Advertising Industry Leaders Urge Agencies to Embrace New Media

Speaker after speaker at Tuesday's general session of the Leadership Conference of the American Association of Advertising Agencies urged shops to embrace the digital revolution to help clients market their brands and rise to the considerable challenges created by the complex media landscape.

Many industry leaders at the conference, including Google CEO Eric Schmidt and GroupM CEO Irwin Gotlieb, said speed, innovation and adaptability were crucial to reaching consumers today.

"Today we need to make more material, make it more quickly and in more rapidly changing formats," said Gotlieb. "We need to distribute it in more channels, measure infinitely greater and more timely data streams, negotiate with more partners for different kinds of inventory and support it all with an ever-growing arsenal of technology and talent. A failure in any part of the ecosystem will crash the entire process and . . . it's crucial that creative agencies and media agencies work in lockstep every step of the way."

Schmidt, whose brief address focused on how quickly and how broadly consumers are adapting to Web-based technology, said the "real opportunity is in developing new forms of storytelling, new forms of narratives" that tap into that growing interest.

"The rate of innovation is actually increasing in the Internet. And there are these very, very large new opportunities and platforms before us that all of us together are going to be exploiting," he added. (via AdWeek)

Speed, Innovation, and Adaptability....new forms of storytelling, new forms of narratives...Can anyone tell me an emerging media platform that offers all of these characteristics?

I hope that all of you answered: DIGITAL SIGNAGE.

The flexibility, speed, and targeting power of digital signage can only be compared to that of the Internet. It is an innovative storytelling platform that offers consumers web-based technology in out-of-home environments.

Perhaps all of us in the digital signage industry will be fielding calls from the likes of Eric Schmidt, CEO of Google, in the near future...

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Digital Signage Interactivity: National CineMedia Launches Advergames

I am a fervent supporter of making digital signage interactive, as evidenced by my company's work with innovative mobile technology company MegaPhone. Giving people the ability to interact with digital signage networks, billboards, and screens in commercial and public spaces further connects them to brands through an entertaining experience. Building a richer experience and conversation, represents the fullness of digital signage interactivity.

Interactivity drives consumer participation, loyalty, and adds exponential value to digital signage...contributing to what draws people to look at, and pay attention to, digital screens. Whether interactivity is facilitated via touch, gesture control, or through the use of one's mobile phone (MegaPhone), the added feature drives engagement, involvement, and provides enhanced metrics to further support ROI.

National CineMedia, the company behind the advertisements on move theater screens and cinema lobbies, is bringing interactive "advergames" to 750 screens nationwide. Information on the innovative advertising solution is listed below (courtesy of Media Life Magazine).

I think this is a very interesting use of digital signage interactivity. Ultimately, however, I think there are interactive technologies that offer increased engagement and measurement. Without letting any cats out of the bag, I'll just say that hopefully you'll be experiencing those interactive elements at your local theater very soon.

What
Interactive games that engage viewers in a brand are played on movie theater screens.

Who
National CineMedia, headquartered in Centennial, Colo.

How it works
Interactive ad games are projected on the big screen in movie theaters.

Movie theater audiences move together to form a human joystick that controls the interactive gaming elements on the big screen. For example, in a game sponsored by Volvo, the audience leans right or left to steer an image of a car through an obstacle course.

CineMedia uses Brand Experience Lab’s AudienceGames program to create the games. The program is dubbed Advergame.

The games are part of the pre-show programming.

A 90-second game is standard, but an Advergame can last up to two and a half minutes, and that includes a portion where the audience is instructed in how to play the game.

The advertiser can also choose to change the game for different audiences.

Markets
The program is rolling out on 750 screens in 50 theaters in the top 20 markets, including New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, Philadelphia, Dallas-Ft. Worth, San Francisco, Boston, Atlanta, Houston, Detroit and Washington, D.C.

How it is measured
Measurement is based on the number of ticket sales.

Research
According to data supplied by Brand Experience Lab’s CEO Barry Grieff and conducted jointly with SS+K:
-71 percent of audience members reported unaided recall of MSNBC as the game sponsor.
-78 percent reported playing the game.
-93 percent said they want more games in cinemas.
-75 percent said they were more likely to use the brand after playing the game.
-86 percent said they prefer a game to an ad.

