This past week was the 4^th year of the Digital Content NewFronts, the digital world’s response to the long-standing TV Upfronts, which take center stage for anyone in the media industry this time of year.

The NewFronts are a who’s who of brands and talent, all trying to one-up each other and bring the “next big thing in digital” to the table. Big media brands are partnering with A-list celebrities, creating original content, and promoting a slew of new ad products (thank you, Hulu).

But glamour aside, I see two big unanswered questions associated with the NewFronts. Yes, digital video ad spending is on an upward trajectory–estimated to reach $9.25 billion by 2016 (according to eMarketer), but the jury’s still out on data and audience.

First and foremost, digital planners and buyers love data. I love data—and there’s plenty of it among multiple digital platforms. But making it accessible and available–let’s just say that’s easier said than done. With big media brands launching new products and content, most of which is untested, there is limited data transparency going around.

Second and equally important is building and retaining an audience – a long-term audience – one that will continue to return to the brand after a three to four-month series has ended. This has been a challenge for many brands in the digital space and is a hesitation for advertiser participation.

On the plus side, the NewFronts have created a noticeable momentum in the industry. If you can get past the celeb-infused announcements, there is a striking trend… the convergence of content across multiple digital platforms.

Some want to rebrand the NewFronts as “Omni-Fronts” or “All-Fronts,” which I respond, hey why not? It would be a truer representation of what we as an industry are trying to achieve. It’s the acceptance that consumer behavior is changing due to technology advancements and access to video content is being demanded across all screens, consuls, devices, platforms… not just during prime time viewing periods. And, lastly, let’s be honest, there is little that is “new” about digital video, the focus now is on how, where and when it is consumed.

Is it just me, or has haiku really surged in popularity lately?

I suspect it’s largely because haiku is so easily consumed; its bite-sized format is perfect for our overscheduled, time-starved society. It’s also just the right length for social media — especially Twitter, where a wonderful #micropoetry movement has sprung to life. I regularly see #haikuchallenge and #tweetku posts streaming through my feed; I so love these little poetic snacks.

For many modern purveyors of these poems, the form helps set up a “punchline” in the last phrase. Plenty of humor books have made the most of this, from Zombie Haiku (“Good Poetry for Your…Brains”) to Redneck Haiku to the newly published Suburban Haiku, which celebrates (and skewers) the lives of minivan-driving denizens of the ‘burbs.

The simplicity of the form also just begs you to give it a try. To celebrate National Poetry Month, The New York Times asked readers to post haiku odes to The Big Apple; they garnered nearly 3,000 entries.

In that same spirit, why not try your hand at a haiku or two about the advertising world? From creative briefs to client dinners, there’s plenty of poetic fodder. Come play along! Post your own #adku in the comments section below.  Here are a few to start:

Today’s task at hand:

meet the simplest of requests.

“Make it go viral.”

 

 

Let’s push the check-in –

briefing info incomplete.

Creatives have needs!

A writer at GSD&M, Carlotta also finds the poetry (and humor) in parenting as The Well-Versed Mom.

If you’re a record geek, Record Store Day is the day you look forward to all year like comic geeks look forward to Comic-Con. Only slightly cooler. What started in 2007 as a way to promote independent record shops has today turned into a global event with thousands of stores on every continent (sans Antarctica) serving up specially released vinyl records, CD’s and in the case of Green Day and Skrillex, cassettes. We’re talking exclusive 45s, live 10” and 12” albums, re-issues and lots of color vinyl!  But for every person with a shelf full of albums at home, Record Store Day presents a different experience…

A VINYL LOVE AFFAIR by Bill Bayne, group creative director

The Popularity of Record Store Day is growing exponentially. But my lovely wife really doesn’t “understand” the popularity in general, or more specifically, my fanatical obsession with vinyl. And that’s cool. But ever since I was a little kid and listened to, “Snoopy vs The Red Baron” on my first plastic, portable record player, vinyl has been a talisman for me. Those inky black circles let me connect with my favorite bands and songs in ways that compact discs and MP3s never could. Vinyl is tactile. I can hold it in my hands. Someone “made” it for me and I get to listen to it then flip to side 2. And in doing so I feel a deeper connection to the music I love because of records.

But when I try to suggest to my missus that my mania for Record Store Day, “isn’t really that bad,” by letting her know that some guys have been camped outside of Waterloo Records for 24 hours, somehow it doesn’t have the desired effect. She kindly suggests that I should consider, “growing out” of this vinyl phase (and I will regrettably admit that some of my vinyl brethren do appear to still be sleeping on couches in their parent’s basement and are more often than not, “allergic” to exercise) and just walk away.

Deep down we both know that my love affair with albums and 45s won’t end, we just need to learn to live with it.

