• by Joe Mandese  @mp_joemandese, May 16, 2012

Interestingly, OMMA RTB got off to a start today with our opener – Forrester’s Joanna O’Connell – striking a metaphor that was similar to one floated during OMMA Social yesterday: High school.

“RTB is in its sophomore year of high school,” O’Connell said as a way of describing where it is in its maturation process as a segment of the advertising industry. Actually she said it was nearing the end of its sophomore year of high school and getting ready for its junior year.

I think that’s a great metaphor, but it’s also interesting, because it was similar to the one advanced during OMMA Social about where marketers are vis a vis their use of social media as a marketing program. OMMA Social panelists described it as sort of like what happens when you show up at your first high school dance, and you’re feeling awkward and end up going up to someone and talking all about yourself. That’s what brand marketers are doing right now with social media, going up to consumers and talking about themselves. In other words, they’re not actually entering into a genuine conversation. There are probably obvious and good reasons for that, but this blog post isn’t about social, it’s just about the sense of immaturity – and the metaphors we use to characterize them – about our fast-changing industry/ies.