Festival Day 2 (Monday 6/20)

I started off the day by viewing some commercials which were all public service announcements.  They were anti-tobacco, anti-alcoholism, etc. I only viewed them for about fifteen minutes but they were interesting and I am going to try to view some everyday of the festival.

After commercials, I rushed over to the BBDO seminar to make sure to get a good seat. I was very surprised at how crowded it was compared to yesterday. A few of us went in together but we all had to split up. I actually did not mind sitting alone because I felt more engaged in the seminar. Richard Dunmall and Simon Bond from BBDO talked about different screens and how they are not just blank canvases. They explored the differences between the TV, PC, Mobile, and Tablet. The overview was that the TV screen is to entertain and relax, the PC plays a stronger, more important role in one’s life, the mobile is highly personal and customizable, and the tablet provokes action. I really enjoyed this seminar and hearing about the geographic and generational differences in the four types of screens.

The next seminar I attended was Kraft Foods with Malcolm Gladwell. Right before the seminar I heard someone talking behind me about how they are from Germany which is my country for our assignment. All during the seminar I was thinking about what to say to him afterwards. After the seminar, I introduced myself and got his email. I just emailed him and I can’t wait to see what he has to say about advertising in Germany! The Kraft Foods seminar had an interesting message of not wanting to be first but the importance of being third. When I thought about it, it’s true that every great brand was not the first of its kind. Facebook was not the first social network and Google was not the first search engine.

Next, was the seminar by PHD with Mark Holden. It was about the new and upcoming technology to look out for. He said that by 2016, half of ALL TVs will have internet connection. Also, a growing number of screens will have face recognition and advanced voice recognition. The thing that I found the most extraordinary and actually a little creepy are social realtime dashboards that will allow your social network to actually see you and what you’re doing when you check in.

One of the most interesting parts of the day was the Microsoft tour. It was so fun to see all the new technology that they are coming up with. I really liked the table touch thing by Samsung. It seemed like a good way to interact with others while still using technology.

We finished off the day by attending the Google happy hour on the beach. It was so fun and I want to go back everyday after the seminars!