iMedia: What interactive trends are on your radar right now?

Lazarus: Search -- with its ability to directly connect a buyer to a seller -- is one of the most powerful advertising tools we have today. That's one of the reasons we established Neo@Ogilvy, our digital media, direct response and search marketing unit two years ago. 

Mobile marketing also has a lot of potential. You see it in Europe and Asia, where mobile devices have become the "third screen," and in some cases, the primary screen. We've formed digital innovation labs in five key markets around the world where we are doing some really innovative things with mobile for our clients. Gaming is another hot area in which our digital labs are innovating.

iMedia: What's the key to a successful brand-agency relationship and how is that different from 10 years ago?

Lazarus: I think the key to a successful client-agency relationship will always be trust and respect -- on both sides. Our world has never been more complex, and there have never been more opportunities to try things, to experiment and invent. Clients have never been more open and accessible, and they have never needed our partnership as much. Of course, we have to earn the respect and trust of our clients, by being accountable, by treating their business as if it were our own.

iMedia: When leveraging the web in a communications plan or campaign proposal, the biggest mistake agencies make is…

Lazarus: The biggest mistake is thinking of the web as a last-minute add-on to a campaign. Today, a campaign can be launched on the internet, via live events, promotions, in-store activities, PR or any channel that touches the right consumers. It no longer has to start with TV or print. Dove's "Campaign For Real Beauty" is a wonderful example of a campaign that started online as a website that invited women to talk about their definitions of beauty.  

iMedia: You've led a highly acclaimed career in this industry. What is your most treasured tip for success?

Lazarus: I think finding real fulfillment and joy in your job is the ultimate challenge, and the secret to success. The best advice I can give is to do whatever it takes to get yourself in a position where you love what you do. Only then will you find fulfillment. Only then will you be successful.

iMedia: If you could do it all over again, would you still have chosen the career path you did?

Lazarus: Absolutely. I simply love what I do. I was lucky to find a company whose values I respect, in an industry that is still endlessly fascinating. I would do it all over and not change a thing.

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Gretchen Hyman is executive editor for iMedia Connection.