The role of the media agency is dramatically changing with entrance of “biased” tech companies, says Michael I. Roth, CEO of Interpublic Group. He says the role of the unbiased, “agnostic” media agency is more important than ever.
Sir Martin Sorrell, CEO of WPP, says that there will be an increasing “blurring of the lines” in the competitive set with tech companies including Facebook and Google — along with consulting firms and newer tech entrants like Adobe, Oracle and Salesforce.com.
David Bell, Chairman Emeritus of the Interpublic Group, says the agency executive of the future will be the “quant poet” – someone who masters both technology and creativity.
Looking at the future of media, AOL CEO Tim Armstrong sees a dramatic shift in the economics of the media equation which will be focused on the consumer. Irwin Gotlieb, Chairman of GroupM, sees a future where the granularity of census-level data will drive outcome.
These are excerpts of Beet.TV’s upcoming “Media Revolutionaries,” a series of 50 interviews with influential men and women in advertising, media and technology. Produced in the U.S. and abroad, the series will debut this spring.
The series is sponsored by Xaxis, a unit of WPP, and by Microsoft. David J. Moore, Chairman of Xaxis and President of WPP Digital, is the series’ executive producer and principal interviewer.
The interviews chronicle the transformation of media by the people who have played or will play essential roles. In addition to looking ahead, the videos will focus on personal motivations, challenges and accomplishments. It is the hope of the producers that the series will be a valuable chronicle of the industry to be shared for many years ahead.
