If there's one word that busted its way through all of the advertising talk, media jargon and brand buzzwords (not to mention the inevitable amount of BS that abounds at any place you put a lot of professionals together) at Goafest, it was "digital"--in one form or another, be it online advertising (old news), social media (right-now news), or mobile internet connectivity (everyone's tweeting everything).

There were a number of relevant questions asked around the Fest. "How many of us actually use Twitter and Facebook beyond our personal [lives], in order to elevate our brands?" (Kiruba Shankar, CEO, Business Blogging); "Why is social media important at all?" (Gaurav Mishra, CEO, 2020 Social).

And more than enough path-breaking answers provided: "It is all about brands asking themselves how they can do things in a more ‘social' way to reach out to the public." (Mishra); "The brand owner/company/individual himself has to be the manager of his social media, if he is to do it right." (Vishal Gondal, CEO, Indiagames).

Perhaps the most pertinent statement came from Andy Greenaway, Regional Creative Director, Saatchi & Saatchi: "This is the end of broadcast as we know it, and the beginning of participation." He said this when discussing the new relationship that people and brands share. There's a change happening, where people don't just want to be on the receiving end, but want to contribute to the discussion.

This explains the burst of popularity of social networking sites (SNS). While there were initially varying surges in popularity from one SNS to another, Facebook has seemed to find a way to get around them, offering users the novelty they're looking for in the form of new applications. Twitter's simplicity and celebrity endorsements have kept it in fair form.

It was BrandPotion's first Goafest and it was an encouraging one. The embracing of social media and everything digital (through awards, conferences and general chatter) are promising signs that the industry, dinosaurs and n00bs alike, have finally noticed what everyone else is up to.