Roundtable: Web ads get a move on.

ADVERTISING; INTERNET advertising; SKIPPER, John; TOBACCOWALA, Rishad; RATE of return; ADVERTISERS; LAMAR, Bill; CONSUMERS

This article presents a roundtable discussion about Web advertising. What we have seen in 2002 particularly is a lot of companies like a Yahoo! or a Google that want partnerships rather than buying banner ads. There is a great big thing that distorts the market and that is AOL, according to John Skipper. 2003 was a turn year because the advertising industry really focused on how the medium is to be used. Rishad Tobaccowala sensed that digital advertising will grow at 20%-25% a year for the next four to five years. The issue of return on investment is always paramount for any advertiser, but what we advertise is recognized in that it is not necessarily about the efficiency measures. Bill Lamar's point of view is that the traditional measures in media are good because they give you a common starting point in a trend. McDonald's has gone from being an important, to middle-sized client, to being one of our three biggest clients. Consumers having greater control is really the outcome of the technological revolution that we are a part of. The biggest challenge next year across all media will be how can we, in an increasingly consumer-controlled world, learn how to engage consumers without enraging them.