Field Notes Inside an Integrated Communications Agency

• David Polinchock - Brand Experience Lab
  
• Patrick Moorhead - Razorfish

Experience emerging technologies revolutionizing the digital world and glimpse what today would look like if we hadn't developed emerging technology from a few years past. This panel is sponsored by Razorfish.(notes from SXSW)

Don't forget to take a step back and look at the long-term. In a recession, thinking about the long-term will help your organization more than plugging up the holes. You may not see immediate results, but you will see a better return on your investment.

The panel begins with an ode to Bill Maher and Everything is Amazing. (Side note: What makes 'the everything is amazing' skit so popular? People talk about it, seem to be referring to it, even when they don't acknowledge it.)

40 companies founded during recession in the 70s or the great depression. Consider innovation. This is the time that you should be taking risks.

VB Beer - the created a character based on a cricket player. This player is known to be able to drink high volumes of beer and still play cricket professionally. The agency embedded audio controls in the character and when watching the game the character would respond back to the TV - chiding teams, etc. The character would also say, Go get me a VB Beer, etc.

IBM - connecting social media to shopping. People post pictures of clothes they like that they see on the streets and then other people can help them by telling them where that item was purchased.

Google - always testing items. Hulu has done a great job of creating the appropriate audience online by testing what people want.

When you put the Beta logo on things, people want it more. They want to be a part of the group that decides how it will function.

Games - they are not advertising, but they are creating engagement with brands. Parking wars - you can tattle on your friends when they complete parking violations. Sharkrunners - Discover channel - game that uses real GPS tagged sharks and you can ‘hunt' the sharks in real time.

Subway - you can set up your order with all of your preferences and text it to the stores and then just pick it up when you get there.

Things we won't be able to live with out.

T-shirts that talk code. You can scan the shirt with your phone bar code and it will bring up a Web site.

You can send video to first responders in an emergency situation - this would allow the first responders to be better prepared upon arrival.

Order a Big Mac with RFID and pay for it through your phone. (in Korea)

Like.com - Does a visual search to find things.

When information is instantly available all the time, people get really spoiled quickly. The tough economic times make an imperative for business.

Tips

• Don't take technology for granted
  
• Consumers get spoiled easily, expectations are high
  
• Innovation happens, what are you gonna do?
  
• Evolve or die
  
• Suspend disbelief in order to get smart
  
• No ‘no risk'

High Point of the Session

NewsBreaker Live

MSNBC.com created a motion capture system. They started releasing a game to be played in movie theaters. The game is played by moving side to side in seats. As a collective group, we moved a ball and it bumped up and 'revealed' news items.