A massive influx of online dollars may seem like a problem you'd love to have. However, there has been such an expansion of online ad options -- and pricing can fluctuate so wildly -- that unless you have a plan, a short-term online budget increase can cause serious issues.

Most online agencies are structured very differently than the full-service support shops of offline. The online buy cannot be accomplished with a simple call like it can offline, which can scoop up large dollars in a single pass. The diversity of online creates a plethora of options and myriad contacts to put the plan together. It's the difference between 200 cable channels with programming and more than 100,000 websites and digital media offering advertising, scores of reps and customized programs.
 
Also, simultaneous surfing, IMs and DVRs have replaced the lean-back, borg-like delivery system with one that aims for lean-forward, active engagement with what interests the consumer. The body may be in front of the pictocube on the couch, but the eyeballs and the attention of the viewer are being lost during the content pauses that used to deliver.
 
Scalability is key in programs. The panicked AE calls an emergency meeting and fires off intense emails to their media team. They gather creatives for new breakthrough ideas, all of which they find cannot be implemented in the client's short time frame. They fail, and thus the medium fails for the client.

The great AE manages the client's programs to keep them scalable in the short term. This enables a quick influx of dollars to shoot in and not be spent inefficiently. It also does not require a great gathering of agency resources to be spent inefficiently. And this will greatly increase the chances of more dollars remaining in online, and with them.