Clearly, single screen engagements are evolving into multiscreen media opportunities. MediaMind parent company DG assembled industry leaders from Razorfish, ABC and Turner to discuss the benefits and challenges of advertising on multiple screens. Let us know what you think.

As we start to look beyond traditional computing devices for media consumption and social networking, one trend that is worth keeping your eye (or maybe we should say your hand?) on is haptics.


This is the concept of giving a response back to a user that instead of the sense of sight and hearing, takes advantage of touch or a tactile response.


From gaming (Wii-mote anyone) to mobile phones (small vibrations while typing or even the vibration of a new email or text). With more touchscreen devices on the market we are seeing more industrial designers utilize haptics.


There was some speculation that Apple was going to take advantage of a patent they filed centred around haptics with the launch of the third generation iPad, but alas that didn’t materialise. Though some folks are already speculating the iPhone 5 may incorporate something more than the simple alert vibrations found in the iPhones of today.

Even Nokia has filed a patent earlier this year that would essentially allow for magnetic ink to be embedded on a user’s skin via a sticker or even a tattoo that would vibrate once triggered from a smartphone. Think about that for a second. Imagine what a full-sleeve of vibrating tattoos would feel like. At least I know I’d never miss another phone call or text from my wife when I’m out at a noisy venue.

Our brain’s are an open source platform ready for us to hack.

So beyond the cool, geeky technology factor, why are scientists and developers looking at haptics as an opportunity for innovation? Well, there have been numerous studies that show how the human brain is able to interpret visual representations through what they feel and essentially rewire what we perceive (or what we don’t perceive). From feedback on which way is North, to discerning objects we can’t see, or even more complex experiments such as navigating mazes.

Have you ever wanted to feel something on the Internet?

Think about a world where a user can feel a product. Or how about a brand? No longer are the days of surveying users and asking them how they feel about a brand or message, but rather how the brand feels to them. Why do people still want to go into a store and see a product — because they want to touch it, try it on, and see how it fits for them. Soon they will be able to do that without ever leaving their home or office.

And while I am not sure too many folks (at least in the very near future) would get tattoos or wear a five-pound belt that would allow for tactile feedback, we need to think about a culture where the idea of a personal device is removed from the equation completely and humans become even more integrated with technology. This pervasiveness and inclusion in our lives will lead to ways for marketers to connect with consumers and potential customers in a whole new way. And for consumers to expand their senses beyond what they thought was possible.

If scientists are able to help people see with their tongue via very mild electrical shocks, what’s to say an ingenious marketer couldn’t display customized advertising this way for consumers? Even on a simpler basis, brands created jingles that have lived on way past the duration of a particular ad campaign – in the near future could we see (or feel) a vibrating jingle that resonates with consumers more than any melody or lyrical hook?

(Editor’s Note: This post, by Ryan Manchee and Dean Donaldson of MediaMind, originally appeared in the Huffington Post here.)

You don’t often think of toothpaste as eye-catching, but we take our hats off to Sensodyne for an eye-catching campaign, featured as the Ad of the Month in The Feed, our monthly newsletter.

In honor of the debut of our Smart Planning tool for planning and buying media, MediaMind has just launched a new contest just for media planners.
The best part? You get to dream up your own prize – a fantasy vacation you concoct with a little help from Smart Planning.



Media planners are busy people, so we made this very contest easy to enter. You just watch our snappy video, answer a quick travel planning questionnaire, and you’re on your way. You can even boost your chances by sharing the contest details with colleagues.
In addition to giving some lucky winner a fantastic travel opportunity, the contest will help get the word out about the killer benefits of Smart Planning. We’re more excited than usual about the launch, because Smart Planning not only saves time and headaches throughout the planning process (think automatic RFP submission and IOs, electronic sigs, and instant export to DART or Atlas), it also lets planners leverage more and better data to make buys – like past performance and engagement results and historic costs.
All the data is 100% publisher-neutral, too, so planners can look objectively at how different sites have typically performed on campaigns like theirs – and how much they cost. That’s valuable data to have in your pocket when you’re negotiating a buy, and it shows clients you know your stuff.
When your plan is done, you can export it in seconds to PPT and pick and choose the data you want to include. That means you not only have a clear plan to present to your client, your recommendations are also all validated by actual historic data. It’s all very buttoned-up, yet streamlined and hassle-free – like a good vacation.
So, will it be balmy beaches? Fabulous fjords? A glam city getaway or an away-from-it-all wild adventure? Start dreaming, then enter the Smart Planning Dream Vacation Contest here from May 8 until June 30!

Imagine you could create any rich media effect you wanted – what would it look like? What would it do? That’s the idea behind our Best on the Block Contest, running now through May 31 and waiting for your entry.
MediaMind Blocks (they rock – check them out here) are pre-coded rich media effects you can easily drop into your campaigns. Some are utilities like the Mouse Tracker block, others are for response, like the QR Code Generator or Coupon Printer. Still others are all about engagement – like Face Detection or Augmented Reality. Our library of Blocks is growing all the time, giving you no-coding shortcuts to cool features or simply inspiration for your next campaign. Which brings us back to the contest…

There are actually two ways to enter:
1. Send us a 30 second video showcasing your best creative work using any MediaMind Block in our library. OR
2. Invent your dream Block. Mock it up in a 30 second video.


Upload your entry to our contest site by May 23 where ten finalists will be selected by popular voting. A team of industry judges will pick the grand prize winner who will spend a week at the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity in June – soaking up the sun and the creative vibe.
And here’s a confession. We’re running the contest not only to get everyone to fall in love with MediaMind Blocks, but also because we really, really want your fresh ideas – for new Blocks and to make our current ones better. So speak up with your ideas and gripes, because if you want it, we will build it!
Key contest dates:
• Enter by May 23
• Voting ends May 28
• Winner announced May 31


Ready to get creative? Enter now!