Marissa has the X Factor, and that's just what Yahoo! needs.

For the Yahoo! board to choose a woman was terrific. For them not to care that she was pregnant should be a no-brainer, but it's terrific too. But it's hard to imagine the digerati so excited if the choice were a Meg Whitman or a Carly Fiorina.

No, Marissa has star quality. Clearly, it's the reason Google put her in front of a microphone so often. And after years of riding a roller coaster of CEO ineptitude, Yahoo! needs someone more than just competent.

Don't get me wrong. They need a competence. A friend in a prominent role at Yahoo! recently lamented to me that the place is filled with brilliant people, but that there is a cultural issue where every decision needs to be approved by 30 of those brilliant people and the result has been a lack of clear vision and a wealth of mediocre decisions.

They will need a competent executive to break that cycle. But they need more than that. They need a star.

And that star will have a choice.

A few years ago, another friend of mine was a senior engineering manager at Yahoo! (they're all over the place in San Francisco). I remembering him lamenting over beers at a preschool picnic, "The problem we have at Yahoo! is that everyone compares us to Google, but Google is a tech company. We are a media company. And we're really good at that."

And they are. Yahoo! is, first and foremost, content.

According to Alexa.com, Yahoo! is the #4 site on the web (after Google, Facebook and YouTube). Yahoo! News is the top news site. Yahoo! Finance is #2 in its category behind PayPal. Yahoo! Sports is #1. And on and on.

So, Marissa has a choice: Is Yahoo! to be a technology company or a media company?

Marissa's background as a preeminent Googler seems to indicate that the choice will be in the technology camp. But only the future can tell.

Perhaps the reality is that the distinction between media and technology, between content and function, is fading. Are all media companies technology companies today? Perhaps, we're looking through the wrong lens and all that really matters is who can garner the most traffic and monetize it.

Perhaps Marissa's choice will surprise us all. I hope so.

Good luck, Marissa.

If you were taking notes then you probably missed at least 70% of their tidbits of wisdom as they were cascading from them with such speed and aplomb for it was truly watching two ADHD children talking about shiny toys... but let me try and do a recap for you....

Thanks to Guy for attempting to bring the discussion back to what is practical, however, what really came through was they both march to the beat of their own drummer. It seems that they just do what is interesting to them, and we are just lucky that what sees to interest them often becomes interesting to the rest of us.

First they tackled the issues around Google +. "Hey Google + is anyone there?" Google is in a deep hole in comparison to development. There is no write API for G+ and that leads to a whole range of things keeping Google at bay. Scoble highlighted the App HiLight which uses Facebook to show the people who are also on hilight and within 100ft of us. HiLight cannot build on top of G+. And so Google is stuck. Innovation requires others to make it interesting, and without developers often technology is introduced with a bang... and then slowly whimpers into oblivion.

However, Guy is enamored with it. He likes that he can edit on G+ so he posts first to G+, then edits, then posts to Facebook. And that is a lesson. Use the technology for what makes sense to you. Do not force fit yourself to technology.

Use the technology for what makes sense to you. Do not force fit yourself to technology.

Scoble advised to build a brand that goes across all of the social networks. Create the cross links which makes the audience have deeper resonance. As to which are most important? Well, that depends who you are. If you are selling Wedding Dresses then Pinterest is probably the best bet, but if you are Virgin America then Facebook/Twitter. And that is lesson two. Don't just read a book that says these are the ranking of where you should be in social media. Understand your business and what you do and then choose the social channel that will work best to accomplish your goals.

Don't just read a book that says these are the ranking of where you should be in social media. Understand your business and what you do and then choose the social channel that will work best to accomplish your goals.

One piece of advice is that pay attention to what new technologies and social channels are out there. When a technology is new, is when the social graph and the linking behavior gets built so be there early.

So what brands are doing it right in social connections? They both highlighted GoPro. Why does that work? Because their tactic causes conversations. Of course, as Guy mentioned, no one is trying to create something that people don't want to talk about, but Scoble contends, "just build something that 4 people will be interested in. Why? Because if you can get 4 you can get 8 who can get 16." That is how products grow.