Additionally, according to a January 2008 Entertainment Choices poll:
-50 percent of moviegoers go out to eat after they leave the theater.
-30 percent go shopping after the movie ends.

What product categories do well
Automobiles, entertainment, gaming, computer hardware and software, military, financial, retail, consumer packaged goods, beverages and quick service restaurants are top categories.

Demographics
According to a Nielsen study, National CineMedia movie audiences are 51 percent female, and over half are between 12 and 34 years old, with 11.6 percent at 2-11, 15.9 percent at 12-17, 34.6 percent at 18-34, 25.3 percent at 35-54 and 12.6 percent at 55 and older.

Race breakdown is 80 percent Caucasian, 6 percent African American, 6 percent Asian American and 10 percent other. Median household income is $68,365, which is 31 percent higher than the national average.

Attendance by movie rating was 50 percent PG-13, 24.5 percent PG, 19.9 percent R and 5.8 percent G.

Making the buy
Lead time is three months. Cost for a 90-second program ranges from $750,000 to $800,000 for a four-week flight.

Advertisers buy the network.

Who’s already on big screen interactive ads
MSNBC launched the program in the U.S. Volvo ads launched it in the U.K.

What they’re saying
“It’s totally unique for the advertiser. The games are custom-created for each client. It’s interactive gaming with the brand as the star of the game. The brand is the hero.” – National CineMedia president of sales Cliff Marks

Web site info
National CineMedia at http://www.ncm.com

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Outdoor Advertising Insights: Interview with Van Wagner CEO

Outdoor advertising continues to experience rapid growth (7 - 9% a year) despite downturns and disruptions in other media sectors. This interview with Richard Schaps, CEO of Van Wagner Communications, takes a look at the state of the outdoor advertising market.

He touches on the use of digital signage technologies, which he alludes to shaping the future of the outdoor industry, as a key means to lure brands away from traditional advertising mediums.

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Branded Entertainment Gets a Major Push from PR Giant Edelman

I hope that we can all agree on the power engaging, creative content has in today's media environment. Branded entertainment is the future of advertising (an earlier post expands on this assertion). Brands must ascend to a higher creative level in their advertising and produce spots/commercials/promotional material that exist at a convergence point with the creative community at large.

Creative content fuels the beast. It drives television, digital signage, out-of-home, and mobile networks. At the end of the day, almost everything that we read, watch, and listen to, is supported by advertising. Meaning that the content that draws you in - a TV show, a radio broadcast, a magazine article on the plight of the homeless, a viral video featuring the latest cast-off from American Idol - is produced to generate advertising dollars.

The content cycle is never-ending as long as you have people to consume what you produce...which is becoming an ever-increasing problem in today's media environment. With an abundance of choices, consumers are empowered to pick and choose what, where, and when they consume the content that exists all around them.

So it shouldn't come as much of a shock that one of the largest PR agencies in the world - Edelman - has just formed a virtual studio that will link emerging talent and professional talent with brands and companies aiming to connect with consumers in new ways. The studio will solicit and develop creative content -- from TV shows to film shorts and webisodes -- from screenwriters, producers and directors who will have a shot at competing for assignments from heavy-hitting marketers.

"Edelman Studios is a milestone in Edelman's ongoing expansion of the traditional public relations model," Nancy Ruscheinski, who last month was promoted to president-chief operating officer of Edelman U.S., said in a statement. "Creativity and content have always been essential components of our business, and Edelman Studios allows us to deliver both at an even higher level, and while sourcing creative content from unexpected places."

Edelman, meanwhile, is betting that the new offering, which kicks off next week during the Tribeca Film Festival, will present a unique opportunity for lesser-known talents such as film students and other emerging content producers.

Starting April 28, they can register at Edelman.com/Studios in order to review and respond to studio assignments from participating Edelman clients.

Content idea submissions -- which can be for any medium, TV, online, even mobile -- will be vetted by entertainment honchos at Matter, Edelman's entertainment arm, and the top three artists selected for each assignment will then pitch the marketer. Those who are given the green light will be paid cash and can team with Edelman Studios to develop and produce his or her concept. (via Advertising Age)

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Google Now Offering Mobile Banner Ads

Mobile marketing has taken another step forward as Google is now offering mobile banner ads - the mobile version of web bage banner advertisements. Previosuly, Google only offered sponsored text ads through its mobile search engine and those of its partners.

