Ogilvy is proposing a new way of thinking about digital marketing, by looking through four lenses – Dada, Data, Alpha, Beta. Together, these four perspectives constitute a broad, flexible framework for aggregating the knowledge and experience of the past and projecting it into the future.

Digital DADA
Dadaism was an art rebellion, a backlash against the status quo, a breaking free of constraints and conventions. What could be a more perfect metaphor for today's cut-and-paste society? Dada was a 'mash-up' art form, with the artist re-imagining ordinary objects and making them extraordinary. Dada stood for unexpected juxtaposition, combinations of incongruous elements that tried to say something entirely new – like the moustache Marcel Duchamp painted on the Mona Lisa. Dada reminds people not to foist traditional media notions onto new media platforms. Creative work today must be surprising – through the words, music, art, style, design or entertainment it contains. How can the advertising industry tap into culture today to create, build, protect and celebrate brands?

DATA and the art of storytelling
The internet has people swimming in data. It is used to segment audiences, construct media plans, set context, increase relevance and measure results and ROI. Data unquestionably provides the basis for better marketing science, while giving people the ability to engage in new forms of storytelling. By tracking behaviours and interjecting the right content at the right moment into consumer conversations, stories can be told in a way that's participatory and dynamic. More than ever before, data lets people create value in collaboration with each individual consumer, acting as a new currency in the exchange that is a brand relationship. How do people catch the data wave? What new media platforms will drive the next five years of marketing? How do ad networks, email engines and campaign management systems connect? How can data be used to drive a dynamic participatory storytelling process?

ALPHA dogs: the leaders of the pack
Digital alpha dogs are those mavens who spread opinion like wildfire through the blogosphere. Word-of-mouth, conversational marketing and 'user-generated content' all have a power they never had before: instant, global electronic distribution. Ogilvy invented the concept of 'differential marketing' – the idea that a small percentage of every brand's consumers is responsible for the lion's share of its profits. Influencers have been talked about for years – consumers who take it upon themselves to share their views of brands. The network effect gives these alpha dogs influence that is instantaneous, ubiquitous and permanent. What turns an early adopter into an evangelist? How does a casual consumer become a blogger-broadcaster? How does the advertising industry interact with the consumers who care, those 'leaders of the pack' who will market right alongside this? What kind of experiences and opportunities can be imagined to collaborate and create together?

Perpetual BETA
This is an ephemeral world where nothing is ever finished, where digital technology allows people to continuously cut, paste, mash-up, redesign, integrate and experiment. A world called 'perpetual beta'. The days when six months was spent refining a marketing programme to perfection are long gone. When the target audience is able to 'mess with a message', it’s more important to put work out ('beta it') on new and emerging platforms, gauge the response (good or bad), and then keep the stories living and breathing with continuous input from the consumer. What lessons were learnt from the early years of the internet invasion? As media becomes more and more personal, how do advertisers co-create with consumers and quickly apply what is learnt from constant experimentation? What can people look ahead to?

Jan Leth, Vice Chairman Digital - Ogilvy Worldwide
Jean-Philippe Maheu, Chief Digital Officer - Ogilvy North America