Should publishers be working to build the next big photo-sharing social network like Pinterest or Instagram? That's the question AKQA chairman Tom Bedecarre raised during his talk at Mashable's Media Summit on Friday.
Bedecarre, who has been called Silicon Valley's favorite ad man, suggested that publishers like Condé Nast and Hearst are in a great position to create a photo-sharing service -- they just have to mobilize themselves to do it.
"I think there is a lack of partnership between brands and publishers and agencies to develop these products," he said during his talk. "Who knows photography and images better than Hearst and Condé Nast? Why aren't they working with companies to develop the next Pinterest or Instagram?"
Given that we are increasingly consuming information through mobile devices, Bedecarre argued publishers and brands need to think more about developing applications, rather than just developing ads.
"The best advertising isn't advertising; the best advertising is software," he said. "It's more about apps than ads. I think marketers and brands and publishers have a hard time getting their heads wrapped around that."
The trick, according to Bedecarre, is that businesses need to bring software developers and storytellers into the same room to brainstorm ways they can use applications for marketing purposes.
He noted one example from a company he has worked with: Nike. Earlier this year, Nike unveiled Nike+ Kinect Training, a video game for Xbox that offers a customized fitness experience for users. "This isn't something as literal as selling the latest shoes or the latest fitness gear," Bedecarre said, but it still promotes Nike's brand to customers. In the same way, big publishers might be able to benefit by building applications that relate to their brand.
Condé Nast and Hearst, for their part, have both been active in building apps for their various publications, and Hearst went so far as to unveil an app lab in 2011, intended to be a kind of think tank for app development.
Photo by Erica Gannett.