The Google Mobile team writes:

These look like standard image ads for desktop web pages but they are smaller to fit on mobile screens and they run on the mobile content network. Take a look at the mobile image ads example page to see samples….For advertisers, mobile image ads serve as a branding tool and have shown to have good clickthrough rates. Advertisers using mobile image ads will also benefit because we only show one image ad per mobile page. For publishers, mobile image ads provide added flexibility.

(Via TechCrunch)

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Venture Capital News in the Digital Signage Industry

Adcentricity, a digital out-of-home media sales network, has raised $3 million in Series A Funding. The Toronto-based company offers advertising sales and media management services to a portfolio of over 70 digital signage networks. The Company's model is very similar to that of network aggregator SeeSaw Networks.

With all of the success SeeSaw has seen in the last year - linking up with Ripple TV, BroadSign (a major digital signage software provider), and Locamoda (interactive mobile technology) - Adcentricity needs to make a significant push in the United States to maintain its relevancy.

Adcentricity's founder, Rob Gorrie, is a passionate technology advocate and media professional within the digital signage industry. He and I have had some very good conversations about the direction and future of the industry. He is a thought leader and visionary whose ideas could have a major impact on the whole of the digital signage sector.

The Toronto-based company will use the funding to substantially increase its sales presence throughout North America, increase the depth of its network partnerships in its existing and new verticals, and invest in supporting research with partners and media / advertising Agencies.

"There are tremendous growth opportunities in Digital OOH and we are expanding strategically to appeal to the increased demand from Brands and Agencies for scalable media opportunities in place based and retail environments, while investing strongly in our dedicated Digital OOH media sales efforts," said Rob Gorrie, president of ADCENTRICITY.

"We are working in a truly great industry, which provides for unprecedented 'hyper targeting' of audiences on a large scale across North America. In the year since we launched, we have made major progress attracting Network partners to our service, introduced a robust end-to-end media platform, and made great in-roads in servicing the planning and buying market at the agency and advertiser level. The extra resources provided by Propulsion Ventures will only increase these areas as key strengths of ADCENTRICITY."

"Today, advertisers are enjoying amazing new media opportunities created by Digital Signage entrepreneurs from around North America," said Benoit Hogue, Managing Partner at Propulsion Ventures. "ADCENTRICITY has created a growing and sustainable business to support these Network partners at the National Advertiser level. We are delighted to be participating to further increase their revenue opportunities." (via Fox Business)

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Out-of-Home Media: Mediaweek's Video Roundtable

I wrote a post last week on Mediaweek's new monthly editorial section dedicated to out-of-home media dubbed "Out There." To usher in the new section, Mediaweek brought together a group of high-level media executives to discuss various facets of the out-of-home media industry. The video above is Part 1 of the Five-Part roundtable discussion. The participants included:

- Joe Philport: President, Traffic Audit Bureau
- Coleen Kuehn: EVP - Chief Strategist, Havas Media
- Greg Castrnuovo: SVP - Entertainment, Initiative
- Mark Kaline: Global Media Manager, Ford
- Erwin Ephron: President, Ephron Consulting

The discussion centered around key themes, such as: Out of Home's Role in Marketing, Engaging the Consumer, The Need for Measurement, and Getting a Larger Share of Budget.

If you are interested in media, advertising, digital signage, out-of-home media, guerrilla marketing, new media, etc., I recommend that you take the time to view the video discussion and read the transcripts. Some of the quotes I found most powerful and interesting include:

Mark Kaline (Global Media Manager, Ford): "Out-of Home is a sleeping giant."

Greg Castronuovo (SVP, Initiative):

• "Emerging technologies make the medium even that much more compelling.
• "Out-of-Home is at the crossroads of promotion, creativity, media, marketing, and digital."

- "There is no other platform that elicits the same response"

- "Advantage of a localized medium on a national scale" (Thank you, digital signage!)

- "Out-of Home is Point of Purchase. Out-of-Home is surprise."

