We are all back and mostly recovered from Cannes and of course I just have to cover the technological side of the trip (you’ll read more about the people there this week :). This was my second trip ever traveling with an international cell phone and the first time expecting to have a working Internet connection. The first part worked out well; the second part, not so much.

PHONES
All five of us modified our iPhones to accept international SIM Cards, which allowed both calling and data. This was an improvement over last year, as the temporary cards I found in 2007 could only make calls. We could have used the AT&T international plan, but their prices were simply not competitive for the amount of usage we were expecting. Even with the french Sim cards, the international data rates are still outrageously expensive at $40/megabyte. I thought it would make sense to turn off automatic e-mail downloading, but in reality if you needed to get any e-mail it ended up pulling it all down anyways.

Google maps were useful in Cannes, especially for the Villa parties that were up in the hillsides. Texting was also great as we would often walk back from late-night parties typing in our locations to each other and managing to make it back to the room at around the same time.

One of the best parts of our phone experience was the most low-tech. Erika made each of us laminated cards with our phone numbers on one side and our schedules on the back. Whenever people asked for my number, I could pull out the card and read it to them.

INTERNET
Our Internet connection was a totally different story. We were planning on doing Internet demos in our room on Tuesday and Thursday and made our entire lodging decisions based on which apartment had a solid Internet connection. We found after many calls to the front office that our Internet connection in our apartment was not going to work. Apparently, the landlord forgot to pay the Internet bill and had the connection terminated, which would take 4 to 5 days to reinstate. Plus, Ramy installed software that came with the DSL modem to troubleshoot and the plugin managed to take down his laptop for the entire trip. No fun. We heard that many other people had unreliable connections, even at high-end hotels like the Carlton.

On one hand, it would be nice to be able to be away from an Internet connection for more than a few days without going into withdrawal. Unfortunately, we expected to do demos, coordinate events and post blog entries that required our connection being up. For me, the expectation to have excellent cell and Internet connections was the biggest change for me this year, definitely a far cry from wandering into an Internet Cafe to check email every few days. And with these changes, the world continues to shrink.

Regards,

Bill

Wiredrive + You: Cannes Sessions

When:
Tuesday, June 17th: 2-5pm
Thursday, June 19th: 11am-2pm

Where:
12 Rue du Commandént Andre
Cannes, France View Map

It is difficult to stay current in the digital era. With new technology and workflows emerging at a frenzied rate, it is almost impossible to keep up. We are here to help.

Please visit us in Cannes to catch up on today’s hottest topics:

Digital Workflows
Online Presentations
Encoding
Podcasting / RSS
Tagging
Public Relations in the Digital Era
Efficiency and Productivity

We will be serving chilled wine and hors d’œuvre, so get out of the sun and join us for an hour or more.

To reserve a space today, please contact:

plusyou@wiredrive.com

We had the pleasure to be taken to what felt like one of New York’s best kept secrets. Drinks are created on the whim of the bartenders, excuse me I must give them due credit, the mixologists. There is something wonderful about this call back to earlier times. Caught up in the whirlwind that is now, [and New York City may well be one of the best examples of this] there is something pleasantly ironic about taking a few steps back.

What works so well is the emphasis on quality, customization and that element of surprise. The drinks are designed around a mood or that less tangible something. I feel wild. I feel tired. I feel adventurous. I feel sweet. I feel nostalgic etc etc. Ingredients are of the highest quality - handmade candied apricots, fresh squeezed blackberry juice, small batch spirits.

Our trip to New York City was primarily to attend the annual AICP show at the Museum of Modern Art. Every year, the AICP acknowledges the best and brightest creative talent in our industry. This year marks a definitive shift in perspective. The range of work was more impressive than ever. The communications were more personal than ever. Although primarily an American Association, the breadth of the content was seemingly more global than any body of awarded work I have seen in the past. Where our means of communication are now constantly evolving, the content of those communications is becoming seemingly more relevant. The Monster.com work from BBDO is a perfect example. There is something so fundamental about the notion of an amiable thick-legged monster literally turning the world from the depths below. The shared battle with Monday morning is on par, as is the intimate self-analysis of the poignant ‘Impossible Campaign’ for Adidas recognized by the Association’s Jury. HBO’s Voyeur project stood out similarly, as did Psyop’s stunning portrayal of the life of a dot for Guinness. And I must mention Honoree K.K. Barrett’s [Lost In Translation, Marie Antoinette, Being John Malkovich] work for Zune and The Ballad of Tina Pink because imagination is universal.

Bringing it all back to the speakeasy to which we were privy, the way forward will most definitely be a combination of technology and humanity. Technology is not the end all - it is a tool that should not transcend our experiences; it will enhance them. Thank you to those taking advantage of the latest innovations. None of these creative communications would have been possible back in the day of the original speakeasies. Thank you New York for inspiring both to co-exist.

Photos from our trip to New York

The Art & Technique of the American Commercial

Little Branch
in the West Village
20 Seventh Avenue South
New York, NY 10011
212 929 4360

-Claire