KUALA LUMPUR: The future is here, and as Tribal DDB Malaysia has shown, it's digital. Members of Tribal DDB Malaysia and related companies of the Naga DDB Group were...

Hosted by Tribal DDB Malaysia (Tribal), the interactive arm of the group, the conference aimed to provide "a platform for idea generation and imbibing the group’s creative and servicing staff with the need to eat, drink and sleep digital," according to Group Managing Director, Rosie Hong.

Rosie stated that the immediate application and understanding of the need to understand the digital platform is crucial to long-term success in the communication industry that is undergoing arguably its biggest transformation since the invention of broadcast media.

An interesting mix of industry experts presented their cases on the current state of play in various fields, with topics including 'Web 2.0 and Digital Agency 2.0' by Managing Director of Carat Malaysia Roy Tan, 'Digital Media Scene' by Jeremy Cheam, Head of Connections of Vizeum Malaysia, ‘Tribal Network and Agency’ by Chief Operating Officer of Tribal KC Lee, ‘Mobile Digital’ by Chief Operating Officer of MNC Wireless Berhad Chung Jaan Hau, 'New Digital Media' by Managing Director of Yellow Brick Road Sdn. Bhd. Pete Foo, 'Search Engine (SEO and SEM)' by David Wee, Head of iProspect Malaysia, and 'Digital Revenue Model – The Way Forward' by CEO of Vizeum Malaysia, Andy Miller.

Over 80 conference delegates were treated to an engaging build-up to the event, designed to provide them with a taste of what the digital medium has to offer. A mysterious figure known only as 'J' e-mailed various instructions to them, including registering on the conference website (www.youvebeentagged.com), subscribing to RSS feeds, signing up on the "you've been tagged" digital workshop on social networking site Facebook and performing digital tasks such as registering for SMS invites, digitally altering photographs and sending virtual drinks.

"These online activities are designed to provide the real experience of digital medium to our delegates. Conference invitation, registration, agenda information, speakers’ bio and presentation and drive to event activities were solely done online, against the traditional norm of offline medium. They have to experience online engagement to appreciate the medium, and to be able to imagine, explore and invent in this digital sphere more clearly and effectively," mused Rosie.

Towards the end of the session, Nick Khoo, Brand Planning Director of Rapp Collins Malaysia, led delegates through a riveting Digital Workshop that tested them on the topics that had been presented earlier. Conference delegates described the exercise as being like the popular reality show the Amazing Race on a digital platform.

Group Chairman of the Naga DDB Group Datuk Vincent Lee further pushed home the point of just how important the understanding of the digital revolution is, calling it a "do or die" situation.

"Far from being a mere fad, the digital revolution is as real as the air we breathe. The Group’s staff should expect formal performance reviews that take into account their ability to deliver good digital ideas," he stressed.

Examples of implementation include the combination of viral marketing with interactive web technologies to create highly targeted CRM programs that are rewarding and striking to their targets, or public relations campaigns that take full advantage of user-generated content channels like YouTube and Blogspot.

"Traditional, unimaginative ideas often leave no impact on today’s discerning audiences, a fact which gives birth to the need for us to create new strategies, mediums and apertures for our clients. The understanding and implementation of new media and next-generation technologies are imperative to achieving this," explained Tribal’s Chief Operating Officer KC Lee.

Tribal DDB Malaysia is part of the Tribal DDB Global Interactive Agency Network, and was voted as Global Agency Network 2008 by AdAge. It is one of the largest and most awarded interactive agencies in the world, with 44 offices in 25 countries. The company offers various interactive-related services, including web development, integrated communication strategy, online planning, e-Marketing and online advertising. Local clients include Volkswagen, the Malaysian Ministry of Health, Dragon-i, Michelin, Sony Ericsson, Nusajaya and Prince Court Medical Center.