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As the chairman of the board for the society of Digital Agencies I’m delighted to announce that the 2012 SoDA Report, digital marketing outlook is here. This weighty tome has rapidly become the leading predictor of digital marketing trends in the business. Last year it got over 40,000 downloads alone. With POVs, perspectives and insights from some of the top digital marketing thinkers in the world, it is the only report that includes both the client and the agency perspective.

For the fourth year in a row, SoDA has compiled the thoughts and opinions of over 700 marketers, agencies, technologists and digital industry insiders.  Dozens of SoDA member companies have contributed thought-provoking articles and case studies to The SoDA Report (formerly known as the Digital Marketing Outlook).  A broad array of guest contributors, CMOs and other senior-level digital marketers from a wide array of organizations (i.e., L’Oreal, Adobe, Google, Compete, E*Trade, Bloomberg and Samsung, among many other blue-chip brands) also provided their insights.  The result: an invaluable planning resource for marketers and agencies in 2012. SoDA is releasing the publication in its traditional format today, and a tablet edition will be released in early March.   SoDA will also be publishing smaller quarterly updates to The SoDA Report over the course of 2012.

The study (download here: http://www.slideshare.net/sodaspeaks/the-soda-report-11690932), conducted by SoDA and its research partner, Econsultancy, revealed significant information regarding budgets, hiring strategies and what marketers value the most.   For example, the 2012 survey showed that increased self-reliance is an increasingly common mantra among many marketing organizations, with almost two-thirds citing internal resource growth as their primary approach to expanding digital marketing efforts this year.  For those looking outward, almost one-third said they’re seeking to diversify their agency mix based on niche areas of expertise (vs. pursuing a “one-stop shop” digital partner).

The publication also includes:

• 4 editorial sections (Industry Insider, Modern Marketers, People Power & Tech Talk), including related research findings from the 2012 Digital Marketing Outlook Survey.  Content focuses on subjects critical to the digital marketing industry today, from evolving agency models and partner ecosystems to transformations at marketing organizations aimed at becoming more consumer-centric to finding and cultivating top digital marketing talent.

• One-on-one interviews with industry luminaries as well as panel discussions on topics ranging from change management to measurement and analytics.

• Case studies spanning a wide array of industries and digital platforms to inspire and inform.

This may come as a bit of shock, but you’re not in the business you think you’re in. It doesn’t matter if your company sells hammers or complex investment products, that’s not where the rubber hits the road today.

Consider the guy who owned a pool company that a story in Entrepreneur magazine recently highlighted. Marcus Sheridan has been doing quite well installing pools around Virginia and Maryland since 2002. And he knows why.

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The reality of this new environment is that speed equals emotion. Logic gets left on the curb when messages are passed along in tweets and status updates.

What do these things have in common: Netflix, Bank of America, SOPA, Susan G. Komen for the Cure?

Answer: they’ve all got tread marks on their backs from social media protests.

The last six months have provided an amazing string of case studies on how protests movements are being changed forever by the speed and reach of social media.

Forget about organizing workers to gather signatures on a petition, or emails calling for a boycott of some company’s product. Those are your grandfather’s protest tools. Today’s protests take shape in a matter of days, and the battles can pivot in a matter of minutes. Gone are colorful posters with catch slogans. Today the canvases are short emotional messages with hash tags or links. Continue Reading

Hilarious and insightful perspective:

Thanks to motionographer.com

The digitization of retail signage is getting creative. While not quite a hologram, this new signage approach is novel and guaranteed to make you look…at least the first time. From Tensator.