A special thanks to our Marketing Associate, Taylor Hall, for the contribution.

It was a full day of talking about Display…advertising, that is.  OMMA Display New York was held at the Sentry Centers in Midtown Manhattan on Nov. 7, 2011 as industry professionals gathered together to spend the day listening to some of the greatest minds in the internet advertising space. It was my first time attending an OMMA event as I tagged along with my fellow CPX Interactive team members, Jamie Gutterman, Director of Sales; Ross Cohen, Director of Sales and Matt Fillingame, Account Manager/Brand Sales.  I came to OMMA Display mostly to follow along with the overwhelming amount of tweeters who were vigorously participating in our sponsored Twitter feed throughout the day, but I left with an inside look at the future of display advertising.

CPX Interactive Team Members Jamie Gutterman, Dir. of Sales; Ross Cohen, Dir. of Sales; and Matt FIllingame, Acct. Manager/Brand Sales

Stephen J. Kim, the General Manager, Global Creative Solutions, at Microsoft was the first speaker of the day, following intros and opening remarks. The theme of his conversation was on the advances of storytelling and the future of digital display.  As Kim presented an array of case studies and stimulating imagery, we were all pleasantly reminded about what’s possible when we return to the idea of storytelling through a technology standpoint.

That conversation became the true focus of all the presentations at OMMA Display.  There were plenty of other points of view and professional opinions, and I will get to them, but I think the main take-away from the event was the idea that, as we embrace the growth in technology and acquire new tools for reach and targeting and incorporate all the different layers of data, we cannot forget to couple all of that equally with the technological possibilities of creative.

The following panel was titled “Man vs. Machine”, and was an in-depth discussion about the move into the Age of Analysts.  Panelist Maryann Bekkedahl, President of AdKeeper jokingly referred to it as, “It’s Revenge of the Nerds.” With technology-heavy approaches to online advertising, the industry has started to see a new generation of innovators come onto the playing field. The title of being “creative” is being replaced by “Technology creative” where artistic minds with a tech savvy side are slowly going to take over the traditional creative realm of the industry.

My favorite panel of the day was, “Try that with a DSP,” which raised the issue of technology still centering on the idea of more performance around clicks and conversions and less on creativity.  Jim Meskaukas, Co-Founder of Media Darwin, Inc. said,

“Brand advertising is a rhetorical exercise of persuasion, not bludgeoning one over the head with a click. Agencies make more money in transactions than ad creation so the creativity suffers in online ads.  The only thing that advertising technology did recently was create a better mousetrap, but at the same time, it ignored the dearth of mice and quality of bait.”

The CPX Interactive sponsored Twitter Feed located to the left of the stage.

After hearing every different take on the Display Advertising marketplace, I still stand by my original statement that the idea of storytelling or truly making a connection through good creativity must continue to be intertwined with the technology side of things. You can add new targeting tools, make a data-layered cake if you want, 100 layers high, but at the end of the day, if the creativity isn’t making that connection, offering some kind of solution or engaging the user on a personal level, then the display advertising space isn’t reaching its true potential.

As the technology in data and targeting become more advanced and widely adopted by the industry, I think we will see these “technology creatives” come in and really change up the game.  It’s only a matter of time before the art of advertising figures out how to use the science side to its advantage and evolve right alongside side in online advertising harmony.

If you would like to see more pictures from the event, visit our Flickr page.  To see more information from OMMA Display and video recordings from each of the presentations, visit their site at http://www.mediapost.com/ommadisplay/.

CPX Interactive’s Strategy is the New Creative initiative has always been a conversation about, “The Promise of Digital” and reaching its full potential in the world of online advertising.  We recently revisited this conversation by hosting a panel discussion at the IAB MIXX 2011 Conference and Expo on October 4, 2011 at the Crown Plaza Times Square in NYC.

David Shay, our EVP of Marketing, moderated the panel discussion and opened up a conversation that explored how a pendulum counter-swing that has seen the industry rapidly move towards a pure technology-based vision of ad serving, combined with an acceptance of a poor online attribution model, now runs the risk of marginalizing the value of the human element that makes up the ‘art’ of ad placement.

