Having attended this year’s Ad:Tech in San Francisco this week, I learned a lot more (and grew a lot more excited) about our space. In particular, these were my observations and nuggets of information obtained from the event:
- We are working in the most exciting Industry in the world!!! Spoken first by our initial keynote speaker Jaime Cohen Szulc, Senior VP, Levi Strauss & Co. and CMO, Levi’s Brand & then echoed multiple times throughout the conference by many attendees & exhibitors.
- We have more talent in our Industry than we’ve ever had. As money flows into online marketing (expected to be about 17% of total marketing spend by corporations by 2014), new talent is entering at the same time. Coincidentally, schools are now teaching Online Marketing so the education and skill set is stronger than it has ever been. Online will overtake print this year and is finally moving into the mainstream.
- Technology continues to impress & amaze. I saw exhibitors doing much more with their technologies than I’ve ever seen before. New ad platforms, click-able video technologies, eye tracking, conversion optimization tools, International marketing, one-click alternative pay methods and much more. While it’s now very confusing at times to navigate the space, technology ultimately is making the bottom line online much better.
- There is now an “old timers’ club for Internet Marketers, i.e. people that have served 10 years or more in this space. Sadly, I am a member.
- iPads are a hot item – and an even hotter FREE giveaway for exhibitors.
This year’s conference drew over 15,000 people, making it the largest Online Marketing conference in the world. That statement alone says all it needs to say about the Online Marketing space & what’s happening in 2010 & beyond.
