NEW YORK, November 18, 2008 – Election day 2008 and the anticipation of a new president provided the backdrop for ad:tech New York 2008.
“Both candidates’ election campaigns redefined the importance of digital marketing and provided excellent real-life examples of how today’s marketing and media professionals can harness the power of social media, video and mobile technologies aimed at the Facebook generation,” said Drew Ianni, chairman of programming for ad:tech North America. “It was a truly remarkable turnout, which confirms our belief that ad:tech is the must-attend event for marketers looking for insights into what is next and new in their field.”
This year’s ad:tech New York drew its standard large crowd of marketing and advertising professionals, just shy of last year’s record-breaking 10,000 attendees, who were eager to gain practical and actionable insights for navigating today’s challenging marketing and advertising landscape. The conference — gathered under the larger theme of how digital is changing ALL media — explored key themes of media convergence, provided new findings on measurement and presented a variety of advice, case studies and insights to provide marketers with the tools for fully engaging consumers at all levels of media interactivity.
Led by keynote addresses from influential industry leaders including CNN/U.S. President Jonathan Klein and Ogilvy & Mather Worldwide Chairman and CEO Shelly Lazarus, the conference also unveiled an outlook of continued industry growth and opportunity, even while acknowledging the leaner times ahead. In his keynote address, Geoffrey Ramsey, CEO of eMarketer projected that while traditional media may shrink in the midst of the global economic downturn, online ad spending is likely to grow by 14.5% in 2009.
Another highly anticipated session was the ad:tech Power Panel titled “The Future of Measurement—How Do We Define the New Media Currency.” Featuring for the first time together executives from Quantcast, Nielsen Online, Hitwise, comScore and Microsoft’s Analytics and Atlas Institute, the panel examined the lessons learned so far in measurement, in an effort to elevate the discussion and explore the future possibilities in an ever-changing media landscape. As audience preferences for media consumption change, marketers have a need for more sophisticated metrics and measurement techniques for digital media.
The diverse slate of panel and breakout sessions covered emerging areas for opportunity, such as advertising through widgets and mobile marketing, and debated recent trends. For instance in the session titled “Will the Long-Tail Go Bankrupt?,” panelists questioned whether the popular long-tail marketing concept is a viable money-making model, in light of current economic conditions. The two-day ad:tech exhibition featured more than 300 exhibitors representing the full spectrum of the digital marketing marketplace. Akamai, comScore, Friendster, eMarketer and Rextopia joined the line-up again, as well as industry heavyweights Yahoo! and Google.
“We received great feedback from our attendees and exhibitors, who were pleasantly surprised at the huge turnout again at this year’s event,” said Don Knox, ad:tech Global VP. “We are encouraged by this response and excited to continue developing ad:tech events that provide value for an industry so full of exploration, innovation and opportunity.”
The next national ad:tech event takes place in San Francisco from April 21-23, 2009 at the Moscone Center West.
About ad:tech
ad:tech expositions, LLC is the leading organizer of conferences and exhibitions for the interactive marketing community worldwide. ad:tech produces the world’s largest interactive marketing events held in New York, San Francisco, Chicago, London, Paris, Shanghai, Singapore and Sydney. ad:tech is produced by dmg world media; based out of the company’s headquarters in Larkspur, California. For listings of exhibitors, speakers, events and upcoming conference offerings, visit www.ad-tech.com.
About dmg world media
An international exhibition and publishing company, dmg world media produces over 300 market-leading trade exhibitions, consumer shows and fairs each year and publishes 45 related magazines, newspapers, directories and market reports. dmg world media employs 700 people and maintains a worldwide presence through more than 30 offices in the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, France, the United Arab Emirates, China, India, Singapore, Australia and New Zealand. dmg world media is a wholly-owned subsidiary of the Daily Mail and General Trust plc (DMGT), one of the largest and most successful media companies in the United Kingdom. Additional information on dmg world media can be found at www.dmgworldmedia.com.
