The ficticious Mutiny Worldwide proclamation was debunked shortly thereafter by SoDA on the association’s website (www.sodaspeaks.com), but not before sparking a deluge of media coverage and responses from ad industry insiders across Europe, North America, South America and the Asia-Pacific region. Digirati across the globe were roused by the announcement, but ultimately woke up to enjoy the SoDA prank. Said one Canadian agency executive, “F#@! you guys got me.  I forwarded this to our president and told him it was significant.  He caught the joke.”

The story was picked up by media outlets with over 38.5 million followers and sparked a chain reaction of conversations across micro blogs, blogs, message boards and traditional media sites.  As a result, traffic to the SoDA website spiked ten-fold on April 1st.

“The very fact that such a large group of our member agencies across four continents came together to orchestrate the Mutiny Worldwide stunt in record time underscores SoDA’s organizational unity and our members’ ability to have a little fun,” said Steve Glauberman, CEO of Enlighten and SoDA Board Member.

“This type of cohesion extends directly to SoDA’s actual work as a voice for digital marketing professionals worldwide to advance the industry through best practices, education and advocacy,” commented Andrew Howlett, President/CEO of Rain and SoDA Board Member.   “SoDA’s stature and influence are clearly on the rise, and Mutiny Worldwide was just a small precursor to a wave of substantive efforts the organization will begin rolling out this year on an international level,” added D.J. Edgerton, CEO of Zemoga and SoDA Board Member.

Collectively, SoDA member agencies have over $350 million in combined annual revenues, offices in 22 countries and in excess of 2,500 staff members.   “While there is no doubt strength in numbers, we are shaping the future of digital marketing by exercising our collective power as a network of peers rather than merging into a single business entity,” explained Daniel Conner, CEO of StruckAxiom and SoDA Board member.

Participating agencies included: Achtung, B‐Reel, BEAM, BLITZ, Colmeia, Colossal Squid Industries, Dare North America, Deep Focus, Domani Studios, Effective UI, Enlighten, Evolution Bureau, Exopolis, Firstborn, Fluid, Fuel Industries, Fullhouse, Geary Group, GRAPE, Gringo, Hush, IE, IQ, Magnani Caruso Dutton, Obscura Digital, Odopod, Perfect Fools, Phenomblue, Profero, Rain, Reactive, Resn, Rockfish Interactive, SOAP Creative, Soleil Noir, Stimulant, StruckAxiom, Terralever, WDDG Funtank and Zemoga.

“We had a little fun with the Mutiny Worldwide stunt in order to cast a light on the tremendous vibrancy and reach of our organization, as well as our tireless efforts to advance the digital marketing industry through thought leadership, best practices, the development of shared SoDA standards, partnerships and knowledge exchange,” said Tony Quin, CEO of IQ and Chairman of SoDA.

Callled Sencha Touch, the framework is the first HTML5-based mobile application framework, and is targeted at WebKit browser-based mobile devices. Accordingly, developers can write applications for the iPad and iPhone and Google Android systems, with RIM for Blackberry to be added in the near future, all from the one framework.

When installed to the home screen (in the case of iPhone users) Sencha Mobile Touch applications run almost identically to a native application. All the source code is stored on the actual device, with only live data sent across the wire, minimising 3G and GPRS data expenses for the user. We don’t need to bother with the processes around submitting applications to the Apple store either, as they can be easily installed from a link sent via SMS or email, or just linked to from a mobile website.

The fact that the applications are javascript based also means upgrading the application is simply a matter of updating the production environment.

Importantly, clients don’t need to pay for multiple native versions for Apple, Android and Blackberry Torch, which hugely reduces the cost of development. To ensure Sencha Touch grabs a significant slice of market share, the commercial version is also now available for free download from http://www.sencha.com/products/touch/

As part of this strategy, the world first ‘My Melbourne’ tool was launched in March 2010, presenting delegates and potential delegates with a series of experiences such as city attractions, dining, nightlife and accommodation. These experiences assist with informing and enticing the conference delegate with timely information about Melbourne and Victoria.

Delegates select the categories which most appeal to their individual tastes, and are then instantly presented with a customised video vignette, which captures their chosen ‘My Melbourne’ experience. The vignettes present stunning footage of Victoria, from the spectacular surf coast to award-winning wine regions, as well as city highlights such as bars, restaurants, museums and galleries.

The tool was developed to inform potential delegates about Melbourne and regional Victoria to assist them in making an informed decision when committing to attending a Melbourne-based convention. For those delegates who are confirmed, the tool allows them to easily learn more about the destination ahead of their visit.

‘This project is a terrific example of what can be achieved when the Pervasive Customer Experience philosophy informs your digital solutions’, said IE’s Solutions Director, Justin Wilden.

‘From this very first digital interaction with MCVB, the delegate is inspired and informed, reflecting the consistent tailored experience they will enjoy across all the MCVB digital touchpoints in the lead up to, and during, their conference in Melbourne.’

