The Marketleap Report
Vol. 1 - Issue #11 - June 6, 2001

Flash and Wireless - Tales of Tech Spread
By Keith Boswell

Animated gangster girls modeled after the original Strawberry Shortcake and gang are headed to MTV in the fall. Based on a tasty Macromedia Flash cartoon created by Bullseye Art Studio and available on their website, Miss Muffy and the Muff Mob has been a personal favorite for the past few years.

Combining sharp satire with an inspired lampooning of today's urban culture and attitude, the show will be the first content created for MTV that is ready for broadcast on television and the web at the same time. 

Already a hit on the web, Flash-based content is transferring that success to the world of advertising production and, now, broadcast animation. The move happened because software created for web production proved its value as a serious broadcast production tool for animation.

In the case of the MTV project, Bullseye Art will be able to produce a half-hour episode in just three to four months using Flash production. If MTV had gone to Asian animation production facilities, where most animated shows for America are produced, the same show would take eight to nine months to produce using traditional techniques. 

Advertising agencies are learning that Flash can cut production time and costs for animated projects up to 50%. Savings and revenue opportunities are significant enough that many will begin pursuing more clients who seek Flash-enabled advertising solutions.

This technology cross-pollination provides evidence that convergence is not so far beyond the horizon. As the marketing industry continues to seek new opportunities and efficiencies, software providers will deliver broader suites of services that are capable of deploying content across multiple channels.

Flash exemplifies the production advantage created by web software as compared to older methodologies. The model allows developers to create content once and deliver the product through multiple arenas. Other sectors, such as wireless technologies, demonstrate the same concept. 

Wireless and similar devices are delivering more complex computing and media opportunities. Those companies preparing these technologies must consider that they might be delivered over different outlets, and they are forced to stay ahead of the curve.

Many see the wireless communication industry as the channel of the future. Marketers are buzzing about predictions that wireless advertising space will account for billions in ad dollars over the next three years.

For many, the transition to wireless technologies has not been an easy one because their technology platforms were never built to scale for the wireless arena. Search technologies such as Google were never built to run in a wireless environment. Their engineers are finding a challenge in delivering the same value to wireless users that Google delivers on the web.

Other search technologies - such as Pinpoint - built their technology ready to scale for wireless and web simultaneously. They currently enjoy about a six-month lead over their competitors, and they have tackled delivery problems that other search firms are facing head on with elegant solutions. Clients like Verizon and Terra Lycos confirm that the technology is built for success.

Marketers face the challenge of understanding the mindset of every channel they deliver to, and continuing to consolidate production of content that is ready to deploy to multiple devices. As the two worlds converge further, this need will drive the industry. Lessons on success can be found in Flash content and in companies ready to serve their audience across multiple outlets. 

Ad buyers will continue to seek more value for their dollar. To capture that revenue, those who cater to the buyers will need to demonstrate talent and competency in multiple arenas. Future ad campaigns should tie together all forms of media into an elegant message relevant to the medium: radio, television, the Internet or mobile computing.

When you're watching the Muff Mob on your cell phone while refilling your hooptie at the gas station, you'll know web spread is in full effect. You'll have muffins on your mind and your mind on your muffins. A snack bar nearby will have your e-signature written all over it.