Editor’s Note: This article was originally published in MediaPost.

2009 might have been a recession year in terms of spending on advertising, but it has also been an extremely vibrant one for investment and innovation in digital media technology. As we welcome 2010, and hopefully it’s rejuvenated growth, we should watch for the new developments that will shape our reality next year and in years to come.

1. Audience buying and optimization
Over the last two years the startup scene in the area of audience buying and optimization has exploded. Demand side platforms (DSPs) like MediaMath, Turn, Invite Media and DataXu have officially paved their way into the digital sphere. Together with user-level targeting data providers like BlueKai and eXelate, they aim to revolutionize how agencies buy secondary (non-premium) inventory. While currently spending by agencies directly on exchanges is small to nonexistent, the expectation is that within two years a significant portion of the media budget, perhaps up to 30% or even more, will move from network buys to exchanges.

2. Dynamic creative targeting & optimization
Strides toward targeted messaging or “one-to-one marketing” has quickened in 2009 with offerings from Tumri, Teracent (recently acquired by Google), and Eyeblaster, making ad versioning, targeting and optimization a reality. Publishers are also leveraging their user insight to enable more accurate messaging; Yahoo’s Smart Ads program is a great example of this.
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As part of our Favorite Brand Experience series, we’re pleased to bring you an interview with Andy Kinsella | Senior Producer | glue London

Your idea about the perfect working day:

A bit of variation is good. My projects usually mix up clever flash ads, campaign sites, interactive film, post-production, music and sound design, social media, mobile, digital outdoor and a heavy dose of innovation and research. If I can avoid Word docs and Excel spreadsheets for a day that’s a bonus. I work with a bunch of super talented people from all sorts of disciplines so there’s always something to get excited about.

Your muse best comes when:

There’s no specific time. Daydreaming on the tube, scanning through Google Reader, sat on the sofa at home, chatting with my mates, or when we get a small team of gluers together to rapid concept ideas. It’s also good to get out to exhibitions, events and talks. I’m interested in lots of stuff so anything could spark a thought.

How did you start working in digital advertising?

I studied Marketing at Lancaster University, and managed to convince my tutor to let me do an Independent Studies dissertation. I basically did it so I had one less exam to sit. I wrote 10,000 words about “Marketing on the Internet”. That was in 1999. It was fascinating. I never looked back. I also designed and built websites in my spare time to make some ££ – which I promptly spent on going out. (more…)

The Flaming Lips campaign by Pixel Hustler (creative) and Gary Group (media) was recently nominated for an Eyeblaster Award. This post is part of a series of interviews with nominees for a behind-the-scenes look at some of the best campaigns from 2009. Thanks to Pixel Hustler for sharing their insights on the campaign.

How did you develop the concept behind the campaign?
Jeanne Verger and Tom Osborne, who head up the Warner Brothers Records marketing team, had the insight to put Pixel Hustler and the album cover artist George Salisbury together to come up with the creative and ensure the ad reflected the world this new album invited people into. Mike Weil of the Gary Group brought his experience in conjuring up media plans for the music industry to work. I put on some head phones, dove into the album and disappeared from this universe for some time to manifest the creative.

What was the overall response to the campaign?

Surprising! The ad is rather abstract and vague. It doesn’t have all the usual marketing jargon… “The amazing new album!” “Buy now!” etc… Nor does it follow basic ‘best practices.’ It may not have worked well in another context, but The Flaming Lips fans are an eclectic bunch… the unusual suits them just fine. The ad generally met benchmark averages or exceeded them… but it really exceeded expectations in dwell time. As we had hoped… people spent some time with the universe the ad created.

How was the reaction different than you expected?

The Eyeblaster 2009 awards nomination! We dig the artistic aspect of it all, but were not sure if anyone else would get it. Everyone involved is real passionate about what they do and work hard to make special things happen. We are thrilled that it got the attention such an effort deserves. (more…)

iMedia recently interviewed Dean Donaldson, Director of Digital Experience at Eyeblaster, on trends in digital media at an Agency Summit in Arizona. Dean discusses the need to understand the total consumer experience -online and offline – and the use of advanced technology to influence the consumer based on where they are in the purchase process.

So grab a cup of coffee and enjoy the next 11 minutes. (more…)

The December Blast features the Philips Wake-Up as the Spotlight Campaign and its stunning Homepage Takeover. Six other innovative campaigns are also highlighted in the new & notable section with ads that utilized interactive video, homepage takeovers, maps in banner and catalogues in banner for easy holiday shopping.
Spotlight Campaign: Philips Gentle Wake-Up Takeover 

Media: Isobar
Creative: ChewingCom
Format: Homepage Takeover
Vertical: Electronics

“The Wake-up Light by Philips wakes you up in a natural way, with light that gradually increases and simulates the sunrise.  In order to simulate the effects of the Light in an online banner, we turned to Eyeblaster to implement a complex Home Page Takeover that mimics the gradual lightening of a room over the page.  Once lit, the ad offers a product demo video, and gives users the chance to experiment with the light’s range: a successful example of how technology can effectively demonstrate products’ key benefits in a very visual yet engaging way.”
Clément Biger – Senior Consultant @ ChewingCom

New & Notable Campaigns

Hyundai FIFA 2010 Fan Takeover, KR
Hyundai makes a big home page splash over its partnership of the 2010 FIFA World Cup. A world cup ‘fan’ invites the user to click, initiating a full take over of the home page, including football-themed wallpaper, which ends in a Go England! banner celebrating the beginning of the world cup.

Media: JnJ Interactive
Creative: JnJ Interactive
Format: Page takeover
Vertical: Automotive

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