“Toiling under the Tyranny of the Click”

Randall Rothenberg, the CEO of the IAB, the Interactive Advertising Bureau, gave an impassioned speech last week at the IAB’s annual convention in Orlando, calling on his member media companies and interactive publishers to foster a “creative renaissance in interactive advertising.” He said his members had been “Toiling under the tyranny of the click for too long,” which he attributed to their direct response heritage.

Rothenberg also announced the formation of an Agency Advisory Board which includes Campfire and other creative boutiques like AKQA, Droga 5 and the Barbarian Group. In addition a number of larger creative shops like Crispin and three media companies are part of the effort.

Attending the convention I was impressed that the guys caught in the middle of the digital revolution, the on-line portals like Google and Yahoo and big on-line media buyers, were spending three days talking about creativity. Especially during a severe recession.

One of the high points was a stemwinder of a speech by Wenda Harris Millard, IAB Chair and the Co-Chief Executive Officer of Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia.

A few excerpts from Forbes’ report on Millard’s speech:

“‘When I was at Yahoo, one of the people on the tech side called display advertising, ‘non-performing advertising.’”

“…if the industry leaves marketing to “price-setting media agencies and price-cutting marketers, we will kill this business.“ The solution is to help marketers get out of the way of the conversation among consumers and get them into it.”

“’Stop acting like we’re selling schmattes, and more like the makers of magic that we are.’”

Finally, two essential reads, both by Randall Rothenberg: his post, “The Interactive Revolution is Here!” And Randall’s fabulous book, “Where the Suckers Moon: The Life and Death of an Advertising Campaign” about Wieden winning, and then spectacularly losing, the Subaru account 20 years ago.

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