Here are few of my reflections on RSD 2014, with the hope that you too will catch the vinyl bug, or at the very least be empathetic towards my wife when RSD 2015 rolls in:

1.     Know your store. When I’m looking for Soul vinyl (Donnie Hathaway Live, 1971) I visit Encore Records. Known for being one of the best places to get Death Metal records this side of SA, the usual suspects who frequent Encore aren’t looking for Donnie Hathaway records. Conversely, when I needed the Gram Parson RSD lp, of rare and unreleased tracks from his two awesome Cosmic American solo records, I went to Breakaway on North Loop known for, you guessed it, Soul and R+B vinyl.

2.     Vinyl Nerds are nice. Yeah, 99% of us may be out of shape and still living with our folks, but we have great taste in music and we’re really polite to one another.

3.     Analog is the future. The same mindset that has made the slow food movement so popular helps fuel the passion for vinyl and Record Store Day. We’re all lucky to live in Austin where having great things to listen to and wonderful food to eat is the rule rather than the exception.

GO EAST YOUNG MAN by Jack Epsteen, SVP production

Record Store Day is quite the holiday in our household.  Until this year, for the last 7 years, my little guy (Levon, age 7) and I have waited for hours outside of Amoeba records in Los Angeles.  We were both excited for our first RSD as Austin residents.

My theory has always been, go to the big stores, they have the most product.  Which is why we’d get to Amoeba a couple hours before opening and enjoy our “boy time” in line.  Yes the lines have gotten longer each year, but we always make friends, have nerdy conversation, eat snacks and wait.  The same was true here at Waterloo.  (Even gained two new Facebook friends!)

Let me stop here and explain how Amoeba handles Record Store Day.  While the first couple of years were the same mad dash into the store at opening time, once the lines got out of hand and the product offerings became vast, they instituted a great system (also in use at many stores across the country, I’ve heard.)  Everyone in line (and there are hundreds now) receives the list of all available titles.  You mark the titles you want on that list and hand it to an employee, who hands you a number.  When you get to the front of the line, you are handed a bag of the selections on your list that are still available.  Perfection.

We still had fun at Waterloo though.  It was a little crazy holding Levon’s hand as I rushed through the crowded isles, but the product was spread out nicely.  Aside from a few bumps, we did just fine and scored everything on the list but one.

Is Record Store Day for 7 year olds?  Probably not.  However, my son and I enjoy the ritual so much, he’s already ready for next year (and Black Friday!)  I will, however nicely mention the Amoeba process next time I’m at Waterloo for a visit.

THE WRONG WAY TO DO RSD by Travis Waid, creative director

A veteran of three Record Store Days now, I thought I had it down. I had a printout of every release with my favorites highlighted in yellow and the true must-have’s marked in red. I knew when the different stores were opening and had a plan. But there’s a right way to do Record Store Day and then there’s my way to do Record Store Day, which turned into the wrong way.

Mistake Number One: Underestimating the hype. Waterloo was scheduled to open its doors at 10:00, so I figured I would stop by Taco Deli for a potato and egg and a Jess Special and then head over with an hour to spare. But when I got to Waterloo, the line was already snaking around back, down the block and around the side towards 24 Diner. I was a good 300 people back holding my tacos.

Mistake Number Two: Succumbing to impulse. I showed up prepared with my printout of the albums I wanted to buy, but as soon as I entered the belly of the best I found myself grabbing whatever looked interesting and forgetting several of the pieces I was there for until I had already checked out. The list never came out of my pocket until it was too late.

Mistake Number Three: Cutting bait too early. Knowing that End of an Ear opened up at 11:00 I checked out after one pass through and raced over there to pick up whatever was sold out at Waterloo thinking the line would be a lot shorter. It was, but it also moved three times slower and the inventory was five times less. I managed to pick up a couple of albums that I had missed, but it wouldn’t have been needed it if I hadn’t committed mistakes one and two.

In the end I walked away with some gems including Hüsker Dü’s Candy Apple Grey (on grey vinyl), The Pogues with Joe Strummer Live (on red vinyl), DEVO Live at Max’s Kansas City 1977, but just as important, a lesson learned and a plan for RSD 2015.

What do you get when you put The Wild Feathers, Aaron Behrens, Aloe Blacc and The Hold Steady on stage all on the same night?

Add food, drinks, a photo booth and a few thousand of our closest friends, and you have GSD&M’s 2014 SXSW Party.

We made a video recapping the best moments and are reliving the glory as we speak. Viva SXSW 2015!

The Civil Rights Summit wrapped up yesterday with many power players in attendance to spread the message of We Shall Overcome and to celebrate the 50^th anniversary of the 1964 Civil Rights Act. The audience and speaker program, produced by Autumn Rich & Co., were made up with the who’s who of Austin and Washington D.C. to include the current and former presidents, athletes, social activists, marketers, politicians, among others. Here are a few behind the curtain moments you won’t find anywhere else.

