Group M North America chief Marc Goldstein took a no-holds-barred stance Thursday against any suggestions that the old days of creative and media buying/planning housed in the same shop should make a
comeback. "Strategic planning is done best when it's done by the experts in the media business," he told the conference in a keynote address. He went on to assert that media execs have access
to research allowing them greater expertise in understanding the consumer. A few creatives might take exception: After all, consumer comprehension is at the heart of the marketing business these days.
Goldstein acknowledged that "collaboration" between the creative and media sides is necessary in campaign planning, but went so far as to dismiss any need for the two groups to even sit on the same
floor. He said communication via technology, particularly Blackberrys, should work just fine for the most part. "At the end of the day, it's really a debate over who controls the strategy for the
client," he said.
