Mobile gains shout-outs at ad:tech Chicago: Yahoo exec

By Mickey Alam Khan

August 7, 2008

Adverplex's Spencer Scott at the Mobile Marketing Pavilion

CHICAGO -- Day two of ad:tech Chicago saw more interactive and mobile marketers stop by the Mobile Marketing Pavilion. What did Yahoo and the others think of the enclosure and the show?

Michael Bayle, senior director of global mobile advertising at Yahoo, Sunnyvale, CA

Speaker

"Obviously of all their [ad:tech's] shows this is the most challenged because it's the summer. But Chicago has a healthy vibrant advertising community and despite challenges in the timing, people came out in full force to learn about niche topics.

"Even in dedicated sessions about video there were prominent shout-outs that the future of video is mobile.

Mobile marketing pavilion at wrap-up time

"So we in Yahoo were encouraged by the discussions, both formally and in the parties yesterday."

John Puterbaugh, CEO and chief strategist of mobile services firm Nellymoser, Arlington, MA

Speaker

Hung Tran, president and chief technology officer of Infinian, at ad:tech Chicago's Mobile Marketing Pavilion

"I found the programming in terms of the content and sessions very strong and compelling. It could be that I'm new to the ad industry.

"You could definitely feel the presence of mobile. Even at the end of the online video panel -- which wasn't about mobile -- when asked what was the next thing, they [panelists] immediately said mobile. It could have been embedded video, distributed video, it could have been networked video.

"It's a perfect set-up. They're talking about all the things that mobile can bear -- engagement, dialogue, measurement, attribution. Marketers are really gravitating to this new media space.

"Mobility is the embodiment of everything I'm hearing marketers talk about."

Spencer Scott, vice president of strategic development at Adverplex, Cambridge, MA

Delegate

"I've been attending ad:tech for four years. I do San Francisco, Chicago and New York and I was shocked at the size of the show this year. Because Chicago was pretty big every year."

[Editor's note: This year's ad:tech Chicago attracted almost as many delegates as last year, but the venue shifted from the Sheraton Chicago hotel to the much more spacious conference venue at Navy Pier.]

Sense on the show floor and in the sessions?

"It's a strong swing towards mobile, but I'm very mobile-minded. I'm looking forward."

Nick Stamm, senior manager of communications at Stats LLC, Northbrook, IL

Delegate

"Good show. Surprised how focused it is on search marketing and campaigns.

"Both on the sales and prospect side, there's companies here who need sports content and interesting ways in which companies can use our product."

David Wachs, president of Cellit, a mobile marketing firm in Chicago

Exhibitor in the Mobile Marketing Pavilion

"Overall, the show's fair. There's a lot of people here that have lead generation -- they're search engine optimization work for pay-day loans.

"Basically, our clients -- the brand marketers -- are not here. We're seeing a lot more Web marketing firms and some ad firms. Not too many ad firms.

"I haven't been terribly impressed."

Hung Tran, president and chief technology officer of Infinian, a mobile commerce services provider in Chicago with clients such as AT&T and the New York Jets

Exhibitor in the Mobile Marketing Pavilion

"Very positive. I like the idea of having this together [in the Mobile Marketing Pavilion].

"The key difference for small companies is we don't have the expertise to set up a booth and having this set up here allows us to focus on delivering the message to our customers instead of making our booths pretty.

"Yes, we definitely will work with NeuStar to advertise in the Mobile Marketing Pavilion."

Imran Ahmad, technology director at ViralMesh, a Chicago-based mobile marketing technology provider

Exhibitor in the Mobile Marketing Pavilion

"I think traffic's been really great. The markets we wanted to hit, we've been able to see the agencies that we wanted to.

"I think this pavilion is a great idea. It gives companies like us a choice to have one focused area.

"We do have some prospects. Got some good leads we're going to follow up."