Interpublic, Omnicom, Havas, Publicis and Bank of America Executives Tackle The Topic of Media Fragmentation
Tuesday in New York City, ContextWeb hosted a panel discussion at The Times Center entitled, “The Best Solution for Media Fragmentation or Just More Work?”
To view media from the event, please click the following:
- Brian Pitz’s presentation on Media Fragmentation (PDF)
- Online video
- Audio-only download (MP3 format)
- Additional photos of the event
With over 130 advertising agency, brand clients, publishers and press in attendance, the event focused on a key challenge for advertising agencies today - namely, media fragmentation and how agencies must find a solution for Web users who are increasingly migrating from portals and large sites to the special interest, niche content sites of the mid and long tail.
The panel began with a brief opening given by Jay Sears, EVP, Strategic Products & Business Development, ContextWeb, Inc. / ADSDAQ Exchange.
Sears introduced Carl Fremont from Digitas, who briefed the audience on the New York Advertising Club’s Digital Action Program which receives donations of premium online ad space to The Advertising Club, the space is then sold by The Club at a discounted rate. The proceeds from the Digital Action Program help to fund student outreach to the High School Innovation, Advertising & Media and undergraduate scholarships to students studying digital media in both the business and creative disciplines.
For more information please call Lucy Truglio at 212.533.8080 ext. 208, or visit:
http://www.theadvertisingclub.org/digital-action-properties.
The agency panel was moderated by Michael J. Kelly, former President of AOL Media Networks and current Senior Advisor to the ContextWeb Board of Directors. Following his remarks on the impact of media fragmentation across all media today, Kelly introduced Brian Pitz, Bank of America, Principal, Equity Research | Internet, who presented a fact-based overview about the effects of media fragmentation in online advertising (See above for a download of Brian Pitz’s presentation). This introduction provided a perfect lead-in for the panel. In addition to Kelly, panelists included top executives in the advertising agency world:
- Bant Breen, Interpublic, - President, Initiative; former Director of Strategic Development and Innovation for Interpublic
- John Donahue, Omnicom Media Group, Director of BI, Analytics and Integration
- Ed Montes, Havas Digital, Executive Vice President
- Tim Hanlon, Publicis, Executive Vice President/Ventures for Denuo
Panelists agreed that media fragmentation is presenting not only new challenges but also new opportunity, especially in the areas of data and insights. The panel discussed topics ranging from why so much ad spend still goes to the top portals (despite declining audiences and explosive blog growth) to who owns and controls the data generated by hundreds of millions of dollars of online campaigns that are developed, planned and bought for brand clients through their agencies.
Denuo’s Tim Hanlon said he believes that within the next 3-5 years, it will be time to rethink the agency model entirely and offered “… if [agencies] are just the best buyer of traditional media opportunities - historically what [agencies] are charged with doing - we’re missing half the picture. We’re missing a whole wellspring of innovation, touchpoints, audience. The audience is further along in media consumption habits than we are in the ad media complex. The consumer is dragging us into a direction that [agencies] are not ready to move to.”
To view video of the panel, please click below.
Opening: Jay Sears, Carl Fremont, Michael Kelly and Brian Pitz
Panel Discussion
Q&A with Audience
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