• by Cassandra Sims , May 5, 2008

Sent out your resume lately in response to ads for "Media Supervisor" or "Associate Media Director"? A week later, "Mr. Recruiter You'd Been Waiting On" calls, and simply wants to know one thing: "How much digital experience do you have?"

Sideswiped, I find myself pondering my core skill sets and praying I can identify something--anything--with which to identify as transferable skills on my resume. Freelancing at a major digital planning agency in Chicago, feeling like a fish out of water, I managed to meet the learning curve and register an intermediate understanding of the wonderful world of "emerging" media. I was baptized by fire in the first 30 days. At project's end, I can speak their language. I know the difference between rich media and standard media, and can even explain DFA, CTR and CPM vs. CPC. I know how to set-up and optimize a "search" campaign in Google AdWords editor and, just as any traditional AMD or Supervisor, spend to the budgetary limit by the end of the campaign.

Now, when applying for planning positions, I anticipate that haunting question. Yet, still wonder how much more about digital media I need to know to compete in this "new school" job market and career path with 10 years of traditional advertising under my belt, having overseen the implementation of multimillion-dollar, award-winning campaigns, and a Master's degree in E-Commerce, I have little dedicated digital planning experience in a market demanding this specialized skill set. On the flip-side, with my diverse experience, I'd be a solid bridge between the traditional planning directors and the "New School" tech-savvy generation of digital planning experts.

In my job search, I've come to the realization: Media Planning as we "know" it no longer exists." It has evolved into a portal of ineffective TV and radio ads due to media consumption shifts ("Roll over TiVo and On Demand PPV, I have web streaming on the channel of my choice without the cable bill") and the insurgence of micro-markets that now exist online. According to Nielsen Online, VideoCensus, a survey of Top Brands by Video streams for February 2008 in the U.S. at home and work, YouTube generated a total of 29MM streams with a little over 70MM unique viewers who spent an average of 75 minutes viewing. According to the same survey, overall (non-advertising) video consumption reflected 115MM unique viewers with 6.3MM total streams--about 55 streams watched per viewer at an average of 131 minutes per viewer.

Since Seth Godin introduced Permission Marketing, it was understood this strategy could not work without the Internet. We knew, in 1998, the world of digital advertising was going to explode. As they say, "The Revolution will not be televised." Well, it wasn't. It was highly targeted, segmented, and sent, instead, in an e-mail to your PDA while you were conducting a search on Google.

I search for the answer to the question, "Exactly how many transferable skills does it take to qualify? According to the Center for Media Research, online Career destinations garnered 10% of the total online audience as of February 2008. So, I'm not alone. According to Nielsen Online, NetView, CareerBuilder and Monster are the top two performers at over 5MM unique visitors each, with Yahoo HotJobs coming in at third with over 3MM unique visitors, as of the week ending March 16, 2008 in the U.S. at home and work.

After the last rejection email, it occurred to me I'd been engaged with emerging media all along. Ever since offline media outlets launched websites, we've been utilizing them for added-value. We didn't have dedicated digital budgets. But, we did have volume purchases on major TV and radio stations. So, broadcast outlets put minimum commitments on basic upfront packages and gave us "banner" ads on their Web sites for the duration of the offline campaign. I don't remember asking for click-through rates, impressions or any form of post-measurement for success on online added value in, say, year 2000.

As years passed, the "not so important" added-value was no longer "added" value. Internet advertising grew to include prominent ad units like leaderboards, skyscrapers, streaming commercials and entertainment--not to mention how effective it's proven to be for marketers during a "looming recession." According to MediaPost's Erik Sass, a recession would likely reduce traditional media spending and digital media would benefit because advertisers seek sophisticated ways to measure and report their ROI accelerating a long-term trend that is already in play. The DMA reported that 47% of marketers anticipate a recession, 50% would spend more on email, while 44% would spend more on database segmentations and 35% would spend more on search optimization. So while traditional media outlets are becoming less popular, digital jobs are becoming more mainstream. In fact, digital is traditional.

Bridging the gap between traditional and digital requires a diverse application of skills. If you like your current job, roll up your sleeves and pull together some research about implementing digital tactics into your current projects.

If you are a traditional planner seeking a shift to digital, talk to someone about identifying any skills that could translate. Interpreting digital measurements for traditional media outlets is another way to shine. If you're searching, consider expressing stronger interest in more "entry level" digital planning positions to gain experience and prove yourself in an industry where the learning curve is pretty steep, but within reach, and the campaigns are moving rather quickly. Enlist the help of systems companies such as DoubleClick and Google AdWords, to gain an understanding of digital planning systems, lingo and measurements.

Lastly, don't be intimidated. The code is different, but the implications are still the same.