Hear thoughts about the opportunities, challenges and dangers of the technology-heavy ad placement tactics currently being used from our panel of industry execs:  Zach Coelius, CEO of Triggit; Steve Latham, Founder & CEO of Encore Media Metrics; Michael L. Miller, CMO of SolutionSet MediaWhiz Partnership; and Mike Seiman, Founder and CEO of CPX Interactive.

CPX Interactive recently sponsored the iMedia Brand Summit held this past Sept. 11-14, 2011  in Coronado, CA.  Ross Cohen, Director of Sales at CPX Interactive  gives us his account of the event and shares more about the theme, ‘Going Big in 2012.” 

“What happens when advertising can’t bullsh*t us anymore?”  That was the question.  A provocative question, to be sure, but all the more so when you consider who was being asked: the very people behind the ads.  No, not the creative wizards, but the brand marketers — the stewards of the brand.

The setting was the iMedia Brand Summit.  The theme was “Digital Marketing at Scale: Going Big in 2012.”  A few hundred executives, representing major brands and leading providers of digital marketing solutions descended on Coronado, California with gusto, relishing the opportunity to hear from industry heavyweights, meet fellow marketers and exchange ideas.

A few hundred may sound crowded, but for an advertising industry conference, it’s downright intimate.  iMedia carefully crafts its summits for an enjoyable, informative, collegial, and with any luck, productive atmosphere.

CPX Interactive is proud to sponsor these gatherings and our own Jamie Gutterman, Dir. of Sales and Brie Thomas, Dir. of Sales, helped kick off the events with a lunchtime presentation that took the audience on a trip through time.  Marketers witnessed just how far advertising has come in recent years, culminating in the latest marketing capabilities CPX brings to bear.  Jamie, Brie, and I were on hand throughout the summit and were pleased to see iMedia once again outdid itself, delivering the impressive lineup we’ve come to expect.

Conventional wisdom was challenged, worn strategies refreshed, and clichéd buzz words dismissed, even as new ones were introduced.  Summit Host and former Mars Chocolate marketer, Carole Walker, encouraged attendees to be “tradigital.” Shiv Singh, keynote speaker and global head of digital at PepsiCo Beverages, spoke of going “glocal” to achieve scale.  While squeezing words together seemed to be the thing to do, others went a different route.

Geoff Ramsey, CEO and Co-Founder of eMarketer, spoke about “magnetic content.”  Advertising grew up on the interruption model of TV, but digital gives brands the power to make audiences find them.  “It’s more about attraction, rather than distraction,” said Ramsey.  This was exemplified perfectly soon after as General Mills showed off their impressive foray into the market with branded information.  As General Mills VP Doug Moore explained, users search for help baking cakes all the time, and there’s no shortage of ads fighting for their attention on the results and landing pages, but that really doesn’t concern General Mills.  After all, with their branded information strategy, virtually every organic result links to a page syndicating one of their Betty Crocker how-to videos.  That’s magnetic content.

Mitch Spolan of Living Social eschewed the vocabulary portion of the speaking formula and instead treated the audience to some amateur video of his daily lunch routine.  The group couponing craze is about breaking pattern—getting someone to turn left, when every other day they go right.

Jeff Rosenblum, Co-Founder of Questus/Filmmaker

He was a great speaker, but the real entertainer on stage was Questus founding partner turned filmmaker Jeff Rosenblum, who stole the show with his caustic takedown of traditional advertising, hilariously scathing rebukes of advertising gone wrong and clarion call to embrace the new reality of marketing in the digital age.  It started with a sneak peak at his upcoming documentary, The Naked Company.  Jeff traveled the country interviewing academics, CEOs, and industry luminaries to discern the future of advertising.

Of course, to know where you’re going, you need to know where you are, and where you’ve been.  Cue the black and white Flintstones episode with the cigarette product placement and full-throated endorsement by Fred and Barney (here’s another).  It’s pretty shocking to today’s eyes but that’s where advertising started.  Cut to the famous shot of the tobacco executives being sworn in for Congressional testimony and you can see where this is going.  Trust in corporations is at an all time low.  Advertising’s credibility has diminished over the years.  Few industries in history have faced change as dramatically as advertising has over the past decade. But some brands are still preaching from the hilltop while consumers ignore ads and turn to unbiased sources of information.

