• by OMMA Editors , October 1, 2010

A couple of years ago, Michael Lebowitz, CEO and founder of Big Spaceship, lobbied us­, from the stage at OMMA Global mind you, to drop the "online" disclaimer from our All Star honors. Each year we celebrate the media, creative and marketing industry figures at the top of the digital industry, and that year Lebowitz was an honoree in the creative category. He, while being inducted into this select group, took the opportunity to express his hope that one day soon the "digital" qualifier would be dropped from our collective psyches.

That day may have arrived: Either you're digital or you are a dinosaur.

Two of this year's honorees, Ty Montague and PJ Pereira, plead for similar sweeping industry change. Pereira says that ideally there are "no walls between advertising, design, digital and PR... between creative and strategy." And Montague told us, "I don't believe in separating digital as a medium." Montague also follows a trend set by some of our recent All Stars, once a group comprised solely of those toiling in the "digital" space. Before founding his own agency, Co: this fall, Montague was the ECD at JWT, one of those grand old dames of traditional advertising.

The same year Lebowitz was honored, we also recognized the accomplishments of Lars Bastholm, who went from the top creative post at AKQA to Ogilvy, where he was named Chief Digital Creative Officer. Earlier this year Ogilvy dropped the digital from his title and promoted Bastholm to plain old CCO.

So down with "digital." Thanks, but we don't need you anymore.

But the most important elements here are the individuals who keep our industry charged with innovation and creativity. You can read their stories inside. Again, we salute this year's honorees, and hope you will join us in celebrating their work at the All Stars cocktail party on September 28 in New York.

The Editors
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