SHANGHAI- ZenithOptimedia today kicked off its 2011 Digital Media ROI Seminar at the Roosevelt Club in Shanghai. The Future of Digital Marketing, Always-On Media for the Always-On Generation was the theme of the seminar. The participants in this year’s event, which again included experienced advertisers, the mainstream media, and ZenithOptimedia management personnel, delved deeply into a range of topical issues concerning the prospects for digital media, the latest insights of consumers in the digital era, and strategies for the achievement of maximum returns on investment in digital media marketing.   With the release of NAVIGATING DIGITAL TOUCHPOINTS ACROSS CHINA: The Most Comprehensive Guide to Digital Touchpoints Across China 2011/2012 in August this year, ZenithOptimedia is increasingly targeting new generation consumers in China, people who constantly receive and share brand and product information from multi-screen and multi-dimensional media platforms, hence the appellation Always-On Consumers.   At the seminar, ZenithOptimedia Greater China CEO Mr. Steven Chang outlined the identifying features of Always-On consumers demographic and detailed some effective approaches for engagement. ZenithOptimedia China Chief Innovation Officer Mykim Chikli and Performics Global Head Daina Middleton shared their views on the significance of digital media in the transformation of advertising investment from paid media to owned and earned media, and on strategies designed to encourage a more effective role for Always-On consumers in brand marketing forums and events. The increasingly pivotal role of social media in the digital media market was also vigorously discussed at the seminar, with Tencent Online Media President Mr. SY Lau, the keynote speaker, engaging in some robust exchanges on this issue with other participants.     Data analysis by ZenithOptimedia has indicated that the number of internet users and mobile internet users globally will reach 5 billion and 10 billion respectively by about 2020, and people, particularly Always-On consumers, will no longer view the internet merely as a tool to save time, but rather as a social communication platform and an extension of their roles in society. People who fall into the category of always-online consumers are highly interactive and they unhesitatingly seek opportunities for expression. Consequently, their approach to consumption and their media habits will have a profound and indelible impact on the entire marketing sector. With the strong rise of digital media, ZenithOptimedia recognized the imperative to undertake a systematic and in-depth analysis into the new Always-On consumers phenomenon and thereby developed a keen insight into the nature of that particular group of consumers. The outcomes of the analysis form the basis for ZenithOptimedia to provide an important reference for advertisers to accurately gain access to consumers in digital communications and marketing and to design effective digital communications programs based on the insight of consumers.   ZenithOptimedia has long had a keen eye on consumers, brands and the media environment, and in recent years especially, on the development of the digital media sector. In NAVIGATING DIGITAL TOUCHPOINTS ACROSS CHINA: The Most Comprehensive Guide to Digital Touchpoints Across China 2011/2012, ZenithOptimedia provides an informative introduction to the Modus Operandi of Chinese consumers who acquire brand and product information via the internet. The Handbook, which is based on a comprehensive investigation into the ten product categories with the fastest development, fifteen digital marketing channels and thirty types of online behaviors (both internet and mobile internet), provides practical recommendations for boosting digital media investment returns by promoting brand recognition and facilitating sales.