartphones, netbooks, and productivity software are now crucial to success.

As we move forcefully with stress into the 21st century, we still need to take time to lighten the load we are carrying .... for our own sanity.

A lecturer, when explaining stress management to an audience, raised a glass of water and asked, 'How heavy is this glass of water?'

Answers called out ranged from 20g to 500g.

The lecturer replied, 'The absolute weight doesn't matter.
It depends on how long you try to hold it.
If I hold it for a minute, it's not a problem..
If I hold it for an hour, I'll have an ache in my right arm.
If I hold it for a day, you'll have to call an ambulance.
In each case, it's the same weight, but the longer I hold it, the heavier it becomes.'

He continued,
'And that's the way it is with stress management.
If we carry our burdens all the time, sooner or later,
the burden will become increasingly heavy:
and we won't be able to carry on. '

'As with the glass of water, you have to put it down for a while and rest before holding it again..
When we're refreshed, we can carry on with the burden.
So, before you return home tonight, put the burden of work down: don't carry it home. You can pick it up tomorrow.
Whatever burdens you're carrying now, let them down for a moment if you can.'

So, my friend, Put down anything that may be a burden to you right now. Don't pick it up again until after you've rested a while.
Here are some great ways of dealing with the burdens of life:

* Just accept that, some days, you're the pigeon:
and, some days, you're the statue.

* Always keep your words soft and sweet - ,
just in case you have to eat them.

* Always wear stuff that will make you look good
if you die in the middle of it.

* Drive carefully. It's not only cars that can be
"recalled" by their maker.

* If you can't be kind, at least have the decency to be vague.

* If you lend someone $20 and never see that person again,
It was probably worth it.

* Nobody cares if you can't dance well.
Just get up and dance.

* When everything's coming your way,
you're in the wrong lane.

* You may be only one person in the world,
But you may also be the world to one person.

* Some mistakes are too much fun to only make once.

* We could learn a lot from crayons... Some are sharp; some are pretty; and some are dull. Some have weird names; and all are different colours; but they all have to live in the same box.

WHAT'S TED UP TO?

Can't make it to the TED 2010 Conference in Palm Springs this week?

Spend the next eight minutes watching the video below for a mind-blowing peek into the MIT Media Lab and its experiments with Sixth Sense information loads.

FACEBOOK VS. TWITTER

As Google forges ahead to rule the world of information (and then some), they are nonetheless true pioneers of the 21st century.

If you haven't come across Google Suggest, it is a feature that you may want to play with. The following is a lift from Digital Inspiration:

As you type words in the Google search box, it will try to guess what you are looking for and offer suggestions in real-time.

While we don’t know how exactly Google Suggest works, it does offer a peek into what others are asking or looking for on the web.

For instance, type “how to” in the Google search box and you’ll instantly know that loads of people are looking for information to “how to tie a tie” and “how to lose weight fast”. Google Suggest can also help you understand what others think of a particular product or service. Try the phrase “facebook is” in the search box and you’ll know what people generally think of Facebook.

Google offers search suggestions in a plain drop-down but if you are looking to compare Google Suggest results in a more visual manner, check out Web Seer – this again works as-you-type but the interesting part is that with Web Seer, you can also compare query suggestions for two different phrases.

Is there a way to visualize people's innermost thoughts? Google Suggest lets you see what others are asking when they search the web. From the existential to the mundane, the questions form a portrait of human curiosity.

Here’s an example comparing Facebook and Twitter. Lot of people seem to agree on one these – these networks are a “waste of time.”

Click on the chart to enlarge

The arrow thickness in the visualization is an indicator of the number of web pages that are in Google’s index for that query.

LO DIGAS COMO LO DIGAS

The phrase translates to "you say it like you say it" and is part and parcel of the launch for a campaign that accepts a change in the pronunciation of PEPSI to PESI.

The campaign, launched in Spain, recognizes the cultural nuances that often pop up with global brands. The second "P" in Pepsi is difficult to pronounce in Spanish. Developed by Contrapunto BBDO, a television spot cast Spanish soccer star Fernando Torres to carry the campaign. His difficulty pronouncing Pepsi becomes the focus of the spot (below).

The approach is an extension of Pepsi's sensitivity to the fact that Pepsi is pronounced in different ways by different cultures. In Argentina, for example, Pepsi is pronounced Pecsi, replacing the "P" with a "C".

Translating that sensitivity to a neighborhood level in the US becomes more complex, but can nonetheless go a long way to bring the consumer much closer to a brand. Pepsi took the campaign one step further to create website encouraging visitors to contribute to a "Pecsipedia" of Argentine slang.

And it all started back in 1937 when George Gershwin wrote "you say tomato, I say tomato" as part of the lyrics in "Let's Call The Whole Thing Off".

A PAD WITHOUT A PENCIL

As Apple releases its latest "magical" device, a closer look reveals a host of shortcomings that may have Apple going back to the drawing pad.

The Huffington Post recently released "The Nine Worst Things About The iPad".

1-It's name. Sounds like a tampon product
2-No Multi-tasking
3-No Camera
4-No USB port
5-The AT&T deal. Major complaints concerning coverage.
6-No Flash. Forget about Online gaming, ESPN or Disney.
7-Its Screen. LED is harsh on the eyes and drains batteries faster than OLED.
8-The Price. For a limited use machine it's overpriced at $499 and up.
9-Closed App Store. Must pass Apple approval process that limits certain apps.
10-Every pad needs a pencil.

The video that follows puts it best. Hilarious. But oh so true!

LATINOS IN THE USA

Just one decade after the turn of the century, the US population is expected to reach 308.4 million in 2010.

It took 139 years for the US to reach its first 100 million after declaring independence from Britain in 1776. The second 100 million came 52 years later, and the third took only 39 years. Demographers project the US population could reach 400 million by 2043.

What will it look like?

The fastest growing demographic group, Latinos, will dominate our growth into the twenty first century, expected to hit the 50 million mark in 2010. Growth will be characterized by both organic growth from within the U.S. and immigration growth.

While there are some warnings that recent Latino immigrants face high social hurdles, 'As almost nothing else can, immigration-led growth signals the attractiveness of the American economy and policy,' said Kenneth Prewitt, former Census Bureau chief and now professor of public affairs at Columbia University.

Given the complexity of both country or origin and distinct generation profiles, marketers must be sensitive to the nuances that make up each group.