Hey, all you mad men and women, Dennis Miller feels your pain. “It’s a really hard time to be in the ad agency business,” says the General Partner at Spark Capital (an investor in Twitter, by the way.) Because everyone’s and everything’s so new, “There’s no institutional knowledge,” he says, and there’s “so much pressure for everyone to be in these new worlds.” “This advertising and media business is so screwed up right now,” added Spark’s Miller. “There’s so much paranoia … It’s better to be in arbitrage now.” On a perhaps brighter note, says Miller, “We’re …

Spark Capital's Dennis Miller says this is a good time be an investor because "we think this media and advertising business is so screwed up right now." In other words, it's a good time to capitalize on all the confusion in the industry with the upheaval caused by the shift to digital media. Spoken like a true capitalist. "We're very bullish that money will follow eyeballs and human beings and we're just in the first inning right now," he says. Isn't that what people also said during the dot-com boom? If that's all it takes to be a VC, I …

That's the way Unilever's Rob Master described the current state of art of social media planning. Asked by OMMA Global panel moderator and Media Link chief Michael Kassan how big marketers are planning social media, Master said it is "woven" into the entire marketing process, and is no longer a standalone tactic. "Social is woven into the fiber of the media plan," concurred Digitas' Jordan Bitterman.

Jon Miller on How a Paid Model Would Work Jon Miller, chief digital officer of News Corp. has been possibly the only guy from a major broadcast company who has said that at some point a paid model would come to Hulu for some services. But I’ve always wondered how that would work. Consumers have the expectation now that what they see on Hulu (and other services) should be free because those services currently are. How would you coax those same consumers to learn to pay? Or would they balk? Miller says that to him, “This is really …

Rob Master, North American Media Director, Unilever, "Scale we got with the 30-second spot no longer exists. Social media is less about a channel and more about the fabric of our campaigns." How to avoid the trap of imposint yourself in social media content? "We have not found a simple answer for that. We process media, PR, consumer services, 800 numbers, host of people. Not an easy channel. But everyone realizes importance of it. We're working cross-functionally internally and with our agency as well."

What does New Corp.’s Miller think about his boss’s position on ad supported content -- namely that Murdoch wants it dead. There is a place for free content online, he says, explaining: “This is really an exercise in market segmentation.” How do you charge for content that was once free? “You have to provide additional value,” says Miller. “I think people are accepting that there are premium experiences online.” Dual revenue businesses are “good businesses,” says Miller, while those that put all their eggs in one basket don’t do that well. “We’re moving down that path.”

"If social media were a movie, it'd be sci-fi. First, it took our children and now it's come for us!" So says Michael Kassan, Chairman & CEO, Media Link LLC, as he introduces a panel discussion on "The New Socialism - Marketing Industry Growth Engine?" Panelists are: Jordan Bitterman, Senior Vice President, Media & Content, Digitas Phil Cowdell, Head of Mindshare North America, Mindshare Rob Master, North American Media Director, Unilever Greg McCastle, SVP, Advertising & Publishing, AT&T Advanced Ad Solutions Dennis Miller, General Partner, Spark Capital Deborah Schultz, Partner, Innovation Practice, Altimeter Group

When consumers are use to thinking services should be free, how do you move consumers from free to fee? On Monday at OMMA New York, Jonathan Miller, CEO, Digital Media Group, News Corp., says it's an exercise in market segmentation. Some will want the free. Others will be willing to pay for content. Don't think of it as an either/or situation.

Q&A: How get people to pay for social media services? Have to provide additional value, and a social network has to say "for that here's the package. If don't do that, all you're doing is taking stuff away from a consumer. Both will exist side by side, it's not an either, or. What about music expansion? We can be vehicle for services like Spotify, with a freemium model for music. We have hundeds thousands of bands in MySpace. What are you doing for bands? iLike has pro application for bands. I think really intneresting direction. The ability …

So, What’s new, Jon Miller? “People are back in the equation,” News Corp.’s new CEO of digital media says of the larger market, which he said is “no longer dominated by the algorithm.” Regarding branding, says Miller, “You have to do that will customized marketing campaigns … it’s not algorithmic … it’s people and time intensive.” Also, media -- the professionally produced stuff; not UGC -- is back, he says. Oh, and echoing earlier remarks by Dave Morgan, Miller says that “it’s no longer if but how” traditional media fully embraces digital media. One problem (or …