Nowadays, brands can’t (and shouldn’t) stretch the truth.  In the digital age, brands can’t claim their product is amazing when it’s a dog.  To illustrate, Rosenblum tells a little story about a seemingly wonderful product he found online… and proceeds to mercilessly skewer it (although to be fair, it’s really the abysmal user reviews that do the heavy lifting).

He tells us he works too much and travels more than he should, so he wants to buy his kids a little something.  He goes hunting for the perfect present to buy back their love; something fun but not too expensive.  Voila!  He comes across Crayola’s Washable Colored Bubble Launcher and its wondrous scenes of children filling the air with colorful bubbles, grinning ear to ear with the unbridled joy only a child can experience.  It’s perfect, exactly what he wants.  He’s ready to buy it and win Father of the Year award.

Unfortunately, before pulling the trigger on the purchase, he can’t help but notice that Amazon customers gave it just one out of five stars.  Every product has a few detractors though, right?  Well, in this case it was 80 detractors.  And it turns out they gave it one star because Amazon doesn’t let you give zero stars.  At this point in the presentation, there’s blood in the water and you can see Crayola is in for a tough time in this room full of brand marketers.  Scientifically speaking, we’ve seen the quantitative feedback, now it was time for some qualitative reviews.  Customer reviewers didn’t disappoint, saying it was “invented to torture parents,” and calling it “the worst ‘toy’ I have ever purchased.”

Perhaps the expression should be changed to “Hell hath no fury like a customer scorned.”  The rebukes continued:   “Whoever designed this product is a sick individual that hates parents, and thinks torturing children is great fun. It drips everywhere and destroys everything it touches”

These reviews may have made for some nice Schadenfreude, but a customer saying “you can no longer trust the Crayola name,” is a brand’s worst nightmare.  That’s where the opening question comes in, “What happens when advertising can’t bullsh*t us anymore?”  The answer, of course, is to watch his documentary and find out.  Transparency has to be embraced, either you make it happen, or it happens to you.  Making that point in the film is no less an authority than creative genius turned altruistic entrepreneur, Alex Bogusky.  He continues, “Being a great company is the new brand, because there’s not going to be anything between the consumer and the reality of that company.”

A special thank you to our own Brie Thomas, Director of Sales for the contribution.

Polly Payne, Product Planner/Brand Sales enjoying the view of the Hollywood sign with other attendees.

On Saturday, August 27th 2011, CPX Interactive hosted the First Annual “End of Summer Pool Party”, at Drai’s in Hollywood, CA. Our own Gary Bembridge, EVP Sales, North America; Sharone Hadari, VP of Operations; Polly Payne, Product Planner/Brand Sales and myself, Brie Thomas, Director of Sales; were all in attendance at the event.

Sharone Hadari, VP of West Coast Operations and Brie Thomas, Director of Sales holding the CPX Interactive party favors.

Being the new West Coast Sales Director, I wanted this event to be the kick-off party of the Los Angeles marketplace. Bringing the local LA agencies and advertising professionals together and having them get to know CPX Interactive ended up being such a success. The goal was not to only introduce CPX to some potential clients & treat the existing ones, we also wanted to make a lasting impression of: “This is how CPX takes care of our clients.”

Attendees enjoying the party held at the Drai Hotel in Hollywood, CA

Everyone appeared to be having a blast as more than 50 of LA’s advertising professionals attended the event. Some of the guests that were able to join included: Michael Kost, Global Strategist at OMD; Gary Sertyan, Media Planner at RED Interactive; Ana Lam, Assistant Planner at Initiative; and Kelly Clarke, Digital Media Director at Deutsch.

Since the event, we have a lot of upcoming meetings with the pool party attendees, and I think they are excited about the potential to partner and work with CPX Interactive. The kick-off party ended up being the kick-off to some great long term relationships in the LA marketplace.

CPX Interactive recently sponsored an event with members from the Boston Interactive Media Association (BIMA) at New England Aquarium in Boston, MA. 

