• by Joe Mandese , November 29, 2006

At a time when print publishing trade associations representing newspapers, consumer magazines and trade magazines have embarked on big advertising campaigns to promote the vitality of their medium, a group representing online publishers is about to do the same. And like its print counterparts, the online group is leveraging the media theme du jour on Madison Avenue: engagement. Interestingly, that group, the Interactive Advertising Bureau, will be using a combination of print and online advertising buys to get its message out. The message: "Media More Engaging."

The theme, which was crafted by Brand New World, is based on an extensive research study conducted among senior marketing and ad agency executives on how to best position interactive media, but its findings appear to be the same ones that could be applied to any medium.

The Magazine Publishers of America, in fact, have taken the lead on that theme going back with several years of so-called "involvement" research, and more recent studies on the unique relationship readers have with consumer magazines. The MPA has produced oodles of research to support that position and has distributed several reports and workbooks to help advertisers and agencies understand the role of engagement, not just with magazines but also with all media.

The engagement theme also is the centerpiece of $40 million, multiyear advertising campaign created for the Magazine Marketing Coalition by Mullen. That campaign features the theme: "Magazines: Ideas that live beyond the page." In a homage, the IAB's new effort might read, "The Internet: Ideas that live beyond the Web page."

The IAB marketing effort comes as the bureau is searching fro a new president to succeed departing chief Greg Stuart, who announced plans to step down earlier this year to pursue opportunities in the private sector.

In this morning's announcement of the new campaign, Sheryl Draizen, senior vice president and general manager of the IAB said the goal is to directly influence the share of advertising budgets that go to online media.

"As marketers continue to embrace and allocate additional dollars to all forms of Interactive, it is important that we clearly articulate and showcase the true power of the medium," she stated.

But it's unclear whether the engagement theme will help the IAB differentiate itself from other media trade advertising efforts. In addition to the MPA's campaign, the Newspaper Association of America, and the National Newspaper Network, have also been utilizing engagement, as have scores of individual television networks in their own promotions and trade advertising efforts.