It’s almost time for the next Ale 2.0.

“Chinwag is a bit of a life saver for this part of Ale 2.0.

Currently on the lookout for a new job in digital I was getting fed up of clueless recruiters cold calling me:

“So you’re looking for a job?”

“Um yeah”

“Brilliant I’ve seen your CV up on that faceless, mass market, un-targeted website, I think I have the perfect job for you.”

“Really? That’s great, what is it?”

“Veterinary assistant in Wales.”

Awesome

I was fed up with recruitment chancers who are only after their next piece of commission so I signed up to Chinwag. Instantly I was getting targeted, relevant enquiries, not just from recruiters but also directly from agencies. The difference is huge, Chinwag connected me with people who know and understand our industry, its saved me time and its saved the recruiters time. People who don’t understand the industry speak about the net being fragmented and I have to explain what a great thing that is, it allows people to reach out and speak to the niches, be more targeted and save time and money – Chinwag is a great example of this”.

How does a brand with one of the most challenging product offering changes of all time approach PR?

Traditionally a brand in this position would create a slew of souless adverts hoping for a trillion unqualified eyeballs not to glaze over while they are subjected to a hollow and vacuous “brand impression.”

So what did Kodak do? Microsponsorhip. Kodak are not after your eyeballs – they are after your heart.

With this in mind Ketchum Pleon – Kodak’s PR agency approached Ale 2.0 to sponsor London’s most chilled meetup. Kodak wanted to target the key influencers in the tech blogging community to introduce them to their client’s newest toy, the Kodak Zi8, a HD video camera.

Over the ensuing weeks we got to know @francesca25, Ketchum’s Digital Specialist for the UK and introduced her to our favourite pubs, she even made it to @charlescadbury’s birthday party, an act for which she was well rewarded. The only downside to this sponsored event was that we had to limit the numbers so we split the invite list between our closest and loyal supporters and bloggers we had the most admiration for.

The good news for those invited is that everyone was given a zi8 to keep for ever and ever on the understanding that they recorded the event and blogged about it in whichever manner they felt best. Kodak even gave up some budget to pay for a tasting session at the rake that was greatly appreciated by all – free HD cameras, free beer! Good times indeed.

You can see some coverage here:

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Flickr from @Bitchbuzz

Thanks to @paulpingles for this article.

This article highlights the fears of the big ad agencies and the ambitions of the smaller integrated agencies looking to steal a larger chunk of the pie. As the article says this won’t happen overnight but it is happening though it is more of an arms race than a game of chess…

‘Great Race’ Between Traditional, Digital Shops

Just 23% believe their traditional shops are capable of executing interactive marketing, Forrester says

Dec 8, 2009

- Brian Morrissey

Clients generally distrust their traditional agencies when it comes to digital, but they’re still wary of handing over the keys to overall brand strategy to the Web specialists, according to a new survey of marketers.

Forrester Research conducted a “state of interactive agencies” survey of about 100 global interactive marketers. It found just 23 percent believed their “traditional brand agency” is capable of planning and managing interactive marketing activities. About 46 percent did not believe them capable, with the rest neutral on the question.

While that held good news for digital agencies, particularly as digital becomes a much larger part of marketing, Forrester found few clients are willing to give them responsibility for the brand’s direction. Just 22 percent agreed that their interactive agency is “ready to lead my brand.” Another 33 percent said their digital shops aren’t ready, with the rest neutral.

That sets up what Forrester calls “the great race” as traditional shops scramble to add digital know-how and digital shops seek to move up the ladder to become brand stewards, rather than Web site and banner ad specialists.

“We see digital becoming the backbone of marketing and technology becoming so vital that everyone needs digital capabilities,” said Sean Corcoran, an analyst at Forrester. “Everyone is coming from a different strength. Everyone is trying to add the other’s capabilities.”

Forrester found that clients, in an ideal world, would like to work with a single agency. Over 60 percent said they would like one digital shop. Yet the complexity of distinct marketing specialties often makes this impractical. Even within digital, only one in five rely on a single provider, the survey found. Nearly 60 percent have two or more. Forrester expects that will fragment even more thanks to emerging media like mobile and social. The multiple-agency approach means higher administrative costs and more coordination.

“We’re all waiting for this big moment when a bunch of interactive agencies take over from the traditional guys,” said Corcoran. “It’s not happening that way, it’s a slow evolution. You’ll see some interactive guys take over and some traditional agencies hold the fort.”

The risk for digital shops is getting caught in the middle. Some like R/GA and others are making the move to become a lead agency for clients. R/GA last week won lead agency duties for Ameriprise, for example. But others, Forrester concludes, will need to carve out a specific digital specialty rather than sit in the middle, between a lead strategic role and specialist position.

“There’s no perfect black-and-white situation,” Corcoran said. “It’s a very gray world. The whole industry is in flux.”