In recent months, CPX Interactive has been growing its presence in the Boston area with the help of some new friends from BIMA (Boston Interactive Media Association). Through a combined effort, CPX team members have been taking valuable strides in developing relationships and meeting with marketing and advertising professionals as well as getting to know the Boston area a little better. CPX Interactive’s Ben Turk, Director of Sales; Dana Posner, Marketing Manager; Jessica Calyer, Sales Associate; Polly Payne, Product Planner/Brand Sales; Stephen Kelly, AE/Emerging Verticals and Taylor Hall Marketing Associate, attend their sponsored event held at the New England Aquarium on Boston’s beautiful harbor.

Shannon FitzGerald, Digitas; Frank Petrosky, Digitas, Rachel Aranson, Digitas, and Nicholas Puccio, Digitas, all want a piece of the Cow Nose Rays.

On Thursday, August 18, 2011, the CPX team and BIMA members gathered in the newest attraction at the New England Aquarium, a touch tank filled with Cow Nose Rays and Bonnethead sharks.  The event,  Drinks, Eats and SHARKS?!, was CPX’s way of saying, ‘just as there are plenty of fish in the sea, there are just as many online advertising opportunities.’

Andrew Plakias, Digitas; Polly Payne, CPX Interactive; Kevin Vigneron, Digitas; Jessica Calyer, CPX Interactive and John Anderson, Digitas, enjoy a meal surrounded by beautiful Jellyfish.

The theme mirrored the fun-filled evening of everything interactive where guests had the chance to touch the friendly rays and sharks while they chatted with one another. Attendees included media people from Digitas, Allen & Gerritsan, Starcom MediaVest, all of whom participated in the touch tank experience.  A room just below the main exhibit housed a jelly fish observatory where attendees dined as they enjoyed looking at the beautiful creatures.  

Andrew Plakias, Digitas and Polly Payne, CPX Interactive, can't help but laugh as they touch the slimy backs of the Cow Nose Rays.

 It was the perfect evening for the CPX team and BIMA guests to mix and mingle as both groups are still getting to know each other.  Meeting  a few of the BIMA team leaders, Cally Cooke and Lindsey Thorne-Bingham, was a great opportunity for CPX to put names on the faces we have been in contact with since CPX began working with BIMA in the beginning of the year.  Overall, the evening was a ‘great catch’.

To see all the pictures from the Drinks, Eats and SHARKS?! event, visit the CPX Interactive Facebook page.

Natalie Lambert, Director of Sales Texas Region, talks about CPX Interactive’s new presence in the Austin market. 

Since being appointed Director of Sales for the Texas Region over three months ago, I’ve been working hard to build our presence and branding here as effectively as possible.  I’ve spent a great deal of time meeting with various agencies, attending seminars and networking mixers, all in an effort to introduce CPX Interactive into the Austin market.  Working with the Austin Advertising Federation has been a major part of that and continues to be a great asset.   

The Austin Ad Fed is a hub for talented agencies, media groups, and various other creative industries. They consist of over 2,000 members in the Austin area and for the second year in a row, they have won “Club of The Year” by the American Advertising Association.  With the Austin Ad Fed’s deep commitment to the ad industry and their local community, CPX Interactive is honored to work alongside such a great organization.

Natalie Lambert and Polly Payne with Account Executives from GSD&M

CPX team members from the New York office: Gary Bembridge, EVP of Sales and Polly Payne, Product Planner/Brand Sales, flew into Austin to accompany me to my Agency presentation with GSD&M and to assist in representing CPX at a sponsored mixer with the Austin Ad Fed.

Natalie Lambert, Gary Gembridge and Keren Goumakos, President of the Austin Ad Fed

The sponsored mixer was held on August, 10th at the Dogwood in downtown Austin and was titled “Beat the Heat Mixer.” The event attracted 100 industry professionals from around the Austin area and was one of the largest turnouts for a mixer the Austin Ad Fed has ever encountered! We gave away a $100 American Express gift card and made sure no one left without taking various CPX goodies with them such as pens, notebooks, energy shots and key chains.

The event was a great way to introduce CPX Interactive to Austin’s advertising market and posed a great opportunity to meet some of talented individuals from around the area.  I was honored to host such a successful event and will continue to establish CPX’s presence here in Texas!

A special thank you to our own Taylor Hall, Marketing Associate, for the contribution.

