Digital marketing roundtable discusses the future of online advertising and B2B foray into social

April 8, 2009 - PRLog -- Focusing on social media and, more specifically, on how brands can integrate social media effectively into their digital marketing activity, it features the opinion of some of the industry’s foremost experts.

Katy Howell, MD of online PR agency immediate future, Eliza Dashwood, of search agency Ambergreen, and Justin Rees, of online lead generation specialists Lead Point, all offer their own unique insights and points of view.  In addition, the podcast covers the rise in popularity of applications in mobile marketing, with industry specialists Dusan Hamilton, of Inside Mobile, and Jonathan Newman, Director, Enterprise Web & EMEA eSolutions of Ingram Micro sharing their thoughts on what constitutes a successful application.

The podcast opens with a roundtable discussion on emerging hot topics and issues related to social media. The panel all agree that there has been a marked increase in brands jumping on the social media bandwagon, but for the wrong reasons.

“Thousands of brands are diving into social media looking only for reach and frequency, because this is what they are used to benchmarking against.  Social media is not about broadcasting what a brand has to offer and it cannot be used as simply a mechanism for pushing out information. Social media is about listening to consumers, creating conversations and engaging with a brand’s targeted audience”, Katy Howell, MD of immediate future emphasises.

The discussion then turns to the efficacy of social media as a marketing tool for B2B industries. Referring to a range of recent developments and trends, such as Salesforce.com’s partnership with Twitter, SME e-businesses going online looking for information, and Twitter offering pro-versions of its service, the panel discusses whether there is an opportunity for B2B companies to engage with one another using social media. The conversation then moves on to the future of online advertising, following the recent release of Forrester research revealing that brands are planning to invest more of their marketing budgets in social media.

Finally, Dusan Hamilton of Inside Mobile, and Jonathan Newman of Ingram Micro look at the latest trend of developing branded applications specifically for the iPhone, and ask what return brands can expect from this.

Dusan Hamilton comments, “Due to the technologically advanced nature of the handset, brands are eager to explore some of the innovative ways its customers can instantly interact with its products, directly from their mobile.  Mobile marketing is reaching the point where there are clear business advantages to developing and investing in relevant and entertaining applications.”

Graeme Foux, host of the podcast, says “With the additional feature on mobile marketing, this week’s podcast highlights issues that affect both B2B and B2C businesses.  We aim to make sure that all the podcasts in this series offer engaging opinion and learnings on varied digital marketing topics.”

The latest edition of the Knexus Digital Marketing Conversations podcast is available from http://www.knexusgroup.com/ and all good download platforms.

ENDS

For more information please contact Natasha Ighodaro at immediate future on 0845 408 2031 or at natasha.ighodaro@immediatefuture.co.uk

Notes to editors
About immediate future
immediate future is an independent public relations company that specialises in digital PR for brands alongside business and corporate public relations for the digital marketing industry.

Successfully delivering trade PR and high profile campaigns for digital marketing companies, immediate future works with clients such as Logan Tod, Avenue A | Razorfish, R O Eye and Mercado  Software.

Specialists in online PR and social media relations the company helps brands manage the online conversation and build a positive reputation. Campaigns are enhanced with influential blog relations; SEO PR increases search engines visibility; and online press coverage generates advocacy.

immediate future represents clients such as Sony Europe, Polaroid, Ferrero and Hotel Chocolat.  For more information please visit www.immediatefuture.co.uk

About Knexus Digital
Knexus Digital, the digital marketing resource is a sub division of Knexus. We provide digital marketing learning, intelligence and networking opportunities to the world's leading brands.

Knexus Digital customers get quick, flexible access to the latest digital marketing learning and ideas from leading industry experts, tailored to their needs.

For more information please visit www.knexusgroup.com