Ad:Tech SF 2008 Takeaways

For those who made it up, down, and/or across to ad:tech San Francisco, hopefully you took our advice during your pre-show planning, making sure to wear comfortable shoes, bringing plenty of business cards, showing up on time, as well as listening to the advice of our readers who also suggested, for example, to have the cell phone numbers of all your contacts. The show did not disappoint, and even with the flood of consolidation that took place over the past two years, this year’s show saw many first time exhibitors and a larger than expected diversity. Now, the real fun begins, sifting through the countless cards collected and trying to make sense of all that you saw and heard. In a mixture of observation and advice, we try our best here to aid in the post show process as you do your own signal to noise analysis.

• Adteractive University – One of the stories has to be the resurrection of the Adteractive brand. Those new to the space won’t view their name with the same level of nostalgia that we do, but their rise and fall and perhaps rise again will make for an invaluable business case study one day. Many companies in the interactive space have produced successful alumni, with Advertising.com often cited as the leader, but what many don’t realize is the truly amazing people that have passed through Adteractive’s door. They are founders and C-levels of some of the best companies in the space, and I look forward to their being able to wear their time at Adteractive with pride.
• Recession – According to the information available outside our world of Internet advertising, the U.S. market has entered a recession. You would have a hard time ascertaining that within the confines of the basement of the Moscone center. Yet again, the size of the event felt larger than the last with a palpable buzz; although, perhaps in a sign of times to come, a few booth spaces, and not just ones relegated to the periphery. And, for the first time in a while, among the jubilance, existed an undercurrent of not quite worry, but cynicism. It was just real enough and emanating from those with good information to give us pause as we try to make guesses about the future health of the industry during these historic times. That said, given the turmoil going on around us, that we can have such energy is remarkable.
• Innovation – Bankers and venture folks always want the Cliff’s note version to the show floor, and one thing they always want to know as they look to you to provide them the floor equivalent of a celebrity map is, are companies doing something interesting, something innovative? While there were definitely some winners, the real innovation this year came in the form of booth design. It really did feel like a tour of palatial southern California estates. It was hard not to miss Rubicon Project’s modern marvel or to appreciate the logical layout of SeeSaw. While I don’t recall what they did, the 50’s diner booth was executed to perfection. Similarly, Ad Fusion’s neon fantasy caught my eye but I remember their booth better than their business. From a business and not booth perspective, this year we saw the meta layers and platform plays, companies leveraging data to help those spend wiser or provide greater insights and decisioning.
• Differentiation – Fans of the dating maestro Mystery will recognize the term peacocking, which intuitively enough refers to the practice of drawing attention to one’s self through the external appearance. As just mentioned, this year’s booths certainly did that, but it also adds incredible noise to the equation, with each not quite trying to outdo the next, but capture mind share through their physical substance. You could almost sum it up in this mock exchange courtesy of David Rodnitzky, "What do they do? I’m not sure. I think they are a network." In his opinion, three types of companies garnered the majority of attention – those in video, behavioral, and mobile. Many of course were simply networks (not that it’s a bad thing).
• Value – I try and ask as many exhibitors as possible if they find value in having a booth, especially given the challenges of differentiation. The classic criticism of exhibiting isn’t competing for time against hundreds of other companies but meeting the right prospect and not having to waste time explaining the business to those who couldn’t be less likely to become a client. The show is so big and the audience so diverse that those pinning their hopes on the floor space yielding a steady stream of new business might leave disappointed. Many, instead, see the value of the booth more practically, to have a home base where they can meet current clients. Others found it like renting a meeting space. Overall, though, the feedback we received was that those whose business focused on performance marketing found more clients than those looking to connect with agencies. We don’t think this indicative of a broader trend but more representative of the dual show nature to ad:tech where the sessions focus and attract more of the branders.

• Networking – like eBay, sometimes the value comes from getting everything together in one place, and that is certainly what ad:tech offers. To different people it means different things, whether that entails closing business with a prospect or spending more time with an existing client. The W Hotel becomes ad:tech adjacent with the lesser known but no less luxurious St. Regis acting as the slightly hidden gem where seating still existed. Countless people look forward to the major parties, but you’ll find that the real networking takes place at the private functions and client dinners. The investment banks often have the best, bringing together not just a diverse group but the business leaders. If you play your cards right, you can go through ad:tech eating without a large food or bar bill, but you do stand the risk of leaving several pounds heavier.

Perhaps most importantly of all, comes not an observation but a recommendation. Strike while the proverbial iron is hot. In love distance and time might make the heart grow fonder, but in our world, distance and time mean opportunity for someone else to steal your thunder. Be not just prompt but relevant; blanket thank you’s earn a one-way ticket to the trash bin, whereas information recall assists and leads to doing business together.