The 2011 AWNY Women to Watch Luncheon was held on, Aug. 10, 2011 at the Waldorf Astoria in New York City.  The sold-out event packed the breathtaking hallways of the historic hotel with honorees, AWNY members and guests who were all eager to hear from some of the most accomplished women in the advertising and marketing industry today. Joining me, Taylor Hall, Marketing Associate, was Sales Associate, Jessica Calyer, at the event.

AWNY's Womeon to Watch Luncheon was held at the Waldorf Astoria in New York City

As I sat with my colleague in the rear of the theatre hall, I looked around the room at all of the talented and successful women in my industry. We shook hands and met with some very interesting people, most of which, to my surprise, were all involved in the digital and online realm of advertising and marketing.  In the back of my mind, as I was introducing myself, I couldn’t help but think, “I’m so glad I got my degree in the right field.”

Jessica Calyer, Sales Associate and Taylor Hall, Marketing Associate

As the event began, 23 women took their seats on stage.  Each honoree was from a different company and being honored for a different achievement.  Dressed in savvy yet formal business attire, they didn’t forget to address the presence of their families before they addressed their respective questions.  Below are some of my favorite and inspiring quotes from the event’s honorees.

Maryam Banikarim, Senior VP-CMO at Gannett, responded to a question about the power of learning with, “It’s about listening, but also about knowing who you are.”

Lauren Crampsie, CMO at Ogilvy, answered a question about self promotion with, “We are brands just as our clients are brands.  As an agency we are at our best when we are learning and teaching.  Self promotion adds value to the industry and our clients.”

Beth Ann Kaminkow, first CEO at TracyLocke, on creativity said, “It’s creativity with consequence.  Taking responsibility for our creativity is how to create a meaningful experience.”

Katie Ford, exec VP-managing director at Starcom Mediavest, on what makes a good campaign said, “A campaign is like a marriage.  It’s knowing when to apply the art and when to apply the science.  It’s getting the right people in the room on both sides to make it work.”

Lisa Price, Founder of Carol’s Daughter, responding to a question about success in entrepreneurship said, “Nobody is going to treat your baby the way you do.  Keeping the DNA of your brand intact means you have to sit at the table and share those ideas with your team and learn with your team as well.”

Desiree Rogers, CEO of Johnson Publishing Co. talked about lessons learned saying, “Spend less time talking about what didn’t work and more time about the solution.  Look into the future and the road that is right in front of you.”

The event was as inspiring as it was memorable.  Learning where the honorees came from and seeing the career path that they have created is a driving force of determination to create a similar path for ourselves. These women are creating success through their roles and continue to prove that women in advertising are not only equal to men, but that they may soon be gaining the lead in the industry altogether.

CPX is excited to sponsor and attend the The Austin Ad Fed’s Happy Hour Mixer.

We are looking forward to sponsoring the upcoming Austin Ad Fed Happy Hour Mixer next week in downtown Austin, TX.   Hosted by The Austin Ad Fed, the summer networking event offers the opportunity for industry professionals to mix and mingle with their peers and fellow CPX team members: Gary Bembridge, EVP of Sales/ North America; Natalie Lambert, Director of Sales LA/Texas; and Polly Payne, Product Planner/Brand Sales.

CPX Interactive recently opened a new office in Austin, TX. Being the ‘new kid’ in town, we are excited to connect with the ad community and show our support to the Austin Ad Fed.

The Event will be held at the:

Molotov Lounge 719 West 6^th Street, Austin

Wednesday Aug. 10, 2011 from 6pm-8pm

Attendance is free and open to everyone. The first 50 guests will receive a complimentary drink ticket.  Make sure you bring your business card to enter in our raffle to win a $100 American Express gift card.  CLICK HERE to RSVP on the event’s Facebook Page.

OMMA AdNets: the CliffsNotes version

A special thanks to our own Jamie Gutterman, Director of Sales for the contribution.