How do you do that? One way is to be there at the time the market window is open. InstaGram is an example. They fit into a window. Four months later and it would not have worked. The app Flipboard would have only happened that summer. GoWalla vs FourSquare chose different philosophies. FourSquare saw that the "check-in" was as important as the game. GoWalla did not, and FourSquare one. The market opens up because of new ideas. And that is lesson three: Do not become myopic as to what consumers will adopt, allow them to choose.

Do not become myopic as to the features consumers will adopt, allow them to choose.

As to ways to engage with your social media presence, Guy takes the NPR model. They produce such great content all year that you are willing to sit through the pledge drives. Think the same way in social media, produce a lot a great content, then people will be willing to listen to a small sales pitch. Guy connects people to a lot of content and about one in 20 tweets is promotional, for his books etc... but you do not mind it because the value of the content that he is producing those other 19 times is what the value is. And that is lesson four: The value is not your brand, the value is the content. Engage people with content through your social media, and then you can speak to them about your brand... and they will value your brand because of it.

The value is not your brand, the value is the content. Engage people with content through your social media, and then you can speak to them about your brand... and they will value your brand because of it.

As to questions from the audience asking about how to work with corporate cultures that are not tolerant, I can sum up their advice up thus...

Just do it. It is easier to ask for forgiveness than permission... but you have to be a really good listener to the internal politics at your company.

There was a ton of other insights I missed, ignored, or otherwise glossed over, however, the lessons I gleaned above is about the best I could do herding the idea-cats of the keynote.

Enjoy the conference, ask tons of questions, and find the next great innovations to bring back to your companies!

Of course the big boys are here... Bing and Yahoo (Right Media,) ComScore, and Amazon (Web Services,) but a surprise was more traditional big brands like American Express OPEN. And there are a slew of agencies, but what is different is these agencies are specialists, and concentrate on doing a couple things very very well. They speak digital in a way that previous agencies only dream about, from companies like Grafton who specialize in content creation and making sure it is picked up by search engines to extend your message, to a slew of creative, media, and ethic targeting agencies, the options for brands allow them to choose the right agency for the right job at the right time.

Most of the activity that is exciting to me is booth to booth to booth of new vibrant companies, and startups. From companies like Beintoo who is bringing gamification and rewards to mobile, and Fiksu which is helping marketers get their apps discovered on iOS and Android, to SeeMail who allows you to attach your voice to pictures you send to provide more context, and Stipple who enables shopping, search and discovery through images. From companies that are helping in Search, to those facilitating email and CRM; from companies that manage, accelerate and report on social media to those who enable gamification, app discovery and mobile advertising, the entire ecosystem and markets have diversified.

This is no longer the year of any one specific thing, be it "social media" or "mobile" or "email" or "Search" where the majority of new companies are focused on one vertical; this is the year of everything. There does not seem to be one predominant trend or theme, instead the trend is not a "vertical" but "innovation," and that is a good sign for our business.

The convergence of advertising and technology is what AdTech is all about, and the conference this year is delivering on that.

The Electronic Retailing Association will be hosting a networking reception November 8 from 5:30PM to 8PM at Hurley's Saloon. It's not the usual free party. ERA members must pay $49 and non-members must pay $129. For general party information and registration contact ERA at webadmin@retailing.org. To sponsor the party, contact Karen Eppsteiner at 703-841-8283 or keppsteiner@retailing.org. And Diamond Partners should contact Christy Hopkins at 703-908-1037 or chopkins@retailing.org to receive a free pass.

Are you ready? It's almost time again! Time for another ad:tech New York. And as you all know, ad:tech isn't just about the sessions. It's about the networking and the socializing and the parties. The first party we have to share with you comes to us from the good folks who have brought us the Marketers Ball in the past.

