2010: The Year Substance Made a Comeback - Michael Kassan - MediaBizBloggers

So how was your year?

Mine was great but maybe yours was better.

Actually, Betty White may have had the best year of anybody.

She deserved it, too.

But everybody in "the business"--a growing list of frenemies that now includes clients, agencies (all kinds), production companies, media companies, bloggers, community managers, content creators, studio chiefs, tech marketers, consultants and consumers themselves--had something to celebrate in 2010.

It was the year of thinking smartly. The year we got down to business. The year we started walking as well as talking. The year that steak trumped sizzle in the media industry.

Do you remember the exact moment you mastered driving a car? Probably not. But at some point, you were just comfortable behind the wheel.

Can you pinpoint the precise instant that you felt confident in your decisions as a media professional? Probably not. But one day you just were.

Just like individuals make the journey from green to seasoned, the industry hit Gladwell's infamous tipping point in 2010. We're no longer terrified of digital technology. It has, blessedly, finally become a tool we know how to use. Less looming threat and more beckoning promise.

Consequently, in 2010 we abandoned the assumptions that held us back--"TV is dead"--and welcomed new insights--"TV Everywhere"--that moved us forward.

Strategically, big clients have become engines of innovation, driving change and innovation. Blue-chip global players like Unilever have integrated their marketing teams, and quickly capitalized on new opportunities like social media.

This year, we actively sought smart solutions that incorporated both traditional and emerging platforms in ways that made sense and moved whatever needle we were looking to move. The Super Bowl was supercharged by social media, just one in an escalating number of plays that marry what is clearly still the dominant medium with what is clearly the next transformative platform.

Social media are where tomorrow's revolution began and for once, we're on the front lines, not running around like crazy people in the background and chewing our fingernails to the nubs.

Thanks to Facebook's advertiser-friendly approach, that massive cultural game changer also evolved into a flexible platform where paid, unpaid and community-building opportunities all beckoned in 2010. In fact, "The Social Network" notwithstanding, Mark Zuckerberg's year was flipping spectacular.

And despite dust-ups and the occasional Zuckerbergian misstep, note the relative absence of the fear and loathing that Google inspires in the marketing and media worlds. Google may want to run our lives. Facebook really does want to be our Friend. Who would you rather see win the struggle for dominance in cyberspace?

Elsewhere, I wrote extensively this year about the new substance being offered by our leading trade groups and their conferences. And now we have "All Things Digital" rising to Davos-like impact. These gatherings are proving more and more important--and energizing--as we move deeper into the digital age.

Even the dispersal of creative superstars to other arenas or start-up agencies is a good sign. It's renewal, and others will take their places. Besides, the big names launching boutiques means more avenues for innovation and imagination for marketers.

So raise that egg nog (or in my case a Grey Goose martini straight up, extra cold, extra dry, with a twist of lemon) high. For the first time in too long, we can be merry and mean it. Happy holidays to all, and to all a good 2011.

Especially Betty White.

Michael E. Kassan is Chairman and CEO of MediaLink, LLC, a leading Los Angeles and New York City-based advisory and business development firm that provides critical counsel and direction on issues of marketing, advertising, media, entertainment and digital technology. Michael can be reached at michael@medialinkllc.com

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