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CW Pulls "Gossip Girl" from the Internet

In a move that can only be looked at as a fleeting attempt to gain a larger TV audience, the CW will not stream the last five episodes of its hit show "Gossip Girl" for free online. For a show that lives and breathes online, using a high school gossip blog as a key thematic element, I see the tactic of limiting online viewing as wildly off base.

The drama has attracted a loyal following online, but pulls only 2.5 million average viewers to its telecast, according to the Los Angeles Times.

2.5 million average viewers has not been enough to halt the CW’s financial losses or its low ratings - which have slipped more than 20 percent from last season. The first 12 episodes of the show will still be available on the website, along with exclusive content, including post-episode interviews with the show’s producer, teasers on future episodes, two-minute trailer recaps, and behind-the-scenes clips.

The show will continue to be available on iTunes, writes Adweek.

A CW spokesman said, “This is an experiment to see if we can help move the needle.”

The move may be seen by some as a strange one, considering the fact that Gossip Girl’s key demo is the 18- to 34-year-old, who is comfortable watching entertainment online, and the fact that Gossip Girl is one of the top shows downloaded from iTunes. It has also been one of the most popular streams from the CW website. Too, the internet is a key element of the plot of the show itself.

Tim Hanlon, executive vp at Denuo, a unit of Publicis, says the CW is taking a “myopic view.” While it might be an interesting experiment to see if limiting the manner of distribution will increase television ratings, it may also annoy the audience. (via MarketingVox)

"Gossip Girl" has a loyal audience that fuels the viral ("gossip") nature of the show. I'm sure that the "TV only" (w/ online viewing through iTunes) strategy will increase the show's audience numbers. But the real question is: AT WHAT COST?

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Guerrilla Marketing Meets CSI: Interactive Crime Scene

Experiential and guerrilla marketing have the ability to capture people's attention beyond the boundaries of traditional media, and motivate them to share their stories with others - giving a campaign the chance to spread virally through word-of-mouth. This campaign for "The Action and Suspense Channel" in Germany illustrates the inventiveness and creativity that embody well-thought and executed guerrilla marketing efforts.

A bar in Hamburg, Germany installed a bloody crime scene in the bathroom that can only be seen with a special black light. When a person enters the bathroom, the regular lights are turned off and replaced by the black light.

All of a sudden the messy crime scene can be seen all over the floor and walls and the message: “See what others don’t see. 13TH STREET. The Action and Suspense Channel” becomes visible.
(via TrendHunter)

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DISH Network to Offer Digital Signage Solutions

In a move to diversify their business and take a step into the burgeoning digital signage sector, DISH Network has announced the launch of a division dedicated to the digital out-of-home media industry.

DISH Digital Media Services, which includes DISH DIGITAL SIGNS and DISH EzSIGNS, combines DISH Network’s fleet of satellites, national installation network, uplink centers, and teleport fiber POPs nationwide to provide commercial and private businesses with live and stored digital communications content.

“We are excited to announce the evolution of our business operations to include a variety of digital signage solutions,’’ Jerry Grasmick, vice president of sales for DISH Network’s business-to-business service said. “With the assistance of Stratacache’s Activia and Omnicast software, we are one of the few companies with the infrastructure in place to serve as a full-service provider to create new ways for our clients to communicate and advertise with their colleagues and customers.”

With a national footprint for installation and distribution, DISH Network has the foundation to emerge as a major player in the digital signage industry. If DISH Network's solution is cost-effective, I'm sure that they'll get significant buy in. Partnering with a major digital signage player like Stratacache is a smart move. Stratacache offers a high-level of technical expertise.

We'll keep you updated on DISH Network's progress in the digital signage industry and forthcoming installations.

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Mediaweek Launches "Out There" - A Monthly Editorial Section Devoted to Out-of-Home Media

Mediaweek launches "Out There," a first of its kind monthly editorial section in the magazine dedicated to out-of-home media. The magazine touts the new section as follows:

Out There, our first-ever editorial section devoted to the burgeoning out-of-home media business. Compiled and reported by senior editor Katy Bachman, the new monthly section aims to cover all facets of the business: traditional outdoor billboards, place-based media, digital technology, alternative offerings, as well as advertising and research issues. We also plan to showcase creative elements that are driving innovation and unusual media executions.