 (CBS News’ Bob Schieffer and Luci Baines Johnson)

(Reverend Jesse Jackson)

(Translation Founder and CEO Steve Stoute and NBA Hall of Famer David Robinson)

 (Former President George W. Bush)

(Maria Shriver and David Robinson)

By Jackie Coffey, Associate Digital Director

Yes, that’s right, all media is social. You can add that hashtag to just about anything. Does that make it social? Technically, yes. Realistically, eh – no.

But what about all media being digital? That’s a bit harder to swallow in this TV-centric age, but are we moving in the right direction? HELL YES. And may I add FINALLY.

At the Ad Age Digital conference last week, themes stretched from…

1. Leading a purpose-driven work environment (GSD&M was built on purpose; it is engraved on our floor, literally).

2. Embracing the story that data is telling. Listen to it, use it, and change the status quo. But remember that behind data there is a consumer.

3. Brands need to start adding value to consumers, not interrupt their experiences. Starting with content and understanding the user experience.

And last but not least: Stop planning, Start adjusting.

This takes us back to the notion that all media is digital. As marketers we need to understand what consumers are thinking, how they are behaving and what they will do next. Our job is to predict the “next big thing” and help put our clients ahead of the curve. To do this we need to stop battling for the user’s attention and start providing them with something that they actually need, want and are looking for. We should also re-address the value of “traditional” media spots, banners, and ad placements.

Technology is a game changer, data is driving insights, we are able to adjust on the fly, and consumers are adapting alongside. Soon we will be able to access any and all content, by simply asking, or searching or saying the program title. The channel number and name of site or network will soon be irrelevant. So what does this mean for marketers? Options need to be included in upfront plans and we need to focus on how the user is accessing content. We must be able to adjust and optimize on a real-time basis and develop content strategies based on what story that data is telling. The technology is there, so let’s use it.

So what is the prediction coming out of the Ad Age Digital Conference, well, this is it: consumers will drive how content is provided. And it starts with digital and gets better with data.

You probably haven’t thought about it since you posted it and you certainly don’t have enough patience to scroll down far enough to find it. It’s your first, awkward tweet as a less-social-media-savvy you who had no idea you’d still be Twitter-ing eight years later.

But, to celebrate its birthday, Twitter begged us to travel back in time with this – #FirstTweet. Curiosity may have killed the cat, but we’re not cats. And our curiosity led us to discover that the best way to feel better about our own silly and/or unremarkable first tweets was to find good company. There are several kinds of first tweeters:

1.  The professional, business-minded type:

2. The March-ers, or people who went to SXSW for work and had to tweet about it

3.  The oversharers (Before you call me on it, guilty as charged. In my defense… never mind… there’s no excuse.)

4.  The fashionably late. People who joined (or became old enough to want to join) way after the rest of us

5. The very popular: Tweeters who tweeted about Twitter

6. The confused. But were they really? We’ll never know.

Twitter, next birthday, show us our first profile photos and bios!

It is ok to fail.

This was the one message I heard over and over during SXSW. We all understand the premise of this simple statement, yet acting as if failure is an acceptable outcome is incredibly difficult. Nobody likes to be wrong, or to fail. But it happens, and we need to accept that. We need to channel Al Franken’s daily affirmation, look in the mirror and say, “I have failed…and that’s…ok.”

Almost everyone I saw – from entrepreneurs, to data scientists, to film stars – talked about failure. They all have overcome some failure, and in the process of admitting it, have emerged stronger and smarter. Adam Savage of Mythbusters said, “Failure is the most important thing in science. We all need to be comfortable in talking about and encouraging failure. Only when you fail do you truly know your limits, and where you sweet spot actually lies.”

If you know me, or have worked with me, you hopefully will not say that I am a controlling person who defines success by always being right. I love winning as much as the next person, but I have a very relaxed attitude when it comes to failures, and look at it as an opportunity to do better.

However, when I look at my attitude toward my kids, I find that I am not as calm and accepting of mistakes.  It truly is crazy. I obsess over the minor details of a marker on the wall or a toy being thrown at someone else. Why?  I inherently take on responsibility for the mistake, because that is my child. But if I don’t allow them to make mistakes, I am keeping them from learning and growing. Sound familiar? The same applies to advertising.

Dr. Neil deGrasse Tyson had this to say about making mistakes:

“When your kid goes into the fridge and pulls out an egg, the first thing you say is don’t do that, it might break!   I say, no, let that one play out. Of course the egg is going to break on the floor! But your kid will learn something about brittleness, that something can be hard but not strong. And he’ll learn what’s inside an egg, and then you can say, whoa, that was almost a chicken! That’ll blow the mind of your kid. What does an egg cost you, 20 cents? I know you don’t want to waste food, but 20 cents, that’s a cheap price for an education.”