On Monday, July 18 I attended the OMMA Adnets conference in Los Angeles, CA.   The one day event consisted of a variety of speakers and panel discussions about some of the challenges that ad networks, DSP’s, and exchanges face in today’s digital marketplace.  The speakers and the panelists got me thinking about many of the hurdles we face as sales representatives for an ad network.  Whether it’s better preparing for an agency meeting or anticipating tough questions before they are asked, sales reps need to constantly be on their toes and quickly adapt when it comes to keeping up with the fast paced and ever-expanding digital industry.

Speakers like Donnie Williams, Chief Digital Officer of Horizon Media, gave insight about the intensive process that media planners/agencies go through to map out an effective strategy for their clients.  Media planners want to make sure they have a very well rounded channel allocation of all forms of media.  Although Williams recognizes the power of digital (he is, in fact, the Chief Digital Officer at Horizon) he admits that only 15% of Horizon’s total advertising budget is spent on ALL digital (which includes display, video, AND mobile).  He believes that success comes from a collaboration between online and offline.

Williams then spoke about the power of Lunch and Learns and said that a common mistake he sees is when sales reps, like ourselves, are simply “reactive” instead of being “proactive.”  His ideal Lunch and Learn would be if a sales rep came in and discussed the client’s business needs down the line, not just to solve their immediate issues. He says that media agencies want to spend their client’s money effectively and the job of the sales rep is to help THEM do a better job and look good to their clients.  Pretty basic stuff, but a good lesson learned here: More preparation before meetings.  Instead of just showing clients/agencies our offerings, we need to do the research and come in with a big idea to help them solve their long term business efforts.

CPX Team Members: Chris Okano, Brand Sales Intern, LA; Sharone Hadari, VP, West Coast Operations; Jamie Gutterman, Director of Sales

Next, an agency panel spoke about the evolving roles in our industry and wondered if robots would ever replace the human element?  The underlying answer was NO, because whether it’s branding or DR, humans are still needed for strategy.  The panel agreed that although media planner roles will change with the use of automated systems and exchanges, there will always be a need for some form of human interaction.  Another point I found interesting was that clients who are only looking for branding do not use exchanges; they are simply used for direct response.  The panel recognized that the branding aspect is only beginning to enter into the conversation.  I immediately saw this as a hurdle, because although CPX is not an exchange, it still shows that we have to get over the stigma that ad networks/exchanges can ONLY do DR well and cannot be used for branding.  It seemed that many people on the panel believed that to be the case, which is a challenge that we will continually have to overcome.

Another speaker, Joshua Wepman, VP of Savvian, mentioned that Q1 2011 was the highest spend in the industry history for digital.  Also adding that although it’s still a relatively small piece in the overall market, DISPLAY IS GROWING (at an annual rate of 25% for brands to be exact)!  Wepman spoke about the importance of inventory quality, brand safe inventory and engaging formats.  What was also interesting about the presentation was his recognition that the video market is extremely significant, engaging and is the fastest growing digital segment.  Wepman’s closing remarks were important: “Ad networks need to recognize the changes within the new digital landscape and evolve to address these new needs.”

The next two panels spoke about transparency.  Many people on the first panel believed that transparency was the key to minimizing conflict between brands, agencies and sales reps alike.  Since there are so many technology companies out there and so many options for media buyers, when sales reps go to a meeting they need to make sure that their company is offering them a clear solution to their business problem.  What was a little disconcerting to hear was that most of the people on the panel believed that ad networks are in a tough spot right now.  They constantly need to adjust and make sure they are using the best data partners and have the best technology.  The reality is, it’s a competitive world out there and someone can always do it better.

The second panel touched further on the issue of transparency and recognized a clear dilemma:  Once a client is given full transparency they become very picky as to what sites they want to appear on and want to cherry pick.  The final takeaway was that when full transparency isn’t possible advertisers should focus on these main questions: What aren’t you showing me that you should be, am I getting what I paid for and how can you prove it?

The next panel spoke about video and came to a realization that not everyone is ready for it just yet.  Many agencies can justify video to their clients as an “extension of TV” and use this hybrid approach to get video onto a plan.  This panel was interesting because many people had differing opinions.  Some believed that video would never be able to be used for DR purposes (only for branding); while others believed video could be used to leverage both.  From an agency perspective, their challenge is: how can we measure video and how do we sell it to the client?  If we have good answers and can make sure to show video to the right people (targeting that’s not necessarily there just yet) it might be easier to sell into the client.

