• by Joe Mandese  @mp_joemandese, April 12, 2011

Good question coming from someone sitting on a panel called Video Neutral Planning. It was raised by Jeff Minsky, Director of Emerging Platforms, Omnicom Media Group, during this morning's Re:Vision conference in New York.

Minksy's point is that not all video is created equal, and that currently, there may be enough differences in the way consumers experience and use video across platforms – from conventional TV to online, mobile and everything else – that maybe, just maybe, Madison Avenue shouldn't be trying to reduce it to some lowest common denominators – at least not yet.

Minsky noted that agencies have been developing "faux" GRPs equating the audience reach of video across platforms, but he said those are mainly games being played so that the agency can show their clients a simple point of reference across video platforms. The reality, he says, is the consumer experience is wildly different, and maybe not equivalent.

"It's still a matter of evolution. And we shouldn't expect video neutrality to be there from day one," he said.

Zenith Media's John Nitti said that's well and good, but that the industry has to start somewhere.

"There needs to be an in-between step so we can get closer," he said, offering a pragmatic perspective.