• by Joe Mandese  @mp_joemandese, March 2, 2005

A Q&A with Renetta McCann CEO, The Americas, Starcom MediaVest Group; chair of the American Association of Advertising Agencies' Media Policy Committe on the eve of the 2005 AAAA Media Conference and Trade Show, which opens today in New Orleans.

Renetta McCann: Actually, last year we focused on the consumer. If you look at the progression of what we've done while I was hosting the event, we started out with a little "inside baseball" and talked about the internal state of the media industry and the role we practitioners play in the changing marketing environment. Last year we focused on the consumer. This year we add another layer of intelligence by exploring ways to broaden the communications mix.

MDN: What are the big themes you hope to get across at this year's conference?

McCann: The big theme is, of course, broadening the communications mix. And we have to talk about how to effectively do that. Multiple stakeholders will be present at this conference: creatives, media owners, new media experts, entertainment execs from all sides of the court - and of course clients. I truly hope the dialogue inspires a greater sense of urgency toward partnership and collaboration.

We have to find a partnership model that keeps our clients and their consumers at the center. We've got to get past debates about structure and focus more on ideas. We've got too much work to do. For one, we have got to get a much deeper picture of the consumer and where we might engage them. We have to elevate the creative product and deliver it across an increasing number of relevant and meaningful channels. We have to tap into passions and find new ways to measure how well we are engaging people. It's not new, but the speed of change is dramatic, and the conversation in New Orleans has to produce some action.

MDN: Has the industry gotten any closer to establishing guidelines and standards for media auditing?

McCann: Yes, and we get closer every day. The media verification issue is a huge one, and while the progress is slow, it is real. We are exploring some new partnership opportunities behind the scenes in New Orleans that will give us some additional leverage in moving the agenda forward. Also, we are going to push for more universal adoption of Ad IDthe first system to provide a digital identification standard for advertising assetsbe they TV commercials, radio spots, print ads, internet ads, out of home or FSI's. This technological breakthrough is improving communications, supporting ROI efforts and facilitating our industry's accountability, we all need to be using it.

There are many important jobs converging, and yes, accountability is central to most of them. We need to understand consumers better. We need to monitor consumer behavior more than statistical data. We need to stop counting eyeballs and start measuring engagement. We need to stop thinking about the future of consumer contact and realize that we are living it. Luckily, we are able to focus on these multiple issues and this week I believe we will make progress against each one.

MDN: It's a year later, how much closer do you think Madison Avenue has gotten to achieving truly agnostic communications planning?

McCann: Not as far as we should be. We are still debating the wrong issues: bundled versus unbundled still comes up in conversation. Who's going to lead the marketing process is a question that gets asked repeatedly. We have to stop debating ourselves and realize that it's the consumer who comes first. Our clients don't care what structure we maintain or where the ideas come from to build connections between brands and consumers. They just want to win, and they want us to be single-mindedly focused on how we can help them.

MDN: What kind of grade would P&G marketing chief Jim Stengel give the industry at this year's conference?

McCann: You would have to ask Jim. I've seen some great work come out of P&G this year, so hopefully the marks are improving. Not too long after last year's conference on consumers Jim Stengel and P&G conducted the communications planning pitch which pivoted entirely on the consumer as king. He was demanding a higher grade in that process as well.