Kids are not always perfect, and neither are the campaigns that we create. But that’s ok—because failure is not a reflection of who we are as people; it’s an opportunity for growth. A lot of times we have a desire to only present the positive part of a campaign, but we are only setting ourselves up for long term failure by not sharing the entire picture. When our teams and clients get used to only hearing good news, they will naturally freak out if anything goes wrong.

Ultimately, we need to get to a place where can clearly show that idea X didn’t completely work because of parameter Y, and that next time we are going to approach it with this new idea Z.  We need to plan out experiments along the way and use analytics to help guide the process.

Yes, the ideas we execute cost way more than the price of an egg, and the outcomes are more difficult to clean up than a messy floor, but our ideas, our teams and our clients deserve to know what we learned from our mistakes. We need to let go and acknowledge that there will be failures…and that’s ok.

By Soli Moshfeghian, information architect

If James Franco walks into a party and you can’t tweet about it, will anyone believe you? Use these tips to avoid a dead phone disaster:

Turn off Geo-location apps

If you are lost or confused, ask a friendly Austinite for directions. We generally don’t bite.

Settings > Privacy > Location Services > Off

Tame your notifications

Twitter, Calendar, and text are the only notifications you need.

Settings > Notification Center > Scroll down under each category and select ‘None’

Disable iMsg

We used to send regular ol’ texts back in the day anyway.

Settings> Messages > iMessage > Off

Say No To Siri

Siri uses GPS or Wifi to work, so disable her if you can get by.

Settings> General > Siri > Off

Dim your Screen

The hot Texas sun is bright enough.

Home Button > Slide Finger Up from Bottom of Screen > Lower brightness

Disable WiFi and Bluetooth

Kill WiFi and Bluetooth if not in use as they are battery drainers.

Home Button > Slide Finger Up from Bottom of Screen > Wifi and Bluetooth off – unless you are using accessories

Stop Unnecessary Vibrations and Sounds

You’ll be checking your phone for secret show updates every five minutes anyway.

Settings> Sounds > Vibrate > Off

Settings > Sounds > Keyboard Clicks > Off

Stop Motion

Background motion does not come without a price.

Settings > General > Accessibility > Reduce Motion > Move slider to Green/On

Disable Diagnostics

Apple doesn’t need to know what you’re up to for the next few days.

Settings > General > About > Diagnostics and Usage > Don’t Send

Kill any unused apps

The worst are the ones that use location services.

Double click the home button, slide apps up off the screen to kill the unused apps.

Disable iPod EQ

All the good music is on stage anyway.

Settings > Music > EQ > Off

Go Airplane

If you are in a low coverage spot, tune out and turn on Airplane mode for a bit.

Settings> Airplane Mode > Off

Set Auto-Lock Timer to 1 Minute

This will save your battery and your butt from making unwanted calls.

Settings> General > Auto-Lock > 1 minute

Cheat. Buy A Backup Charger.

http://www.mophie.com/default.asp

How To Charge Forward

If you need a quick charge, and especially if your battery is running uber low, avoid using macbooks or a desktop. Charge either via an iPad or a wall adaptor.

Charge up your Smartphone and your Body

A few sponsors offer secure charging stations where you can charge up your gadget. Did we mention that you can lounge on one of massage chairs nearby?

Last but not least, don’t be shy. Plug in to a stranger’s macbook or iPad. Just make sure you buy them a drink after.

When a brand celebrates 90 years in business, it’s a big deal. Brands with that kind of heritage are institutions—legends, if you will.

This year, Ace Hardware and Zales Jewelers turn the big 9-0. We thought, “we should send them a card.” But then we realized these occasions call for more than a run-of-the-mill birthday card or even a singing voicemail. A 90th birthday calls for… wait for it… diamond mirror art and a layered hardware cake. (Isn’t it obvious?)

Art Director Will Chau gives us the backstory on the piece we created for Zales:

“We knew Zales’ 90^th birthday gift had to be something romantic, beautiful and worthy of display. It needed to be an art piece that came from our hearts. The idea of the glass mirror spelling out “90 Years of Love” and surrounded by diamonds felt like an elegant visual statement. We wanted real diamonds on the glass, but it was just a tad out of our budget. Happy birthday, Zales!”

Copywriter Laurie Lehnert tells us how the Ace “layer cake” came to be:

“Art Director Kyle Mitchell and I were paired up to work on Ace’s upcoming 90th Anniversary campaign last November. One of the assignments was a poster, so we brainstormed images that would help Ace celebrate and share the excitement of the occasion with their fans. Kyle was in the throes of wedding preparation at the time and came back from a wedding cake meeting with the idea to make an Ace cake out of real, life-sized hardware. With a store full of items of all shapes and sizes it was easy to get excited about this idea. We documented the building of the cake, every minute for two days, to make this short “stop motion” video.  Happy birthday, Ace!”