Online Advertising Increases Campaign Effectiveness
The conference officially kicked on Tuesday, with buyers and sellers attending separate breakfast presentations. At the industry participants' breakfast, Michael Zimbalist, executive director, Online Publishers Association, ran through a media mix study released earlier this year, conducted in conjunction with Millward Brown. The impetus for the study, said Zimbalist, was that despite positive evidence of branding online, marketers still aren't convinced of online's effect.
Agencies are Evolving to Progress Online
The first general session of the day was titled "Reimaging Online," and provided a general discussion among agency strategists about online media. Doug Weaver, president of Upstream Group, Inc. - co-producer of the Summit - facilitated the session. Panelists were Joe Barone, SVP, group media director for FCB, New York; Carrie Soriano, VP, group director, The Digital Edge; Ian Beavis, president & CEO, Foote Cone & Belding; and Sheryl Hudson, SVP media director, Sedgwick Rd.
Small Sites May Pack More Punch
Barbara Barclay, VP media solutions for comScore, followed the panel discussion with a presentation titled "Using Online Buying to Plan Media." Incorporating a case study of Orbitz' media plan, Barclay demonstrated how Buying Power Index (BPI) can help advertisers spend efficiently.
Moving Toward Consensus on GRPs
Following Barclay's presentation was another panel session, titled "Learning to Love the GRP." Tim McHale, president of Underscore Marketing, and David Smith, president MediaSmith, Inc. facilitated the conversation.
State of the Industry
The final panel discussion of the day, titled "State of the Art: The Maturing Business of Online Advertising," generated discussion about obstacles to industry growth, solutions for overcoming those obstacles, the medium's strengths and weaknesses, and how to provide ROI.
Buyers/Sellers Need Better Understanding
A panel discussion between buyers, sellers and clients at the iMedia Summit last week unearthed some current barriers to achieving true partnerships.
Search Engines Should be Part of Mix
Search is the second-most used Web application, making it a powerful marketing medium. Top firms discussed its potential at the iMedia Summit last week.