The next panel spoke about entertainment marketing and the need for high impact takeovers and custom executions to promote things like movie premieres. This panel looked to ad networks as simply a place for display and not a place for exciting custom executions that they typically find with direct publishers.  One panelist even mentioned that it’s “difficult to work with ad networks” for things that require a big splash like takeovers, sweepstakes, and never-been-done-before executions.  Another panelist wondered if it was “worth the production cost” to work with networks to do custom executions such as multiple site Homepage Roadblocks since it still requires a lot of time with an individual kick off call with each publisher to discuss site specs, etc.  One panelist asked  if ad networks could adapt to complex creative because they didn’t believe that networks could do custom creative and get both the reach AND the impact.  This definitely struck a nerve and shows that we still have a big stigma to break and prove to the industry that CPX is not just another ad network.

This last segment was about the newest craze in digital: local and hyper-local marketing.  Companies such as AOL, who have recently acquired Patch, are focusing on local advertising and finding out just how effective it is.  The panel discussed how advertising dollars are moving into promotions to develop a one-to-one relationship with consumers instead of a national broadcast.  They believe that local ads are more effective when placed next to local content.  However, national advertisers can be effective on local sites as long as they have a local component.  For example, if a national car dealership creative says something like:  “serving the Glendale area,” that would be more engaging and effective to a consumer.

Overall, here are the key takeaways that I got from this conference:

• Be proactive when going into a client or agency meeting.  Help them solve their long-term business objectives; don’t simply be “reactive.”
• Ad networks, DSP’s and exchanges will continually have to overcome the challenge that they are only good for DR and not appropriate for branding.
• Ad networks need to address and quickly adapt to industry changes and make sure we are offering clients a clear solution to their specific business problem.
• Full transparency may never be possible, but make sure you are being as safe as possible and providing your clients with answers to questions they may have, even before they ask.
• Look for creative ways to sell new things like video to clients (i.e.: making it an extension of TV)
• There is still a stigma that ad networks can only do simple static/flash display advertising.

A Toast to Media: CPX Interactive attends the Boston Interactive Media Association Wine Tasting Event

In recent months, several members from the CPX Interactive sales team have been working closely with the Boston Interactive Media Association (BIMA), developing new relationships which are helping CPX to grow within the Boston market.  The team: Stephen Kelly, Account Executive/Emerging Verticals, Polly Payne, Product Planning/Brand Sales and Ben Turk, Director of Sales, have been developing new initiatives with BIMA and have visited the Boston area several times for BIMA hosted events.  On June 23^rd, the CPX team attended an exclusive wine tasting event where CPX had the opportunity to meet and greet with an array of high level executives in a unique setting.

Ben Turk, Director of Sales

The event was held at Bulthaup, a “holistic-meets-modern-day” designer kitchen showroom near the Four Seasons Hotel.  It was such a different yet inviting place to hold an event.  A comfortable setting set the stage for a great way to develop casual conversation and that’s exactly what took place.

Polly Payne Brand Sales/Product Planner

Joining CPX Interactive, the additional cast of BIMA strategic sponsors were in attendance.  Representatives from Pandora and Media6Degrees prepared the evening as we discussed current topics with members from AOL and Weather Underground.  CPX Interactive was also a sponsor of the event and BIMA recognized all of us with an award of sponsorship appreciation which our team accepted on the company’s behalf.

Stephen Kelly, Account Executive Emerging Verticals

As the evening went on and the wine continued to flow, we noticed other attendees from Media Contacts, Allen & Gerritsen, Almighty, Digitas, Starcom and Carat.  The 40+ guests allowed for an intimate evening where we were able to mingle with most of the other attendees, some of whom we had coincidentally spoken to via telephone in the past.  Now, we were shaking their hand and putting a face to the names we knew so well.  We even took this opportunity to pique some interest in our upcoming exclusive CPX event that we are planning with BIMA at the New England Aquarium this August. 

Overall, the wine tasting event was a wonderful success and it was another great step for CPX’s growth into the Boston market.  Not only were we able to celebrate the continued growth of the interactive media industry, we were able to make some new friends in the Boston area and further our appreciation for fine wines.