This time around the party will be called CPAWAY Presents Xposure2011 because, well, because CPAWAY is the main sponsor. The event will be held November 9 at 9PM at Terminal 5 which is three blocks from the Javits Center. performers will include Mike Posner, Naughty by Nature and Slick Rick. Also, DJ Scrillionaire will spin.

To RSVP or to sponsor, check out the event site here.

A company called SeamBI has made important headway into changing the dynamics of product placement so that brands can purchase it in the same manner as they might ad placements. The idea behind SeamBI is to create ad avails within already shot content, and sell those to advertisers in the same way one might a standalone: 30. By integrating brand messages into the content, SeamBI executions mitigate the risks of DVR fast forwards and selective attention.

Theirs is essentially a three step process:

1. The company identifies potential product placement opps within content, and creates flexible placement locations in the content.
2. They make that potential inventory available in a sales platform, through which it can be sold to advertisers. Advertiser content is integrated seamlessly, and advertisers can be swapped in and out for different airings, etc.
3. The ad-enhanced content is delivered to broadcasters for air.

One of the key values of this offering is that their technology makes it easy to integrate, customize and replace sponsored content quickly, and without involving costly custom graphics teams. Messages can be integrated regionally as well. An example they provide is running Hellmann’s Mayo on the East Coast, and Best Foods in the West.

Probably the best way for me to communicate the creative possibilities here is to show you a demo video now:

Click here to view the embedded video.

As you can see from that example, SeamBI is adept at integrating these sorts of brand messages in ways that make them feel organically part of the content, while also standing out as real brand enhancers.

There are two key types of SeamBI solutions:

In Episode content is integrated into content, and appears on screen for between 20 and 120 seconds. Broadcasters and content owners can sell it solo or as part of integrated packages along with bona fide ad units.

Sponsored Promos integrate marketer messages into a program’s daily promo messages. These too can be purchased separately or as part of integrated packages.

Attractive, flexible, and with good noticing value. And by making the process simple as well as cost effective, SeamBI is changing the game for product placement, and making it possible for ad dollars to shift into this fascinating communications arena.

Vurve is a web-based service that helps such sites drive stronger results from online marketing efforts by automating the process of planning, trafficking, and optimizing efforts. Clearly designed for small and medium sized businesses, the service promises strong results for budgets as small as $10 a day and with less than 15 minutes per week of hands-on campaign management.

Core to the service is an optimization and management software tool they call Sophie. They promise that Sophie identifies the best channels and locations for online marketing efforts, based upon target, products offered, past experience, and more.

The tool focuses on companies spending between $10 a day and $10,000 per month. An engagement begins by giving Sophie access to your store platform for analysis. As of this writing, Yahoo and Shopify are the supported platforms, making the tool relevant to millions of small business sites. Based upon this examination, the service identifies places to market and develops its first set of ads on your behalf.

Vurve focuses on five ad channels that are known to produce good results for small businesses:

• Social media ads appear on Facebook and Twitter, targeting people with known interest in products like yours. The platform tracks efforts down to the sale, optimizing ads and strategies over time to optimize results.
• Sponsored search results are placed and optimized on Google, Yahoo, and Bing.
• Shopping comparison sites are also leveraged, with your messages and inventory appearing in results for searches in relevant categories.
• Retargeting ads appear on the largest online sites like Google and Yahoo.
• Display ads appear in sponsorable shopping environments like Amazon.

Vurve charges a straight 15% of total budget for its services.

To make trying the service low risk, they offer a guarantee that if you try Vurve for three months and subsequently identify another vendor that can derive better results at the same budget, they will refund their fees. There are a few restrictions, but it is a genuine offer.

While some business people may be reluctant to outsource advertising because of its critical importance to their businesses, I think that’s a decision that warrants further consideration. The extent to which the service provides better results than you are already getting really depends upon your prowess in online marketing. Organizations like Vurve have spent a great deal of time developing strategies and approaches that reflect strong insights into what works online. While online marketing isn’t rocket science, it may be that an outsourced service can deliver better results by dint of their focus on making these dollars work harder.

Only you know for sure how good you are at going it alone.