Why now? Money. Revenue growth in the OOH sector outpaced all other media except for the Internet in 2007, and the medium is expected to keep growing at a healthy clip. And if you work in any major market, it’s simply inescapable. In my daily walk to the Times Square subway station, I’m dwarfed by massive wallscapes and spectaculars of all sorts as I pass phone booths (the few that are left) equipped with digital signage. Even taxis now carry video content.

The magazine features an amazing roundtable discussion with top out-of-home media executives covering various facets of the industry, with topics including:

- Out-of-Home's Role in Marketing
- The Need for Measurement
- Engaging the Consumer

To read "Out There" - Mediaweek's new editorial section covering the out-of-home media sector, click here.

Be on the lookout for a post on this blog that reviews the roundtable discussion and the best quotes therein.

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Motomedia Launches Streetlevel Digital Billboard for "Pushing Daisies"

My partners at Motomedia just launched a Streetlevel Digital Billboard for the television show "Pushing Daisies" in London. The Streetlevel Billboard offers touch and motion interactivity, as well as scent emission (meaning passersby get wafted the scent of fresh cut grass).

Kenny Mclean, the Director of Motomedia and my partner, said the brief was one of his most challenging to date, with a four-meter-wide projected interactive image designed to promote the U.S. television series Pushing Daisies.

The installation uses touch foil to allow users to “interact” with Anna, the show’s main character. When the screen is touched, Anna “gasps, comes to life and smiles. The background is a field of daisies that open as part of the sequence. A central cloud graphic then displays a trailer for the program.

Be on the lookout for more innovative installations in the coming weeks and months from Motomedia, including projects in New York City and India.

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WA Media Group and MegaPhone Deliver Interactive Streetlevel Digital Billboard

I was waiting to distribute a formal press release to tout our streetlevel digital billboard in Philadelphia for the Philadelphia 76ers, but Adrian Cotterill and his great staff at Digital Out-of-Home beat me to my own announcement.

WA Media Group, in conjunction with our technology and operations partner Motomedia, have launched Philadelphia's first-ever streetlevel digital billboard. The streetlevel digital billboard advertising Philadelphia's professional basketball team, the 76ers, is on South Street in Philadelphia, one of the city's busiest and most eclectic streets.

The most unique aspect of our streetlevel digital board in Philadelphia is the inclusion of interactive technology from our partners at MegaPhone. Leveraging technology pioneered by Megaphone, the teams at WA Media Group and MegaPhone came together and designed "Shout N'Shoot," an interactive cellphone game that allows people on the street to interact with our streetlevel digital billboard.

People walking on South Street can dial into our screen and become a player on the screen that is controlled by their voice and keypad presses. The game is fashioned after the classic arcade game Pop-a-Shot. Players increase and decrease the power of their shots with the 2 (increase) and 8 (decrease) buttons on their phones. Yelling "Shoot" into their phones activates their shot.

Sixers tickets are awarded to high scorers. Now that the team is in the playoffs, we will be awarding playoff tickets to high scorers regularly. The innovative MegaPhone application closes the loop on out-of-home media by sending an SMS message to game players. The SMS touts exclusive sixers discounts and team news.

This innovative streetlevel digital board brings together amazing technology from our partners at Motomedia and MegaPhone. Our interactive cellphone game, Shout N' Shoot, opens up the mobile channel for richer conversations with consumers, while providing all important metrics for the project.

Be on the lookout for more information on this one-of-a-kind installation. I will be posting more pictures and videos.

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Mobile Marketing: Fantasy vs. Reality

The title above references a great article on mobile marketing published in Brandweek on April 2. The piece speaks to the common misconceptions surrounding the field. It identifies key growth and opportunity areas while shedding some light on the direction of the industry. It provides great insights into the mobile marketing sector, identifying the reasons why brands should dip more than a few toes in the space.

Things are beginning to change. Mobile marketing is "headed in the right direction," said John Vail, director of the interactive marketing group at Pepsi-Cola North America, Purchase, N.Y. "It's just taking a lot longer than people thought." Mobile analytics firms such as U.K.-based Bango are helping companies measure mobile Web site traffic, what devices recipients used and the countries they're in. In February, 58 million mobile subscribers reported that they'd already been exposed to mobile advertising, per San Francisco-based Nielsen Mobile (a unit of Nielsen Co., which also owns Brandweek). While that's only 23% of today's total mobile subscribers, that number will spike as marketers' mobile experiments continue to grow. And Hadl, who serves as managing partner of Beverly Hills-based BrandInHand, overseer of Procter & Gamble's mobile efforts, added that a threshold is approaching: "Once there's direct proof of ROI," he said, "the spend will shift faster than the industry can handle."

