• by Richard Whitman , Columnist, November 3, 2014

Okay - so everyone has heard that Publicis Groupe acquired tech-company-turned-agency Sapient for $3.7 billion, right? But did you hear what WPP kingpin Martin Sorrell had to say about the acquisition? As is always the case, Sir Martin had something sharp-witted and double-edged to say about the move. Speaking with Business Insider Monday morning after the acquisition, Sorrell said: "It looks like the behavior of a jilted lover. Christmas came early for Sapient shareholders." Of course, Sorrell is referring to the failed $35 billion mega merger between Publicis Groupe and Omnicom. But, secretly, Sorrell is just happy he's still top dog in a post-POG ad world.

It's pretty much a foregone conclusion the ad banner is dead. And one more talking head, Hill Holliday EVP of Digital and Director of Social Media Mike Proulx makes an interesting point saying: “The masses have been conditioned to stop noticing them. You’re not seeing it, not clicking through and not registering an impression. Advertisers are flooding the web with as many impressions as possible to get people to go to banner ads. If you have to work that hard to get noticed in the first place, there’s probably a problem with your media.” A problem with your media, says he? How about a problem with the entire framework of online advertising? When all anyone can talk about -- aside from native advertising -- is programmatic buying, have we all forgotten that almost every bit of programmatic buying is replacing these ad banners that no one clicks on anymore? What's the point of an infrastructure if its sole purpose is to peddle something that no longer works?

Who knows if this will actually work or not, but he American Association of Advertising Agencies, Association of National Advertisers, and the Interactive Advertising Bureau have announced that Linda Woolley has been named president and CEO of TAG, the joint marketing-media industry program to eradicate digital advertising fraud, malware, ad-supported piracy, and other deficiencies in the digital communications supply chain. Formerly known as the Trustworthy Digital Supply Chain Initiative, TAG is a cross-industry accountability program to create transparency in the business relationships and transactions of the digital ad industry. The IAB, ANA, and 4As announced their joint plans to create the new collective organization at the IAB MIXX Conference in September 2014. The group will create principles around the issue of fraud, monitor the marketplace for compliance and develop incentives for broad industry participation -- and yes, consequences for untrustworthy actors, of which seemingly there are many.

Commenting on real-time advertising's place in the marketing ecosystem and creative's place within real-time marketing, JWT Worldwide CCO Matt Eastwood said: "The challenge is to make sure that creativity doesn't take a back seat in terms of real-time marketing. For example, I have just hired a new CCO for our New York office and he joined us from 360i where he led all the Oreo work last year. The Super Bowl work was his and that's a great example of real-time marketing, but creativity is absolutely taking the center stage. Like any other advertising, there is good stuff and there is bad stuff. It's about making sure that creativity is in front and center when you deliver to real-time." Well I couldn't agree more, Matt -- but for God's sake, can we please stop talking about Oreo? It was a one-off. Basically pure luck if you ask me. And everyone's been shooting for that magic bullet ever since. And missing horribly .