Wondering how the latest interactive news affects your business? You're not the only one. See what's got marketers buzzing.
Making the rounds at the iMedia Agency Summit in Austin, Texas, most folks seemed concerned with the usual topics -- educating web-wary brand clients about the benefits of an increased interactive presence, fostering relationships that can be instrumental back at the office and still trying to find time to stay on top of hundreds of emails, texts, tweets, Facebook requests and phone calls.
But amid the frenzy, there is also the daily news that shapes the businesses in the space.
For Sean O'Neal, CMO at Datran Media, one big piece of news that caught his eye was the FTC's recent decision to clarify the rules on CAN-SPAM. By clearing up some of the misunderstanding that has permeated email, O'Neal believes the FTC has empowered more brands to consider the channel.
"The CAN-SPAM clarification is not huge in terms of the changes it makes, but it certainly will do a lot to bring more brands into the space because it makes clear who has the responsibility for administering the opt-out on a campaign," O'Neal said. "That's a good thing for email overall, which I think a lot of people are starting to see as a third channel to rival search and display."
But for Eric Porres, partner and COO at Underscore Marketing, the big news isn't about different channels so much as it's about the promise of being able to track across the increasingly fragmented media landscape.
"I think what we've been seeing in terms of the convergence between behavioral targeting, social networks and traditional demographics is just the beginning," Porres said. "All three are starting to come together in such a way that we are able to understand what kind of affinities people have, what their behavior is and how all of that fits into what we know about them from a demographic perspective."
While Porres said he's keen to see what some of the startups like Lotame are able to deliver in terms of tracking the effectiveness of messaging across social networks, he's also intrigued by recent developments in data portability.
Last week, MySpace made a splash with its plan to become a hub for users to update and disseminate their data across the web. That announcement was quickly followed by similar programs from Google and Facebook, which in turn prompted something of a spat between at least two of the three rivals.
For Porres, data portability, which he admits might not be a reality for several more years, could be a real win for marketers because it would allow them clearer insights into the minds of users.
But before marketers can glean insights from the mountains of data available on the web, several hurdles will have to be cleared. As MySpace, Google and Facebook haggle over the technical details, each will also have to confront the business realities of free-flowing data. But those fights may pale in comparison to concerns raised by privacy advocates worried that one company with too much information could be a threat to consumers.
While most marketers crave more data, Reid Carr, CEO of Red Door Interactive, said he's worried about what the fight between MySpace, Google and Facebook means for users.
"I think there's going to come a point where users are going to demand that they have more control over their data," Carr said.
Although Carr reported that he would certainly be interested in what he could learn from such a data goldmine, he pointed out that most marketers already have access to plenty of data they aren't even using.
"If you think about all the information that companies have been collecting internally, you realize that you can already answer a lot of questions about consumer behavior without looking beyond your own company."
For Carr, the as yet under-utilized data may offer a lot more to marketers in the immediate future than the promises being presented by MySpace, Facebook and Google. And perhaps those promises may come with a much smaller price tag, as well.
Michael Estrin is associate editor at iMediaConnection.