That might happen as soon as two years from now. Forrester Research forecasts that mobile-marketing spending in the U.S. will surge from the $270 million it stands at now to $405 million in 2009. Then it all goes exponential, doubling every year through 2012, at which point the Cambridge, Mass.-based research firm predicts mobile marketing will be worth $2.8 billion.

The article goes on to proclaim that the "mobile explosion" is inevitable. When over 250 million people in our country carry around cell phones on a daily basis, of which many of those devices offer mobie internet access, location-based features, and social networking opportunities, I think it's hard to deny the overwhelming potentital inherent in mobile marketing.

After providing an overview of the mobile marketing industry and projected growth figures, the article goes on to list a number of statements about mobile marketing that fall under the categories of "Fantasty" and "Reality." I have listed my two favorties below:

FANTASY
People will never use their phones to buy stuff. Think again. Remember when everyone was worried about using credit cards online?

Even some tech-savvy shoppers wrung their hands over cyberthieves stealing their identities and draining their savings accounts. (Psst—it rarely happens.) Even as those same worries have swirled around mobile banking and on-the-go transactions, the truth is that a quarter of cell users with mobile Web access have already trusted their handheld devices to do their shopping, according Harris Interactive, Rochester, N.Y. Sixteen percent already use mobile banking services and one-in-five respondents hope their phone becomes a mobile wallet.Smarter brands are beginning to respond. In January, Pizza Hut began allowing U.S. consumers to order from any of its 6,200 stores using the mobile Web or text messaging. The chain said it expects half its sales to come online or via mobile devices within the next five years. Papa John's began offering the ability to text in orders last November."If privacy and security issues can be caged, mobile banking and mobile wallet services could launch the next leg up for mobile operators," predicted Joseph Porus, vp of Harris Interactive's technology practice. Rajeev Raman, CEO of mywaves, a mobile video destination whose clients include MBW, concurs. In the near future, he said, "purchasing movie tickets, fast food and music via mobile phones will be considered normal, everyday behavior."

REALITY
Convenience works.

Skip the cleverisms; brands that give consumers information that makes their lives easier are the ones that'll benefit. "That's why we bought the phone in the first place," Hadl said.Starbucks, for example, makes it easy to find the nearest latte with a mobile-based store locator. When is that blue turtleneck you ordered going to show up? UPS will let you track the whereabouts of your package on your mobile device."Too many people pigeonhole mobile marketing as just being ringtones or wallpapers," said Air2Web's Jones, whose company created both applications. Brands that sponsor services that tell users things like where the is nearest baby-changing station or where is the store where I can buy what I need, will thrive, added Hadl of BrandinHand. "Soon," he said, "mobile devices won't simply be a push medium."


* To read the full article from Brandweek, click here

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Microsoft Surface to Revolutionize Wireless Stores

Microsoft's multi-touch interactive table dubbed "Surface" will make its commercial debut April 17 in AT&T stores in New York City, Atlanta, San Antonio and San Francisco.

When customers place one or more of eight mobile devices -- not yet including the Apple iPhone -- labeled with a special optical tag onto the Surface, the computer will recognize the objects and let customers explore device features. AT&T has also created another customized application that will allow customers to explore its coverage map, zooming in and out and navigating across the country by using hand gestures on the Surface's multitouch screen.

Initially, AT&T will deploy the Surface computers in two stores in New York as well as one each in San Antonio, Atlanta, and San Francisco. If customers warm to the application, AT&T is looking to expand to more cities and stores moving forward.

In the future, customers will be able to place their own phones onto the Surface and drag and drop ring tones, graphics, video, and other content by dragging graphics on the screen toward their phones with a simple flicking hand gesture.

Kyle Warnick, Microsoft's group marketing manager for Surface, said in an interview that the company is taking a phased approach to the rollout of Surface in order to better understand use cases and user experience and ensure high quality.

