Every day we hear about some new tech launch that changes the nature of the universe.

Some are minute gadgets that connect you to all manner of content, some are new content offerings to feed the aforementioned devices. They aren’t just poised to further fragment the traditional media model, they’re wired to blow it up. They are also the answer to marketers’ dilemma of how to reach the wired and wireless gen.

One example is podvertising (the sponsorship of MP3 downloads of audio content). Just as this issue was going to press, Molson signed on with Corus as its first podcast sponsor. Curiously, just a few weeks prior to this, when UC Berkeley marketing prof Peter Sealey (a former Coca-Cola CMO) was in town for AAC’s Spotlight on Specialty event, he referred to podcasting as a ‘small but powerful media player’ in his End-of-ad-supported-broadcast-TV-as-we-know-it speech, and although Canadian media congloms had just started to leap into this new space, for many the impact of podvertising was a novel concept. And that’s just how fast it all changes; within a matter of weeks, new content channels can launch, pose a threat to traditional media, and get buy-in from a major advertiser in a deal brokered through a media agency.

These are the kinds of exploding opportunities we explore in this issue’s NextGen feature (see page 32.) The aim of this report is to catch you up on all the Canadian action in the areas of mobile marketing, advergaming, vlogging and what-have-you, and to showcase the Canadian brands successfully using all these new platforms for reaching youth, hopefully prompting more creativity and a greater comfort level with the emerging opportunities.

That’s also the goal of our upcoming Understanding Youth conference,

mobileNATION. Many of the players covered in our special report – from Nokia and West 49, to the likes of gaming product placement agency Massive – will also be sharing their experiences firsthand at our event June 7-8 in Toronto. From panels on podvertising and what’s coming next on the mobile content front, to case studies from hot youth brands such as Virgin Mobile, the mobileNATION conference is also bringing in top teen research and trend experts, such as Illinois-based TRU’s Michael Wood and San Fran-based trend analyst Michael Tchong of Trendsetters.com. Scope the lineup at www.understandingyouth.com and sign on to come check it out.

And finally, our whirlwind travel continues. Strategy has been spotted out and about in Montreal a lot lately, as well as Calgary and Vancouver, and next month the gang is going to Cannes. We figured if P&G goes en masse, strategy should be there too. Editor Lisa D’Innocenzo, VP/group publisher Diane Rankin and associate publisher Claire Macdonald will be hitting the Croisette, and would love to take a break from screening adverts in the Palais to network on patios, so please get in touch if you’ll be in Cannes.

Cheers, mm

Mary Maddever

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