That's what Anne Hunter, vice president-advertising effectiveness products at comScore just revealed at OMMA Ad Nets. She says the percentage of online users who never click on an ad during a given month is actually increasing, not decreasing. In July 2007, she says, the percentage was 68%. Currently, it's about 84%. The problem for ad network folks, she says, is they still base their audience value largely on whether people click, or not.

What do an ad networks need to succeed amid intense competition, and what some see as industry consolidation? “Good technology,” and "exclusive relationships,” according to Brendan Moorcroft, CEO of Cadreon, an ad network launched by IPG's Mediabrands in mid-2009. “If an ad network doesn’t have a unique set of [assets],” they’re not going to be around much longer, Moorcroft said during an afternoon panel at OMMA Ad Nets. “The Space is growing,” he added, “but simply filling orders,” is not going to cut it.

Linda Gridley, President and CEO, Gridley & Company, just said something important on the OMMA Ad Nets "brand" panel. She said that the big game changer that some people in the online ad network biz may not be considering, is the impact social media is going to have. "I am a believer that social is changing the game," she said, noting that social marketing tools are going to be the "key for going forward." That's something that was highlighted by the Center for Media Research's just-released Ad Nets study, which found that social media networks are among the …

Whatever you want to call it, Ronald Shamah, vice president at SapientNitro, gave a pretty easy-to-get illustration of what's going on with the online display advertising marketplace, and ad networks in particular. The infrastructure surrounding the online display marketplace grew up at of a direct response mentality, and now the industry is attempting to use it to optimize brand metrics. "The mouse trap was very well defined, but now we are trying to catch grizzly bears and the best mouse trap is not going to cut it," Shamah said.

Actually, you do it with people – not systems, platforms and algorithms. That's right. That's what Vivaki's Sean Kegelman told the OMMA Ad Nets attendees. Even though the human factor seems like a "simple concept," he said it continues to vex the industry, because providers tend to be so focused on keeping things proprietary, and decidedly unhuman. Kegelman said Vivaki was built on this open source spirit of cooperation and collaboration, and on putting people in touch with other people to build partnerships that are more human than they are systematic. "Human relationships matter," he said.

That's right, what's all this technology and data about after all? That's what Sean Kegelman, the senior vice president-partnerships at Publici's Vivaki unit is telling OMMA Ad Nets during a morning keynote. What's it really about? The consumer, stupid. "We spend a lot of time talking about platforms. We spend a lot of time talking about platforms, Kegelman noted, adding, "but one thing we don't talk about, that is at the top line of our business. Is the consumer." Invoking a favorite theme of Vivaki digital guru Rishad Tobaccowala's famous "data, data everywhere" speech, Kegelman suggested that, …

Initiative's Ben Winkler has been chockfull of insights during this morning's agency panel at OMMA Ad Nets. Explaining the real value agencies place on data exchanges – and the value they place on online display advertising buys – Winkler said it's a bit like contextual targeting. "Just like content is a proxy for audience, data is just a proxy for audience," Winkler noted. The gap, I'm assuming, still needs to be filled by strategic planners and thinkers – ie. actual human beings.

That's right, Initiative Director of Digital Strategy Ben Winkler isn't so keen on attribution, the process – or concept – of determining when an impression actually influences a consumer to do something. In the case of search, attribution may be more fully formed concept, Winkler said, because of the whole "navigational" nature of search media. But when it comes to online display advertising, he's not so keen. "This attribution stuff hasn't been cracked. It doesn't get me excited," he said.

Seems like the pioneers of the ad network marketplace may have gotten the whole thing wrong. Advertisers and agencies apparently don't want to use ad networks to buy online display advertising cheaper. They would actually like to pay more for it. Huh? That's right. That's what the agency panel at OMMA Ad Nets is saying. "The conversation about CPMs is boring and beside the point," Initiative Senior Vice President-Director of Digital Ben Winkler suggested, adding, that if agencies really wanted to buy online display advertising cheaper, they'd simply place buys across CPA networks, and go home and "shower" …

Well, I heard Mark Papia, former head of performance marketing at Fox Interactive Media, founder of the Fox Audience Network, and OMMA Ad Nets opening keynoter, loud and clear. What he said, was, "no comment." Needless to say, he wasn't commenting on Monday's announcement by the Rubicon Project that it has finally consummated its deal to acquire FAN from News Corp. "For the record, I have no comment," Papia declared, offering his best poker face, before making a cryptic reference to his true emotions regarding the sale of his baby. THaving lived through these last several weeks, …