• by Gavin O'Malley  @mp_gavin, March 13, 2008

Proclaiming the Web "just as important as TV" for kids, Disney CEO Robert Iger urged fellow executives on Wednesday to join the digital revolution--or hire people who can.

"Hire new people," Iger declared to nervous laughter during a morning keynote at the McGraw-Hill Media Summit in New York.

Reiterating Disney's aim to grow digital revenue from $750 million to $1 billion this year, Iger outlined several areas where the company is investing online.

In the area of social networks, Disney is readying the launch of a "Cars"-related virtual world dubbed "Radiator Springs." Another virtual world, "Pixie Hollow," is in the works for Disney's "Fairies" franchise. (Disney recently established a new group, Disney Online Studios, dedicated to the creation of virtual worlds, games and branded communities online.)

Eying global expansion, Disney is tailoring a slew of new and existing content for consumers in foreign markets from Paris to Shanghai, Iger said.

Iger also impelled media companies and marketers to shed their protectionist stances on new and emerging technologies. "Most classic brand managers look at technology with a deep-rooted aversion," Iger said.

"Technology is good," he said, explaining how it allows brands to distribute more broadly, and to be more relevant in the marketplace. "You have to keep the consumer in mind and use technology to do that."

Beyond corporate strategy, Iger took time on Wednesday to regale the audience of new- and old-media types with his personal adventures in online media.

He admitted to having a Facebook page, but only two friends in the hot social network.

"It's important for executives to experience all of this," Iger said, referring to the myriad new platforms available to media companies, marketers, and consumers, from video-sharing sites and mobile services to social networks and virtual worlds.

Perhaps showing bias, Iger said his presence was more established within Club Penguin, the virtual world for kids that Disney acquired last August.

"I've got some pretty cool stuff in my igloo"--which, he said, boasts a flat-screen TV, a fireplace, and a basketball hoop. "I've never been to an igloo with a basketball hoop, which is pretty great."

Iger on Wednesday had little to say regarding Microsoft's bid to acquire Yahoo, or AOL's still-wet "For Sale" sign.

"We're not affected," he said, insisting that Disney's unmatched content offerings make it immune to the comings and goings of the Web's top content carriers and portals. "They'll still need our stuff."

Noted Iger, since Disney entered into a distribution deal with Apple's iTunes a year and a half ago, the company has sold between 40 million and 50 million TV episodes, and some 4 million Disney movies.

Iger first projected that Disney would take in $1 billion in digital revenue this year at the Bear Stearns media conference on Monday.

Disney's digital revenue comes from ads sold alongside content streamed on ABC.com, and syndicated on sites like AOL.com; ads sold on other Disney Web properties like ESPN; subscriptions to ad-free sites like Club Penguin and various online games; downloads of movies and music; and e-commerce not related to Disney theme parks.