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But it has to be darn hard to make your peace with certain activities. And one of those is social.

The statistics for online predators being what they are, it’s clear that the potential danger is real, though largely avoidable. But the younger your kids are, the more risk there is that their trusting natures and budding self confidence can cause problems.

Everloop is a social media community designed to give kids the benefits of social while enabling parents to use tools that mitigate risk.

The uniqueness of Everloop begins when a kid chooses to join. All children are associated with a verified parent, so you know that the individuals interacting with your kids are also kids.

That parental association results in the parent having access to a control dashboard that helps them define the parameters of how their kids interact online. As a parent you can decide whether your kids can IM or email friends, appear on people searches, meet new people and more. And it also allows you to keep a copy of their interactions so that you can monitor their activities in a way that is comprehensive yet respectful.

As part of the service, several layers of monitoring and protection are also part of the mix. Technology monitors for inappropriate activities and conversations. Bullying is a one strike and you’re out offense. Kids can report anything that bothers them. And good natured chaperones also scour the site looking for problems they can address.

The results is an online world that is considerably more appropriate for kids, and one that can keep parents in closer touch with what their kids are doing online without the need to hover over them 24-7. Here’s a vid that gives the safety features a onceover.

Of course, safety alone does not community make. Ultimately, Everloop is designed to be loads o’fun at whatever level of sharing a parent selects. It’s free to join, with a great deal of free activity available.

• Let’s start with decorating your profile. Did someone say…stickers? Kids get an enormous amount of freedom to develop and modify the look of their profiles. Included in that process of virtual stickers – some free, some that cost credits that can be earned or purchased.
• Loops are a safer alternative to open communication in which kids set up networks of preapproved friends with which they can communicate.
• Games abound on the site, some simple in keeping with the lower end of the target, and some rather more difficult – certainly offering sufficient challenge to keep kids interested. New games are added frequently to keep the site fresh.
• Fun and educational videos are also available – all preapproved to ensure a safe community for all.
• Best of all is Goobing, which is playing good natured pranks on friends. For example, your bestie might log in and find their profile TP-ed. Hilarity sure to ensure.

It’s pretty clear that having a social network for under 13s could be a really valuable thing. While others have certainly tried and are trying, I am going to be watching Everloop closely.

Cheers? Jeers? Tweet 'em to @CatalystaJim

So why is this? I think part of the reason is that a lot of the early Mobile selling focused on the whizbang things that were possible in some environments and on some devices. In my view, this resulted in a lot of passion for the potential of Mobile, but not a lot of IOs.

TapIt is a new Mobile ad network that is changing the dynamic of brand performance Mobile marketing by taking what it says is a more objectives-based approach to the space. Its management team has roots in the performance side of digital, which gives them a more objectives- and goals-centered perspective on what clients want and how they can leverage Mobile to deliver it.

I think few would disagree that Mobile lags in terms of attracting DR dollars. While they represent a significant majority of PC web dollars, the figure for online is lower. While DR is not the only business that TapIt is after, their focus significant attention on how they can better deliver against hard sales and lead gen metrics.

A big part of their message is to eradicate the perception that performance mobile marketing is simply delivering clicks to advertisers, rather than results. Their consultative, objectives-focused campaign development process empowers advertisers to gain insight and results on their campaigns.. Since performance is at the core of their history in online media, they say that this gives them an edge on helping companies interested in more than simply delivering impressions and soft metrics. Particularly transactional metrics. It’s hard to look at the MCommerce trends and disagree with the viability of this strategy

Rather than focusing on delivering and measuring performance on a cost per click, TapIt provides a broad range of automated optimization technology, including creatives, landing pages, ad placements and targeting optimization. TapIt says this creates more effective, manageable and measureable results towards advertisers desired KPI’s. Further, they offer extensive creative services to help translate specific business and performance objectives into more effective ad copy and creative. In fact a big part of their model is to design and field a range of executions and use performance measures to identify creative characteristics that deliver best. Then, throughout the campaign, their creative team is modifying the units to optimize performance. Instead of requiring brands and media teams to scramble to get new ads up, they handle it all.

