New Camper

I was having a little problem with Hostway and couldn't  upload any images, so many of you haven't seen this one yet.  Lauren and I picked up our camper on Thursday night.  We got it from someone in Mastic who used it three times, so It's essentially brand new.

My trailer-towing skills are rusty, so it took a couple tries to get it angled into the driveway.  Since this photo was taken, we've put it on the side of the house - thankfully it all came back to me as I was lining it up with the edge of the garage.

We're looking at dates to coordinate trips with other friends who have trailers.  In the meantime, Lauren and I are having fun combing Wal-Mart and Target for cheap furnishings and stuff (six forks for $1!).  One night when I get home from work I have to install the electronic brake control in the cab of my truck so the trailer brakes will work correctly.  And then I really should get a weight-distributing hitch.  (And a generator.  And a case of biodegradable toilet paper.  And...)

I was joking with Madeline Rich from Lotame about wiring this thing for satellite Internet access.  She said she could help me with that and recommended someone to do it.  I think that if I ever pulled this off, this trailer would become our mobile headquarters and no one would ever see me in the 23rd Street office again this summer.  ;-)

We're really looking forward to heading out to some spots on Long Island.  Right now, Greenport's on the top of the list, but I would like to make it out to Roosevelt County Park in Montauk (pull your trailers right up on the beach, folks...)

Biggest Takeaways from iMedia

I always like to take a mental inventory of the things I take away from the iMedia Summits after I get back. Here are some of the takeaways from the Agency Summit in Austin: Buyers and Sellers Are Competing for the Same Strategic Role - It seemed like when we were discussing process, there were still a lot of the same age-old complaints about the inability of publishers to get big ideas to the advertisers. There was also a mood of increased reliance on publishers to bring ideas to the table, while agencies played the role of evaluating those ideas. That sort of thing doesn't happen here, but it seems to be happening at a lot of other agencies - they're playing the role of aggregator of opportunities, but not the role of strategic partner as well as they should be. Couple this mood with the many comments I heard from publishers about how they want to be seen as strategic partners by advertisers, and how they're going right to clients in order to accomplish that, and it sums up to agencies giving up that strategic role if they continue down the path they're on.

Agency People Are Generally More Tactical Than Strategic - I got this sense from talking to agency people at the conference. Whether we were just chilling at a cocktail party or in a heavy discussion at a roundtable, it seemed that agency people were really good at answering questions like "How do you track interactions in a Flash banner?" but not so great at things like "How do you prove the value of social media to your clients?" It gave me a sense that agencies were losing track of the strategic picture. It could also be that agencies are sending lower-level folks these days.

Conflicts of Interest Don't Matter Much Sometimes - It used to be a cardinal rule: Giving media buying advice while being a media seller was a fundamental conflict of interest.  It still is.  Many advertisers don't seem to care much anymore.  They're taking advice and recommendations from wherever they can get it these days.  Lots of clients still follow the old rules, but many don't.

In short, I think the writing is on the wall for the agency business.  Of course, people have been saying this for years, but I never got the sense until now that agencies were losing their grip on the role of managing all of a client's advertising activity.

It's clear that, in order to preserve their value to advertisers, agencies have to cling to a strategic role and never let go of it.  I get the sense that many of the agencies out there are stuck in the tactical weeds and wouldn't know strategy if it walked up and bit them on the ass.  Of course, that's just my opinion.

Never, Never, Never Go Public

Microsoft backed off.  What will Yahoo have to look forward to?  Probably shareholder lawsuits. It must suck when you want to innovate and help shape digital media, and instead have to contend with a bunch of people who probably know little to nothing about the industry, complaining in your ear because they want to see a deal done at $37 a share.

The only way to make sure you can continue to innovate is to AVOID TAKING MONEY.  This is why I don't understand why Yang and the gang don't cash out and start up a new company, funding it with whatever they make from the sale of Yahoo stock.

Beholden to nobody is the new name of the game.

It's Just Not Under My Control Anymore

Things that were on the agenda for this weekend:

1. Go to Home Depot and get peat moss, garden soil
2. Plant three trees
3. Plant tomato plants
4. Get summer squash seeds germinating

Things that actually got done this weekend:

1. Go to P.C. Richard's and get a new TV
2. Install it
3. Sit around and wait for the exterminator, electrician and tree guy
4. Fix my chainsaw
5. Cut up four trees and stack the logs
6. Get rid of the brush and mulch left behind by the tree guy

I need another weekend.