MB Gets Ahead of Web Trends at IAB Roadshow
October 6, 2009 - MB's Web Marketing Manager Dave Delage attended the Interactive Advertising Bureau of Canada's 2009 MIXX Roadshow at the Canadian War Museum in Ottawa.
Despite a delayed arrival due to
the guerilla marketing tactics of Museum employees on strike,
entrance to the event was extremely quick and the round table
layout in the Canadian War museum amphitheater encouraged
pre-seminar mingling. Dave had the pleasure of discussing the
balance between communications and marketing with two attendees
from the Canadian Mortgage
and Housing Corporation.
Once the event began, IAB Canada President Paula Gignac provided a thorough introduction and context for the presentations, indicating how of all countries, Canada is a prime target for the exploration and advancement of digital advertising due to its world leading internet penetration and participation statistics. Further, that all mediums, specifically display, still had a very relevant role in the online sales funnel.
Next up was a representative from Comscore, who provided detailed statistics on Canada's online consumer environment, and specifically how advancements in tracking of consumer behavior are leading to more accurate metrics on how display advertising ultimately effects website conversion beyond immediate click-through counts.
The rest of the Roadshow was comprised of case studies presented by large web properties such as Rogers, NHL.com, Yahoo, Sympatico, and so on. While the case studies were geared to impress attendees, they also provided interesting examples of the use of new technologies and campaign integration between different online advertising vehicles. Of course each case study finished with a wonderful conversion or sales increase, indicating what could be concluded as a best-case scenario for online campaigns.
Some of the highlights were:
- Print ad design that borrows from online display pull-out Bbx
- Advancements in Rich Media Banner Tracking
- Interactive video technology to create in-video advertising
- Mobile delivery of "augmented reality" technology
The results in each case were very impressive, however, for the most part involved national campaigns. More examples of geo-targeting and how the campaign strategies can be still return R.O.I. on a local level would make the Roadshow accessible for a broader audience.
Dave will definitely be keeping an eye on his inbox for future IAB events.
