I spent all day yesterday at AdTech. I have to say it was a mental throwback.... I felt that I was warped into a time machine to 1996 Internet World. Alot of energy new young faces, a ton of hype, beer being served in the exhibit hall, huge crowds...
Some really good sessions on RSS and blogs but the biggest glaring observation was the absence of Microsoft.
The show is basically online advertising... every booth seemed to be the same thing...two camps: 1) paid search: contextual something or other and behavioral this and that
2) ad rep firms: tons of companies who only buy and figure out on clients behalf the media planning and buying..
We'll see what today brings... Like Internet World 1996 half of these companies won't be around in three years.
You are right that half these companies will not be around in 3 years but it's not because they will fail. Most of these companies are generating so much dough that PE firms are killing each other to make investments so that they can later roll-them-up and then roll-them-out. Check out the Datran, eZoogle, WebClients, Aderactive deals from the last few months.
Posted by: Henry | May 03, 2005 at 01:16 AM