• by Erik Sass  @eriksass1, April 11, 2006

It was billed as a slugfest, if not a smackdown, but a public debate among representatives of the leading ad-supported media trade associations proved to be more of a lovefest for one medium: the Internet. Traditional media executives feigned not to be competing with each other, and said they all were adapting the Internet as a new distribution channel for their own medium.

That point was underscored by Greg Stuart, president-CEO of the Interactive Advertising Bureau (IAB), responding to a question from the event's moderator, Group M Futures Director Adam Smith, about what medium was best suited for a hypothetical new campaign intended to raise global youth awareness for Group M client HP's brand.

"I think that question is probably best answered by the other panelists, because now everyone has a Web presence," Stuart quipped. Audience members attending Monday night's so-called "Battle Of The Media Heavyweights," the third annual cross-media industry debate to be sponsored and hosted by researcher Dynamic Logic, appeared to agree. Utilizing an instant polling devices, 109 audience members cited the Internet as the ideal medium for HP's campaign, vs. only 30 for magazines, 28 for broadcast TV, 17 for radio, 13 for cable TV, 10 for newspapers, 10 for outdoor and nine for direct marketing.

"You're looking for a technology audience, right?" concluded the IAB's Stuart, "If there's ever a case where 'the medium is the message,' this is it."

But Stuart may not have needed to pitch the virtues of the Internet. The other panelists seemed more than happy to do that for him.

With the exception of Stephen Freitas, CMO of the Outdoor Advertising Association of America, all other panelists cited the Internet, as not just a compliment, but central part of successfully integrated advertising campaigns.

Sean Cunningham, president-CEO of the Cabletelevision Advertising Bureau, advocated an approach that would "drive productive needs to the Web," explaining "I would just like to have the last two seconds - you can have the first 28, I just need the last two" to affix a web-related message.

Mike Shaw, president of sales and marketing at ABC, and the de facto representative of the broadcast TV business, touted parent Walt Disney Co.'s plan to make complete episodes of hit series like "Lost" available free on the Web beginning May 1.

Alan Kuritsky, senior vice president and CMO of the Direct Marketing Association, asserted that getting customers to the Internet is now a critical component of direct marketing campaigns.

"Once you get them to the website ... talk to them about things that are relevant to them... get them information but at the same time show them HP products in many different social situations, in different meaningful ways."

When not gushing over their connection to the Internet, the media reps also made nice with each other, making the "battle" look more like a mutual admiration society.

And when the audience was polled a second time about the ideal medium for a different kind of product - packaged goods brand Ocean Spray - the audience was also far more ecumenical. Newspaper led that poll with 71 votes, followed by magazine (56), Internet (41), cable (40), radio (22), broadcast (20), and outdoor (11).

Not surprisingly, Jason Klein, president-CEO of the National Newspaper Network, used that as an opportunity to pitch the importance of looking beyond the obvious and digging into the merits of each medium.

"I think the important thing is for people in the media industry to go out there and really get under this research," he said, adding, "The data is there."

Other heavyweights participating in the debate included: Ellen Oppenheim, executive vice-president and CMO of the Magazine Publishers of America; and Mary Bennett, executive vice president of marketing for the Radio Advertising Bureau.