For now, the company will continue to work with only select commercial and retail companies, including Starwood Hotels and Resorts, Harrah's Entertainment, and T-Mobile, all of which were announced as early customers last year and were expected to have deployed Surface computers by the end of 2007.

Warnick said Microsoft will announce additional commercial deployments within the next few months, but declined to give specifics. Harrah's is developing a number of Surface applications, including a bowling game and virtual concierge application that will allow customers to pay for drinks using a promotional rewards card the Surface can recognize.

"This is an entirely new experience, and it's new technology as well," Warnick said. "We want to make sure we get it right for those commercial partners so down the line we can have even greater experiences with other partners."

Microsoft has also seen significant interest in the Surface from schools and enterprises, and Warnick says the company hopes to release a consumer version of Surface within three to five years. In order to do so, Microsoft will likely have to get Surface's price down from the estimated $5,000 to $10,000 cost per machine of the initial releases. (via Information Week)

Whether you think of the Microsoft Surface as interactive digital signage, a kiosk, or a coffee table-like computer, the simple truth is that the innovative technology solution will undoubtedly cast light on the continued convergence of digital media and bricks-and-mortar retail stores. Multi-touch technology, in the form of a phone (thanks Apple), tabletop, or a digital screen is going to be used more and more in commercial and public spaces.

Microsoft Surface tables in AT&T stores will assist consumers in learning about the myriad of features that are offered in cellphones today. With the dizzying array of choices that consumers must make in a wireless store, regardless if its AT&T, Verizon, or T-Mobile, technology solutions that make the buying process easier are novel additions to these stores.

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Music Tours Offer Opportunities for New Media

It's been 20 years since Neil Young famously declared that he wouldn't sing for Miller or Bud. These days, most rockers are singing a different tune as the concert sponsorship business has skyrocketed.

While media segments like newspapers and network TV post declines, music tour sponsorships have grown 75% since 2003 and will hit $1.04 billion this year, per IEG, a Chicago-based company that tracks sponsorship dollars.

Marketers say the appeal is akin to sports sponsorships and experiential marketing, namely that you get access to a captive audience during an enjoyable activity. "Since the consumer is at the venue all day, it gives us a better opportunity to talk to that consumer one-on-one," said Chad Vogelsong, general manager of marketing at JVC Mobile, Cyprus, Calif. JVC Mobile sponsors the Jaegermeister Music Tour. (via Brand Week)

Concert tours and music events offer fertile ground for new media initiatives, from interactive installations to mobile marketing and digital signage. Imagine flexible digital signage installations that move from venue to venue, featuring content from national and regional (to the current venue) advertisers with a mix of movie, short film, documentary, and user-generated video clips.

Given that you can't go two feet at a concert without seeing a camera phone in use, mobile marketing is an ideal advertising tool for music events.

Mobile phones promise to revolutionize event marketing and let sponsors reach visitors in uniquely personal ways that would be impossible with conventional media. Witness V Festival, held this August in Weston Park and Hylands Park. The festival gave its namesake sponsor, mobile network provider Virgin Mobile, a chance to show off some innovative phone uses and bond with thousands of attendees.

Besides watching popular bands like the Foo Fighters and Primal Scream, attendees could download a ‘Mobile Festival Survival Kit’ onto their phones. Each kit contained a grab bag of concert-enhancing applications. Among them, according to Mobile Marketing Magazine: brightly coloured, flashing screensavers that let visitors find each other in crowds, flame-like graphics designed to take the place of the lighters concert goers wave during ballads, and lighted cell-phone displays that acted like flashlights. People were also able to sign up for text alerts warning them when a concert was about to begin.

The survival kit was developed for Virgin by Mobster Media a UK marketing communications firm. Mobster’s V Festival survival kit is just one example of how event marketers can use mobile devices in unique ways. This August, for example, Springwise reported on a portable laundromat set up by denim brand Wrangler at the Lowlands music festival in the Netherlands. A text message informed patrons when their clothes were ready for to be picked up. Lots more possibilities exist. Merged with GPS, mobile devices could help event-goers find one another. Web cams could show where lines were shortest at concession stands and onstage performances could be supplemented by song lyrics to let audiences join in.
(via Springwise)

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