The managing partner of WIT Strategy and iMedia contributor leads a panel discussion on how creative is being applied to video, social media, gaming and mobile to engage consumers, and which types of creative are performing best.

The old model in which advertisers addressed captive audiences by whacking them over the head repeatedly with messaging has evolved into a more engaging, participatory approach, in which creative messages are welcomed and actually sought out.

This new era has challenged creative agency minds to think outside the 30-second spot. For example, RPA's marketing of the Honda Element started with an online campaign that featured an animated crab called Gil, who was later introduced into TV ads. Gil was given a MySpace profile that contained a blog with product information. The profile also referred visitors to savethecrab.com to petition Honda to use Gil in 2007 Element ads. At the time of the Summit, Gil had acquired 81,693 friends on MySpace and more than 13,000 of these had signed his petition. 

During this session, panelists discuss how creative is being applied to video, social media, gaming and mobile to engage consumers and which types of creative are performing best.

Bios:
Over 15 years of creative advertising, strategic planning and client experience, coupled with 10 years of online media experience, have made Uwe Hook the perfect match to lead the advertising practice at Genex. Hook is instrumental in connecting with the specific needs, challenges and successes of clients in order to create integrated digital campaigns.

Ann Palmer saw an opportunity for internet marketing in 1995. Beyond manufacturer websites and retail banners was surely the ability to establish branding on the web. By 2000, Palmer had taken on internet and new media responsibilities for the Honda brand. From original Flash online commercials to Unicast true video units to integration with the Reuters sign in Time Square, interactive Honda programs have been well received by consumers.

Mark Naples is managing partner for WIT Strategy, a strategic communications consultancy that serves clients who do business on the web in the United States, Europe, and Latin America. WIT Strategy helps these organizations identify and leverage marketplace opportunities, developing and executing strategies that enable them to meet their sales and marketing and/or corporate public affairs objectives in the most cost-effective manner. Formerly the vice president of marketing, investor relations and privacy officer for 24/7 Real Media, Naples' experience in media, marketing and public affairs (with firms such as Ogilvy & Mather and Kearns & West) has ranged from lobbying for the "Baby Bells" as part of the Telecom Reform Act of 1994 to the summer 1996 re-launch of AOL.com.

Note: Our podcast theme was written by Derek K. Miller. Visit him online at penmachine.com.

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Speaker(s): Mark Naples, Managing Partner, WIT Strategy (moderator); Uwe Hook, Director of Interactive Marketing Strategy, Genex; Ann Palmer, Senior Media Analyst, American Honda Motor Co, Inc.

Format: 35:35, 32.5MB, MP3