Last week, ICAN was invited to attend Google’s annual EMEA Doubleclick Client Advisory Board.

The venue was Marbella in Spain but while the sun was scorching outside, most of the action took place under the artificial glow of PowerPoint slides in the air-conditioned conference hall.

CAB is unique because it’s where senior Google Execs share their strategic vision and product roadmap for the next 12 months with key publishers, advertisers and agencies.  Delegates then have the opportunity to challenge, question, and give open, honest feedback.

These exclusive sessions come with an informal agreement that if Google is willing to share their product developments plans, then the delegates should return the favour by not tweeting furiously about the specifics every time they flash up on screen.  Fair enough.  In digital, competitive advantage is everything.

At a broad level then, the most interesting piece of news was that robust online branding & audience measurement will become a reality in 2013.  These new measurement capabilities will allow advertisers to directly compare online audience reach (and visibility) with offline media, on a like-for-like basis, using the standard GRP (gross rating point) system.

The need to measure the branding impact of digital is nothing new.  It’s something publishers and agencies have been crying-out for, for a long time. Finally, Google seems to agree and is investing heavily to help unlock the millions of Euros still being (over) invested in other media, particularly TV.

If this comes off, and becomes the new standard, it really will be a game-changer.  It will help to remove the damaging, direct response mind-set that restricts growth in the industry and push digital closer to becoming the lead branding channel.

Another development is that the Doubleclick suite of digital tools ( display, real-time bidding, search, re-marketing and analytics) will become fully integrated within a single unified platform.  Taking these tools out of their individual ‘software silos’ will allow  agencies to manage campaigns and work-flow more efficiently and make better, insight-driven decisions.  As digital media continues to fragment and agencies groan under the weight of reporting from multiple sources, the potential benefits of this are significant.

Other items included a lively panel discussion with client, publisher and agency representatives and a rather confused Q&A with a guest speaker from the European Commission on the EU Privacy Directive.  This particular session raised more questions than it actually answered.  It did however reinforce the need to directly influence the policy makers that affect our industry as early in the process as possible.

It wasn’t all work and no play too.  In between the product demos, there was time for networking over glasses of Cava, fine dining by the pool-side and some interesting entertainment that combined Flamenco dancing with some pretty cool light sabres (‘Star-menco’ as someone called it.)

This year’s CAB gave a unique opportunity to engage directly with a key player in the advertising market and learn how they plan to respond to the challenges and opportunities that lie ahead.

From all that I gathered, Google seem committed to taking everything they’ve learned to date to push their brand new vision for media to the next level in the next 12 months.

The fast growing online penetration and time spent online are changing the way we plan media. Taking advantage of the current available multi-platform media mix, media planners can follow consumers throughout the day with different messages. However, selecting the right channels with the right call to action is getting more complicated.

Consumers no longer interact with one media channel at a time – in traditional single-media ‘silos’. The multitasking new generation enjoy doing everything at the same time, from simultaneously watching TV and surfing the net, to chatting over the phone while in the bathroom or to reading the news ‘on the go’.

Many studies have been undertaken to understand how this new generation of busy-tech-savvy consumers interact with media in their day-to-day life. A study conducted by Yahoo and Razorfish, revealed that 21% of drivers admitted texting while driving and that 52% pretend to use their mobile phones to avoid awkward situations. Think With Google researched the way we interact with TV and other online devices at the same time, and revealed that 77% of the time viewers who are watching TV, are also interacting with another device – 49% with a smartphone and 34% with a PC or laptop.

A lot has been said about multitasking making consumers more distracted, and consequently more difficult to prompt with advertising messages. However, this challenge is also a media opportunity as there are multiple chances to deliver messages to them! A case study presented by Google Germany proved a 27% higher efficiency when adding Youtube video pre-roll to a TV plan, achieving higher campaign recall and better return on investment. It is simple formula: a combination of mediums that we know are consumed together.

More than ever, media planners need to gain a better understanding of multitasking behaviour to effectively reach consumers. There’s no way of escaping from a multi-platform approach, and integrating online and offline is a one way route to the future of media planning.

Well, it’s nearly that time of year again, and Guinness have kick started the celebrations with their new TV ad. What do you think, will you be painting the town black?

The Olympics have come and gone. And withdrawal symptoms have set in.

Fear not though. It is only a matter of time before athletes dominate our screens once more – even if it is through advertising endorsements. Paddy Barnes you’ve got the world at your feet. Go forth and use that voice.

Before this Olympian age of advertising emerges here’s a look back at some of last month’s campaigns:

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Are you on top of technology trends?

Can you make stuff with code?

Do you have a flair for design?

Can you inspire?

Can you collaborate?

Do you enjoy working in a fast paced, award winning and fun environment where you can make a difference? ICAN are an award winning digital agency. For 11 years we’ve been leading the way, integrating traditional and digital marketing channels.

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As the Olympic Games got under way in London this week a recent problem reared its head once more. Trolling and online behaviour wasn’t an issue during the last Olympics. This time around it very much is. When a popular young British diver is added to the equation, it becomes big news. Perhaps the biggest of the games so far.

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So having watched the Paralympics ad for channel 4 last week, like many others I felt inspired. Yes the ad is one of the best I’ve ever seen, the editing is amazing, the continuity of the story is seamless even given the deliberate fast cuts dispersed at different points of it. Surprisingly the things that normally inspire me in an ad of that calibre seemed meaningless and insignificant. Probably for the first time in my life, I was inspired instead by the content. I doubt I’m the only one, but the paradox struck me.

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Music fans, they’ve created your app. It’s called SongPop and it’s a whole lot of fun.

But be warned, it’s highly addictive. Read more

That’s what Mobilecover.ie asked us to show consumers.

So to do this, we created the first ever, custom built ad for the Irish mobile market.

The HTML5 overlay shows consumers the damage they can do to their own phones and the importance of getting their mobile devices insured.

Check out the work below.

Mobilecover HTML5 ad from ICAN on Vimeo.

As a creative person working in an ideas business an important part of the job is to sit down, either on your own or with a colleague, and try to crack a brief to find that illusive idea or insight.

Most of us know the story. After many hours or days of stress and perspiration something happens. You go off take a break and do something completely different or just stare out the window. Then the answer for no apparent reason enters your head. Eureka! (I Blaspheme). You know it feels right, it feels good, and it’s the answer you have been looking for. A rush of euphoria and an aura of invincibility usually follow this moment.

Hence the creative ego. Read more