Digital is frequently criticised for its impenetrable lexicon and NATO-like adherence to TLAs (Three Letter Acronyms), which is why events such as last week’s inaugural Digital Forum at the ISBA offices was intended as a foundation for future events to build upon – a chance to pull back the curtain and hear from generalists and practitioners who have no vested interest in keeping advertisers in the dark.
Steve Chester, Director of Media at ISBA set out ISBA’s position and purpose as champion of British advertisers. The scale and scope of digital continue to convergence with broadcast and print, so the next three speakers offered a quickfire perspective into how audiences can be measured and assessed. Simon Redican, newly minted CEO of PAMCo, explained the methodology and benefits of their print audience measurement solution. Justin Sampson, Chief Executive at BARB, captured the zeitgeist of a broadcast viewing currency in the online era and Ian Dowds, CEO of UKOM, tackled any vestigial criticisms that digital might in any way still be considered a “Wild West”.
From this solid foundation of audience understanding Nick Pugh, Head of Effectiveness at research company Ebiquity made the case for greater investment into digital to those who can appreciate and navigate the complementary balance required between all mediums, rather than focusing on just one. Nick demonstrated that digital can vacillate between a wide variance of performance metrics but requires an understanding of each client’s unique objective rather than a one-size-fits-all approach.
Next up, James Barge, Director of Policy at ISBA, gave an update on the vital work ISBA does engaging with Parliament and the requirements of the EU around ePrivacy and his sentiment of common sense and realism over idealism was further echoed by the next speaker Richard Foan, Executive Chairman of JICWEBS – a body that has strived tirelessly with the support of the four major UK digital trade bodies to keep the digital industry in a position of self-regulation, safety and growth.
Fairness and openness in trading practices were further encouraged by the next two speakers, Neal Deeprose, Director of Media Assurance at consulting firm PwC and Nigel Gilbert, Chief Market Strategist at formerly independent tech-platform AppNexus, now part of US telecoms giant AT&T. Both had powerful arguments over the benefits of building strong, lasting partnerships founded on trust and visibility between brands and platforms. Final speakers of the day, Dilip Shukla, Strategist at the AOP and Danny Spears, Programmatic Director at the Guardian News & Media finished off with the challenges publishers deal with when working closely with brands and how to make the most from them.
Overall the event was intended to demystify digital in a way that will hopefully give everyone who attended the opportunity to speak a common language, appreciate the issues digital faces and the solutions being implemented. Copies of the deck are available through our site and videos of some of the sessions are publicly available. The Digital Forum is intended to run once each quarter going forward.