My IMMAP Summit 2011 Experience

Photo from Ms. Janette Toral

I attended both days of the Internet and Mobile Marketing Association (IMMAP) Summit last week. Unlike usual conferences that are held in hotels and expo centers like the World Trade Center, this was held at the theaters of Power Plant Mall. I heard from the organizers that they wanted to make the event more accessible and that they were going for a TED look and feel. The venue definitely had it’s pros and cons but you have to give props to the organizers for having the courage and vision to do things differently.

Unfortunately I wasn’t able to listen to all of the talks. Here are some of the lessons and insights I picked up:

• Among all the talks that I was able to hear my personal favorite was Donald Lim‘s “Conversion Science Online Sales, Funnel, Measurement and Optimization”.
• “The shift is from digital to business.” Donald stressed that we should be able to put a peso value on our social media efforts. Too many buzzwords. Let’s get down to how it affects the bottom line. Couldn’t agree more!
• Donald shared a forumla he uses in MRM for measuring brand health. Interesting take! Lots of assumptions but I love the thinking process behind it. This should be a staple in coming up with digital marketing campaigns.
• Jos Ortega (CEO of JWT) was absolutely brilliant and entertaining during his presentation. Great mix of energy, humor, and insights.
• His concept of an “Agency of the Future” reminds me a lot of my favorite company Ideo.
• Thank you, Margot B. Torres (VP Marketing Mcdonald’s Philippines) for the free Big Mac and the vibrant and impromptu panel with Jos!
• Jay Bautista presented the 2011 Yahoo-Nielsen study. Was a bit concerned about the numbers presented for mobile.

I was invited to be part of the panel for Day 2 with the topic “How to Sell Digital to your Boss”. It was an honor to be included in a group of such distinguished and accomplished individuals! In the panel with me were:  Roshan Nandwani, Regional Account Manager, BBDO Guerrero/Proximity Philippines, Cynthia Dayco, Head of Digital, GroupM, Pauline Lao, Director for Marketing Communication, Jollibee Corporation, Ma. Belen Fernando, Vice President, Alaska Milk, and  Janette Toral, Founder President, The Digital Filipino.com as Moderator.

The entire IMMAP 2011 experience though was taken to a whole new level when TV5-MMDA won a Boomerang Award for Innovation! Epic. Congratulations to Roby Alampay, InterAksyon EIC, and Yves Gonzales, MMDA Traffic Czar, who both worked hard on this project.

Anyway, over-all the IMMAP 2011 experience was fun and definitely unforgettable because of the award and the panel. I’m looking forward to next year!

PS: Here’s the photobooth pic of me and some of the Multimedia peeps at TV5!