Digital marketers are still fighting for a seat at the big table. Learn why your reputation as a techie is holding you back and what you can do about it.

We're well past the halfway point of the year, and now we can take stock of what predictions for 2008 have or will come to fruition. At the beginning of the year, digital pundits cited details about tools such as mobile, video, widgets and social media that they predicted would lead the way toward another banner year of creativity and innovation. Great stuff!

For the most part, many of the predictions have been close to accurate. (Mobile, I am still pulling for you this year.) But, I feel the one thing that was missing from this year's predictions was recognition of the fact that it is not about the tools that we use. Rather, it's about our ability to create user experiences and naturally intertwine them with preexisting natural behaviors. More plainly, marketers need to better use tools, technologies and media to show up at the times and places that users are going to be most receptive to us.

The tools cited in our predictions for the year simply help us reach that ideal. Many more are on their way through the end of this year and into the next. However, beyond tools, our ability to use information is paramount to getting the right messages out through the right tools in a meaningful way. We have to keep our ears to the ground and push what we can continually learn about consumer behavior into the darkest corners of our agencies. This information needs to find its way into a place where the technical and creative folks can collaborate to put this information to work through the best vehicles for the tasks at hand.

In making predictions for this year, some of us talked about how digital would finally have a seat at the big table. We hoped that big brands would finally welcome us with open arms to take leadership positions in the development and cultivation of their brands. I can't say that this prediction has really surfaced yet. So, what is the problem?

Some of problem may lie in the roots of the original digital agencies; it is deeply embedded in their DNA and hard to break apart. However, a few leaders are trying to change this.

In many relationships, digital agencies have been relegated to the role of gear heads -- the people who can make sense of technology. Therefore, to a gear head, every solution is a tactical, technical one simply because the question asked implies the use of a technology. How should we be using mobile? The answer -- while it could result in an incredibly creative and inspiring execution -- can be what relegates "digital agencies" to a corner of the advertising budget. Not to mention, it imposes the challenge of overcoming the "digital agency" label.

Additionally, the way advertising budgets are often carved can be another obstacle. I've found that, in some circumstances, we're treated differently in that some tools and tactics are categorized as different kinds of expenses. Are you building something that we can depreciate? Should IT be paying for this one? While I don't disagree that we should make the best possible use of budgets, just thinking about what digital agencies do in these terms often relegates our work to the status of software.

So, how do we fix this? The solution is all about insight and spitting it out in a meaningful, productive way. To do this, we have to use whatever edge we have. That edge, I admit, comes through technology -- but we have to put it to better use than we do now. In the digital space, we are well-suited to do this because we have access to the information in near real-time.

Some of the smaller, more nimble brands and agencies have been able to capitalize on this opportunity, partially as a result of necessity. Some brands are struggling to fight the good fight in this economy and are therefore turning to more guerilla tactics. And, in turning to tactics rooted in social media and viral (tactical-speak, yet again), they stumble upon the voice of the consumer. Therefore, they have a unique opportunity to re-craft their messaging and strategy around these insights.

It is fun to see what we've been able to extrapolate about our clients' targets by listening in social media, reviewing search terms, analyzing analytics and conducting usability testing. Through this process, we have been exposed to the way our clients' targets speak, maneuver and react through a variety of tools. So although a solution may begin with a tactic or tool in mind (e.g. how might we use a widget to maintain a relationship with our customer?), the result becomes a much broader concept that embraces the best time and place regardless of tool.

So, next year, when we start making our predictions for 2009, I hope we break away from highlighting the fact that video will change the way the web participates in the entertainment category, or that the iPhone and Android will give greater depth to the mobile experience. Rather, I hope we talk about what we're going to be able to learn about our clients' consumers and how we're going to apply that information to make a positive difference in their lives. Hopefully, we can be much less intrusive than other media and actually be there when the consumer wants us.

Reid Carr is president of Red Door Interactive.