• by David Cohen , Op-Ed Contributor, March 11, 2004

While he is an online media practitioner, Cohen often has a seat at the table with the "grownups"-- his traditional media brethren. In today's Spin, Cohen argues for a single edition of Media Magazine. MediaPost currently publishes separate editions for online and traditional media practitioners. Let him know what you think.

I was encouraged to see myself and several colleagues acknowledged in the online edition of the March 2004 edition of Media Magazine. As one of "Online Advertising's 50 Most Influential People," I felt compelled to surface an unsettling issue.

Not too long ago, dedicated interactive print publications thrived with rich content and advertiser support. This era was similarly characterized by scores of stand-alone digital agencies which were exclusively focused on the interactive space. As we all know too well, the interactive marketing industry has undergone a radical transformation over the past few years. While there will arguably always be a place in the market for stand-alone digital agencies (and publications), marketers have increasingly turned their attention to holistic communications and integrated channel planning.

The fact that Media Magazine continues to publish a "traditional media" edition and an "online media" edition, perpetuates the "silo" mentality that our industry has been working so hard to eliminate. Digital media should be viewed as a valuable part of an overall communications plan, not a stand- alone entity. The longer that we keep our industry shrouded in a cloak of complexity and exclusivity, the longer we'll remain the 3% solution.

As interactive media practitioners, we must have a vested interest in the news, issues, and developments taking place in the traditional media and marketing world. Online media and marketing does not exist in a vacuum. It is important for online and traditional media practitioners to understand the overall context within which we all operate. Insights into the challenges facing marketers from an overall media perspective can give us a better sense of which areas we can complement an overall communications program (i.e., "Having some trouble in the upfront? Hey, did you know that there are millions of video streams available online?").

Conversely, I speak to traditional planners and buyers all the time who are looking for the best resources to stay on top of the rapidly changing interactive landscape. Anyone who lives in the world of advertising and marketing understands that there are shifts of epic proportions occurring in the way that media is consumed. It is a seamless blend of platforms and content, which regularly cross the analog-digital border.

Like it or not, our worlds are inextricably linked and rushing closer and closer each day.

In my opinion, there is nowhere near enough editorial space devoted to digital marketing in the leading advertising trade publications, including Advertising Age and Adweek. MediaPost should be commended on the real estate that it has already devoted to the interactive industry. However, in looking at the "traditional media" and "online media" editions side by side, there appears to be considerable duplication. Why not devote a significant portion of a holistic media publication to digital media, and give us all the benefit of understanding the overall marketplace?

Digital practitioners will appreciate the amount of coverage devoted to industry-specific issues within an overall context. Traditional media practitioners will appreciate the demystification of the industry and will become more familiar with the interactive world. People are afraid of what they don't understand. It is important that we continue to educate all constituents about the opportunities (and pitfalls) that interactive marketing delivers.

Finally, consumers certainly don't view the world as "traditional" or "online." Increasingly, marketers don't either. The days of interactive marketing operating in a vacuum are long over. Let's give the interactive industry the real estate it deserves, but in a context that makes sense in today's converging media environment.

It is time to combine the two editions of Media Magazine into one.

What do you think?