So while a social media strategy is no different to any other marketing tool in that its success or otherwise needs to be measured, its conversational nature means some of the greatest benefits cannot be measured in clicks or dollars. And (take a deep breath, marketers) that’s okay.

So what does success actually look like?

Success is best measured against a set of objectives that have been clearly defined before setting foot in the social media environment, and that are aligned with the broader business objectives. This will be different for everyone and depends on the type of business involved and social media tools implemented. Some starting points might include:

1. Traffic – to a website, a blog and the number of Twitter followers or Facebook friends. These are raw numbers that can be used to gauge the growth of activity around social media channels.
2. Interaction – how many comments were made? Reviews given? If people are responding via social media channels, then the content is working.
3. Search marketing – social media channels can be used to increase SEO rankings, so measure relevant key terms before beginning and as a metric after launching social media channels.
4. Sales – measure the traffic from social media channels to the online store, and the conversion to sales.

Once implemented, it’s important to monitor progress and adjust a digital strategy as you go. Whether via an agency or an internal team, it’s critical to the success of social media channels that the execution is a) working and b) informed by the latest developments in digital.

The digital landscape is the broadest of churches – if it exists, it’s online somewhere. That means there is already a community of people out there who would like nothing more than to engage with your business about what you do, how you do it and who you are. Social media is simply a way of reaching out to these communities and starting a conversation, and anyone can do it.

In Australia traditional retail models are limiting – with small stores seeking exclusivity agreements offering designers less exposure and risky return. Alternative platforms, such as global online stores, eBay, guerilla retail and micro-brand stores are the retail tools of the future.

Exploring this timely proposition with Justin will be fellow innovators Barrie Barton, Creative Director 3000 Stores and James Tuckerman, Director of Anthill Magazine.

Learn more about this event here.

With over 12 year’s experience, Justin is an online specialist in digital concept and user experience design (UXD). His passion is creating innovative and compelling user-centred solutions, particularly on projects with an entrepreneurial component.

Previously, he worked with Sapient Inc as a Team Lead in San Francisco, Sydney and London, which provided the opportunity to work with Electronic Arts to define the online gaming portals EA.com, EASports.com, and Virgin.com.

Between 2000-2002, Justin developed the user experience design practice for Different Solutions, which is Australia’s largest user-centred design agency. As the Creative Director, Justin led a team of 11 people and was pivotal in delivering projects for BHP Billiton Ltd and IAG Ltd.

From 2005 to 2008 Justin worked with the Kojo Group as the Head of Interactive, where he directed the digital business and managed projects for Multiplex, Cartridge World and Mitsubishi-Australia. Justin also spearheaded the direction of touch-screen kiosks for the South Australian Government, entertainment websites for Fox Films, intranets for BHP Billiton and IAG and the Sydney Opera House website.

One of Justin’s career highlights thus far was working alongside Director Baz Luhrmann as Interactive Creative Director for the Moulin Rouge online media campaign.

Says Justin ‘I was drawn to IE’s extensive portfolio of well-known brands, their genuine passion for the digital culture and commitment to building an internationally respected digital agency.’

Justin’s role at IE is to deliver solutions that fulfil the current and future online needs of clients. His broad skill set encompasses the scope, concept, design, and technology phases, and he is working with IE clients including Movember and Hoyts to develop compelling digital products and experiences.

Recently Justin travelled on the inaugural Startup Bus, travelling from San Francisco to Austin for SXSW 2010. Over 72 hours six teams developed business models and prototypes and, at the end of the trip, pitched them to venture capitalists. Justin was involved in the winning team, DormDorm.com, which is now being mentored to investment grade.

‘I’m excited about innovating business by improving the online transactional layer and enhancing the customer’s experience – and ultimately designing amazing online products.’

Justin joins IE from his most recent position in Adelaide as Head of Interactive for the Kojo Group.

Lonely Planet leads the field in travel publishing, providing thoroughly researched content and timely inspiration to travel-hungry readers worldwide. In March 2010, Lonely Planet chose to collaborate with IE’s design team to bring the book, 1000 Ultimate Experiences, to the Apple iPad in less than six weeks.

The result is a design solution that transforms stunning experiences from the book into a virtual deck of cards the user can spread out, flip, share and explore.

1000 Ultimate Experiences for iPad offers readers a tantalising opportunity to daydream about their next trip, or indeed their next 1000 trips.

The New York Times billed the app as “a graphically rich look at a wide variety of trips”; USA Today said, “the visual wow factor is notable”; and CBS News Chicago listed 1000 Ultimate Experiences as one of seven “Must-Have” apps.

AppFollower also posted a comprehensive video review.  

“1000 Ultimate Experiences” was also picked up by CNN, MediaBistro, Silicon Valley Insider, Macsimum, MacTech,Toronto Star, Hamilton Spectator, PaidContent, Nendoroiz, Two Minute News, Eye for Travel, USA Today, and CNET