For TapIt, interoperability is a central theme in their creative approach. We all know that the advent of iPhone has presented challenges for people who have traditionally focused on flash development. TapIt relies primarily on creating executions in HTML5. They are also fully integrated with most of the third party rich media partners for those that prefer to develop creative internally.

They have thousands of publisher direct inventory relationships, and focus primarily on well defined target segments. They have preexisting business relationships with most of the third party data providers, and can also integrate your first party data if desired. An interesting aspect of their targeting is to use pre-existing segments to glean insights about digital usage that inform creative and media selection from the outset of an effort. They also offer the option of managing to a CPA after an initial CPM/ CPC run.

TapIt is currently integrated with more than 30,000 apps and websites, and offers a publisher inventory solution that helps them sell inventory directly, while leveraging the technology and strengths of thier platform.

Hey, there are hundreds of options these days when you are thinking about Mobile. TapIt believes that they can succeed because they focus more on what the client wants first, rather than on the whizbang capabilities that are becoming possible on Mobile devices.

Customers first, shiny objects second.

Cheers? Jeers? Tweet 'em to @CatalystaJim

Part of the reason why we are such creatures of habit, in my view, is that the discrete structure of websites discourages broader exploration. The goal of most websites is to keep us within their own walls, not foster cross site visitation. The creation of Facebook Connect helped many sites integrate social experience into their otherwise discrete environments, but it really only solved a small portion of the opportunity to help consumers experience more of the sorts of contnt and features that they enjoy.

A browser called Kikin is taking a decidedly more comprehensive view of the opportunity to help users experience the web on their terms. Their mission, they say, is to make the web more enjoyable and useful to people, and they try to achieve these auspicious goals by offering consumers more ways to connect to people, information sources, and content types that they care about. While they have gotten favorable press for all of their offerings, their iPad browser has been particularly well received.

Kikin’s foundation is a pinned icon structure that attached quick links to your favorite information sites and friends on the right site of the browser. As you consume web content, you can click the icon of a favorite site like Wikipedia or YouTube and get more information on the key topic of the page. The icons featured on your pinned icon bar are set by you. If you want to search on a term or subtopic of the page, you simply highlight the text and Kikin returns links to additional information.

You don’t necessarily leave the page your on to consume this additional content. It can appear in windows before the page you are on, to enable you to return to the original page at your leisure.

The application also makes it easy to save pages for later consumption, placing a list of saved sites a single click away.

By integrating Kikin with your connections on social media sites, you can get access to posts and updates related to the topic of your choice. This can be valuable because it enables you to connect with opinions and reviews from people you trust. At any time you can enable or disable individuals from the results you receive. You can also easily send the content of a web page to people in your social graph with just a click or two.

When you are shopping, Kikin can help you identify the best price on an item by querying multiple sites at once. That can dramatically simplify your shopping experience on high consideration items like travel.

Another very popular aspect of the service is a related videos feature that enables users to browse different videos related to a given topic WITHOUT venturing from one site to another. It’s a really pleasant and seamless experience.

Here's an intro vid:

Click here to view the embedded video.

How is this relevant to brands? Well, for pubs, the service says that its users tend to consume more pages because of access to related content on a site. When a pub partners with the site and drives downloads of the application, they receive additional information on users to help them refine and customize content experience. Advertisers can target consumers with high likelihood of interest in their products by featuring their ads on related content pages.

Beyond these direct benefits of partnering with the platform, marketers also need to see and prepare for the underlying trend – toward fully customized user experience. The “mass” approach to marketing has been losing relevance for years – offerings like Kikin reflect and eccelerate this ongoing decline. It is also reflecting a culture and a consumer that expects personalized experience at all times. This has broad implications on paid, earned and owned experiences we create. Quite simply, we need to be just as good at creating personalized experiences as pubs and soc nets. No easy task.

Cheers? Jeers? Tweet 'em to @CatalystaJim