Given the explosion of digital and mobile media platforms, formats and devices, is there any standard definition for advertising anymore? Shiv Singh, Global Head of Digital, PepsiCo Beverages, said
the brand broadly views advertising as "a means to an end which is to drive brand health and volume." But he emphasized that not all players in the ad ecosystem are working with the same definitions
and objectives for digital advertising, which makes thing a "little dysfunctional."
Fellow panelist Ian Schafer, CEO of DeepFocus pointed to the communicatins clutter the medium produces as a
major challenge. Not just ad clutter, but people posting baby photos on Instagram, gossiping on Facebook or Twitter and the like. "Competition isn't just other companies in your vertical, it's
people," he said. He said engagement is possible but you have to start with scale and be respectful of people's time.
"You have to create something people want to participate in voluntarily,"
ventured Calle Sjoenell, Chief Creative Officer , Ogilvy & Mather, New York. "You need to be on the consumer side rather than the brand side."