A Summit panel of experts talks about the iPhone, the power of emerging platforms, Digital Rights Management and other pressing industry trends.

At the iMedia Entertainment Marketing Summit, which took place on June 26 at the Beverly Hills Hotel, representatives from the content, technology and strategy sides of the industry examined some of the biggest issues facing interactive entertainment on several fronts.

The iPhone hype machine
Session moderator Charlie Koones, president and publisher of The Variety Group, started things off with the biggest source of hype and hope for the industry right now: the iPhone. Citing a Los Angeles Times article that discusses the degree to which Apple's new device changes the mobile game, he looked to the panelists for their analysis.

Not surprisingly, Richard Robbins, director of media innovation at iPhone partner AT&T, felt that the iPhone did have game-changing potential.

"Phones have great entertainment capabilities," Robbins said. "People are going to see [the iPhone] as a true entertainment device." He said that early word is that Apple nailed it with the new device, but that it will also create a halo effect for the mobile channel in general, where competing devices will also gain ground as viable entertainment media.

Ted Cohen, managing partner of TAG Strategic LLC, added that whether or not the iPhone is the best mobile device for entertainment, the brand is so strong that people will flock to it, resulting in greater acceptance of mobile. 

Have we figured out the formula for mobile marketing?
Koones then asked Robbins what advice he would give to creatively market on the mobile platform. Robbins gave his three-point plan:

• Keep yourself in the mind of the consumer
• Figure out ways to leverage the benefits for the channel.
• Incorporate your mobile campaigns into your other campaigns.

Robbins also stressed the importance of experimentation. "A lot of our services are brand new," he said. "We're still learning how customers interact and use the products. What we do know is people want to use their phone to interact.

Cohen agreed, citing the rising use of GPS-capable phones and location-based services that deliver local entertainment options to a mobile device based on the user's current whereabouts. This is the "transactionalized" part of mobile. "It's always with you," added Don Buckley, SVP of interactive marketing at Warner Bros.

Koones brought up the point that it's hard enough to get budget for interactive, and if asking for a mobile expenditure would be pushing it as far as networks and studios are concerned. Buckley said that the way he sees it, it's part of a bag of tricks, and that he wants to use as many components in the media mix as possible, including blogging, special online set visits and more traditional digital tactics like websites. 

In a final note on the mobile factor, Koones questioned whether the U.S. is still considered a Third World country in the way it relates to mobile. Robbins pointed out that this perception is largely due to cultural differences.

"In the Third World, people don't have home computers and broadband access," he said. "There's more of a need for mobile phones to play the role of entertainer."

Robbins felt the real challenge in the U.S. is getting people to want to use the phone to interact when they have other options.

Cohen felt that strategy plays a large part in overcoming this challenge, noting that when using a mobile campaign for entertainment, it must be good and it must be simple to use, it can't just be novel or too clever for its own good.

Robbins agreed on this point, adding that there must be a compelling reason to add a mobile campaign to a marketing plan. "When it's done right and there is a good reason, mobile is incredibly powerful," he said.

What's the risk in various media playing together in the sandbox?
Koones then addressed Cohen on the larger issue of integration and cross-media collaboration, asking what he felt the risks were when working in this new, collaborative landscape.

"The biggest risk in digital is not taking risks," Cohen answered. "In the rush to make things ordered, there's less time to let strategy take root." Cohen cited the music industry as an example, whose strategy has been "What are you going to pay us to let you use our assets?" Buckley agreed, mentioning that in the past, certain assets like trailers were not to be shared. "That's not true anymore," he said.

Koones reflected on this, saying that studio advertising is now sought as content all over the world. To address this, Buckley related a story from his work on "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory." He said his team raced to acquire rights to give away the movie's theme song as part of the movie's promotion. But because his team lacked the distribution network that carriers like iTunes bring to the process, he ultimately lost the battle.

Robbins shared a similar experience, noting that when AT&T came out with a ringtone for "The Sopranos," it beat out hip hop songs on the charts for that week. "It was dramatic to take a show asset, and because of how we promoted it, it drove awareness for the show," he said. 

So who's got the rights?
The conversation shifted to address a related concern in the industry right now: Digital Rights Management. As a proponent of DRM, Cohen was asked for his opinion on the balance marketers should strive to achieve between protecting assets and ceding control?

Cohen felt that good, consumer-friendly DRM provides choice and value. It also allows customers to be rewarded for being a customer. "It shouldn't create a wall; it should be a means to deliver exclusive content as a reward," he said. "It's only the interoperability that becomes an issue."

As Warner Bros. and the other studios spend a lot of money on marketing research, Koones asked Buckley how that research translates to what he does when working on new interactive campaigns?

Buckley said that the biggest change he's seen is that the studios and their technology vendors are becoming equal partners in strategy for films. "We all read the script and get to share information," he said. "It's up to us to execute."

Buckley also commented that ongoing research and the resulting awareness frequently play a role in tweaking creative and media choices, which informs future films.

Turning to technology
As all three panelists come from different perspectives, Koones was curious as to what technology or applications the panelists have seen in the past few months that have caught their eyes.

Cohen cited Mobile Posse as a good example of top-level advertising delivered on the mobile platform. He also mentioned that a lot of companies are worth experimenting with and are dying to work with marketers. "These are the glory days of getting companies to give you $10 on the dollar to work with them," he said.

Buckley added that this is now the standard for how studios approach the business, noting that for Warner's "Nancy Drew" movie, the company traded information with the Warner Bros. investment group, worked with virtual worlds like Gaia, and were able to secure filmmaker blessing the experimentation that they undertook to market the film.

The final question of the session came from iMedia General Manager Kurt Indvik, who asked how the compression of release windows has changed how the panelists deal with interactive campaigns. Is it causing extra stress? Do you turn to partners more often?

Buckley admitted that while he hasn't seen promise of great efficiencies in a cradle-to-grave strategy of interactive marketing, the industry is experimenting and getting closer to figuring out the logistics and benefits.

Jodi Harris is managing editor of iMedia Connection's Entertainment Spot. Read full bio.