Keynote: Interactive’s ‘Right to Succeed’
The several hundred early risers at Ad:Tech Chicago’s morning keynote were treated to an affirmation of their cause and a rallying cry for measurement.
Ted McConnell, Procter & Gamble’s Consumer Connect Program Manager of Innovation, stood at the pulpit (okay, a podium) and said, “Every day, you people are investing a new future and it is absolutely inspiring to see the strength of innovation that goes on here.” A few minutes later, he followed this up, avowing, “There’s no one who believes more than I do in the right to succeed of interactive.”
Ready to claim the interactive industry birthright? It’s not quite that simple. McConnell says the inconsistent, scattershot, unreliable measurement techniques are baffling advertisers and media buyers, so we’re shooting ourselves in the foot. He said, “You’ve got sushi but you’re selling raw fish.”
The answer seems to lie in measuring engagement, which is a key differentiator for interactive media, but what isn’t yet measured consistently and reliably. McConnell calls for rallying behind measurement standardization and coming up with a way to quantify this. Perhaps due to running out of time or perhaps due to him not having all the answers just yet, he led us to the mountain to show us the promised land, but he didn’t show us how we’ll cross the river. Ready to build the bridge?
Joining McConnell in the keynote was Jeff Bell, vice president of Chrysler and Jeep’s Chrysler Group. “Ladies and gentlemen, impressions are meaningless,” he said. He noted the importance of quality over quantity, and search engines have overturned the apple cart. “Search has fundamentally revolutionized the internet. People no longer surf. They go. They do.”
Bell also said marketers have to relinquish control, since, as McConnell also noted, the consumer holds the keys and is in the driver’s seat. Bell’s answer: “Renaissance marketing,” which involves “ubiquity, invitation, experiences, interactivity, and a great brand with a product rings true to its promise.” He tied this into experiential marketing, noting that “8 in 10 consumers who have participated in a marketing experience told others about it.”
“All marketing/advertising must be held to the same standard,” noted Bell. Yet Bell had a different take than McConnell. He says that TV must catch up to the web in terms of measurement. The presentations were complementary, as the moral is both media can learn from each other. Interactive must deliver the simplicity and reliability of TV measurement, while TV needs to step up in delivering more accurate and accountable measurements.
