Just back from the Monaco Media Forum and following are some observations:
- The free vs. paid debate was top of mind. The debate between Arianna Huffington and Mathias Dopfner was the best industry related panel discussion that I can remember. Rafat agrees. The two actually agreed on a lot but, when they disagreed, they were articulate, scathing yet respectful, and funny.
- Jon Miller said it well that there are tensions out there that will get resolved in the coming 18 months. I thought he was a great speaker as well. Rafat made him squirm but he held his own.
- There wasn't much talk of the recession/financial crisis. Yes, it was mentioned now and again but most people seemed to be looking forward. This is a good thing.
- There is latent discontent with ad agencies and the agency model from marketers. I spoke to a couple and they complained about the cost structure of their agencies for what they get and that their agencies still didn't get digital. I sense disruption in the big agency model in the next 5 years.
- Spencer Reiss had a last-minute addition to the quick pitches with Feng Jun of Aigo. They are the largest digital consumer product company in China with over 1000 employees. It made it clear how American/Western European the conference was. More speakers/people from so-called emerging markets would enrich the experience.
- The invite-only aspect of the event made for high quality attendees/networking.
- Monaco is as glitzy and classy as they make it out to be. Walking into the dinner at the hotel de Paris felt like the set of a Bond movie. The decor was ornate, gilded and roccoco. Very impressive. But I couldn't live there. I was craving a slice of pizza at night and, of course, nothing to be found.
Comments