• by Joe Mandese  @mp_joemandese, March 6, 2009

Asked by an attendee to explain why media shops are developing their own “audience aggregation” and advertising trading systems, the “Five Families” panel didn’t shed a lot of clarity as to their motives, but clearly agreed it was an imperative.

“Adnetik is a new platform. It’s a new project. It’s something new, but I see it as a central part of our group,” explained MPG chief Maria Luisa Francoli. “For many reasons. For one, it will be a real trading platform, that will be dealing with a significant number of dollars. The second reason is it is a learning experience The third reason is it is a driver of change in the way we are structured. Finally, I think it is an extremely good resource for our clients.”

She emphasized that Adnetik, a system that aggregates the long-tail of online users in ways that provide relevant, custom online advertising networks for the brands of MPG’s clients, “in particular, is key to our business and our future.”

OMD’s Page Thompson was a bit more tepid on the subject, but also implied its importance.

“We are building platforms so that we can get in the aggregation business. We are building platforms so we can build exchanges,” Thompson said, adding, “I wish I could give you the answer that we will flip the switch and we’ll be there. But we won’t. But I do think in the next 12- to 18-months, you will see some progress. There is hope.”

But it was the heaviest of the “five family” heavyweights that got the final word on the panel, and at this year’s media conference.

“The reason we do the custom and ad networks and automated processes for aggregating these audiences,” explained GroupM’s Irwin Gotlieb, “is that we have to come up with a cost efficient and cost effective way of aggregating these audiences. That’s why we do it.”

Um, what about the compensation?

So, long, see your next year. Trust me, there will be a next year.