Highlights from ad:tech San Francisco 2009

Today, I reported from ad:tech in San Francisco for ad:tech. Ten times a year all around the world, people associated with the online advertising industry convene for ad:tech. Every year the conference rolls into San Francisco, I attend. This year, ad:tech hired me to report on the event for their blog.

Just a few years ago, ad:tech was a dinky conference held in the basement of the Marriott. Every booth was that of an search engine marketer (SEM) or search engine optimizer (SEO). Today, things have changed dramatically and the online ad industry has become highly nuanced with many vendors taking positions to own unclaimed territory in the ad buying and selling process. Since its days in Marriott’s basement, ad:tech has grown up to San Francisco’s Moscone Center.

I’ve been in and out of the ad business for many years and I’ve noticed that advertising is always a good barometer of the economy.  It’s the first industry to get hit when things are looking bad, and it’s also the first to respond when the economy is on the upswing. While I don’t know about the balance sheets of all the individual companies, the conference was packed and the mood was positive.

Here’s my midday show report of the first day of the conference.

I’ve got lots more video coverage including an end of the day show report, a one-on-one interview with Wikipedia founder Jimmy Wales, plus some great insight from vendors and attendees on the show floor.

	Ad:tech SF 2009 – End of the Day Show Report
	Jimmy Wales of Wikipedia on the Future Brand Building with Consumer Generated Media
	Greg Sterling on Pete Blackshaw’s Innovate or Die Keynote Panel
	Advertisers Increasing Demand for Performance Based Advertising
	Humanity Interactive Builds Amazingly Lifelike Virtual Characters Starting at $1000
	Plainblack.com is the Non-Programmers Site Development Environment
	Nokia Demos its Image Recognition Technology
	According to Advertise.com, Everyone in the Ad Business is at ad:tech
	Livemercial: From Product, to Web Site, to Sale
	Keynotes, Parties, and New Business – ad:tech’s Holy Trinity
	Looking for Opportunities on the ad:tech Show Floor
	Can You Get Course Credit Roaming the Floor at ad:tech?
	Meetings, Meetings, Meetings at ad:tech
	Looking for Partners on ad:tech Show Floor
	Why Isn’t Online Advertising Accountable?
	People Who are Spending More Online Have a Top Down Directive
	Innovate or Die…OK, Maybe It’s not Going to be that Bad
	Is YouTube our Lifeline?
	Coca-Cola Admits to the Good and Bad of Digital Branding

And here’s some additional coverage from the first day at ad:tech SF 2009:

• How Reach in Digital has Changed (From 2003 to 2009)
• Are Agencies Ready to Build Brands in the Digital Age?
• In a Crappy Ad Economy, Innovation is Key
  by Steve Hall
• Another video interview with Jimmy Wales by Angela Natividad: Jimmy ‘Jimmidee’ Wales, Post Keynote
• Steve Hall’s photos from the parties: Glam Interactive Kicks Off ad:tech San Francisco Social Festivities

For all the coverage of the event, read the ad:tech blog.David Spark, a partner in Socialmedia.biz, helps businesses grow by developing thought leadership through storytelling and covering live events. Contact David by email, follow him on Twitter and Google Plus or leave a comment below.