I was in London last week for the AD:TECH conference. This is an exhibition exclusively dedicated to online marketing solutions. AD:TECH explores end to end solutions for Online Marketing, like website design, search engine marketing, optimization and content provision through to online research, reporting and campaign management. It’s about time this US initiative set foot on European soil.

Just by walking around there I was amazed by the huge diversity of offerings. It was great to see how many new businesses were set up just to cater to a niche within online marketing. Google claimed the spotlight but did not really have anything new to tell (since we all know everything about Google). The other usual suspects with their proven track records were present as well. There were a few hidden gems though: DoubleClick proved to me they go beyond the stats, AdTool improves consistency and efficiency within marketing efforts and ViewStart showed me the future of online rich media.

For those who care…..AD:TECH New York starts November 7 and is supposed to be the American version of the London event: bigger, louder and even more exciting…

First I was stunned. Then I got angry. What is Andre Agassi doing in Adidas apparel??

Apparently, this has been going on for some time now. It first got to my attention at his first match at this year’s US Open. Agassi broke up with Nike and teamed up with rival Adidas. I can only find two reasons for this: a) Adidas will generously support his foundation and b) it gives Adidas extra promotional opportunities, with Steffi being already on the payroll. This probably meant some extra cash benefits for Agassi.

Well, of course Adidas wanted Agassi! So does Reebok, Fila or LA Gear (remember those?). Andre is indisputably one of the biggest athletes in the world and solid platinum when it comes to sponsoring. But when it came to his apparel and shoes, there wasn’t a question: Agassi is a Nike man! He was signed in 1988 and has always been one of the organization’s front runners. There was Jordan, Bo and Agassi. This wasn’t just because he’s an amazing tennis player; it’s because his values and characteristics are the same as Nike’s. He was and still is in some way bold, unconventional, remarkable, talented and simply amazing. He was the guy wearing those ridiculaously looking Nike shorts and they fitted him perfectly.

Letting Agassi get away is a huge mistake. I do not know the ins and outs of the deal, and I think Agassi shouldn’t have been this easy to persuade as well, but was it really that difficult to keep him swooshed? Was it really that difficult to top Adidas’ offer to support the foundation? It’s a bloody shame and a stain on Nike’s image.

Some time ago I was present at a New Media seminar hosted by Edelman PR. Guru David Weinberger was one of the speakers there and he basically put the ball in our courts Where’s your blog?

The story unfolds – most of the present marketing elite was not familiar with the phenomenon called blogging. Not just for corporate use, but the basics of blogging were simply unkown to most of these professionals. What’s a blog?

This shows the current status of marketing in the Netherlands: business as usual. We all know there are rapid developments within our field, like buzz-marketing, search-engine advertising and weblogs, but we do not nearly take enough advantage of them. We stick to the standard communication mix, focusing on the 30 second spot, print ads, some brochures and maybe a bit of banner advertising (yes, living on the edge!). We all know for years now that this is not as effective as it used to be. Still, we do not see any major changes in our marketing strategies.

David finished his one-man show with the words “Start now!”. I am very excited about the step forward Accenture has taken with this blog and I would like to recommend that all my marketing colleagues do the same.