This year Ad:tech New York was buzzing as it did during pre-dotcom burst years. For those who never attended Ad:tech, it is the event that covers the digital transformation of all media and the traditional business of marketing communications. At the show for me the biggest challenge was to select which workshop to attend and which vendor booth to visit. It was a true representation of how multitasking consumers and marketers are these days. There were simply an overwhelming number of exhibitors and interesting discussions to follow but not enough time to absorb it all. The exhibit hall was full of search engines, ad networks, mobile search and advertising companies, social media optimization and online relationship management tools. It looked like everyone sharpened their tools and even the most familiar names in the digital marketing space were upgrading their services and tools. To me this was an indication that digital marketing space is truly booming.

It was no surprise that the focus was on consumer engagement. To internet or not to internet is no longer an issue in the forefront of the discussions. The Co-CEO of Ogilvy, Carla Hendra mentioned during the panel discussion, “we hire fresh new talent right out of the best art schools and universities. They join the creative team with absolutely no preconceived ideas about how print should integrate with internet or mobile. Their thinking is simply seamless when it comes to thinking which touch-point to integrate into a communication campaign and achieve optimum degree of consumer engagement.”

This concept strongly resonated with me as I was walking the crowded exhibit hall buzzing with discussions on new and innovative techniques to reach and engage consumers out there. As Nate Winstanley, our President states, “we are just skilled story tellers.” The medium is not our real focus but rather we concentrate on telling a compelling story. As I was visiting exhibitor booths, workshop and panel discussions, I kept asking myself “how is this software, technology or medium going to help us better tell a compelling brand story?” That was just the acid test I applied as I was navigating through an overwhelming sea of new technology.

I am sure we are going to hear more about Ad:tech discussions as clients and internet companies start publishing their predictions for 08. It will be interesting to follow the discussion. We’ll monitor them and put it on our blog. Give us feedback if any of these points resonate with you.