Online marketing is back. In fact, it never really went away. The
difference between now and three years ago is that the extravagant
grandstanding of "new media" has given way to the quieter reality of
a communications medium slotting itself seamlessly into the
mainstream marketing mix.
But there remains a knowledge gap, about technique and
effectiveness. And it is this that these new awards will seek to plug.
The Interactive Marketing and Advertising Awards, which are tailored
specifically for the marketing community, will showcase the best use
of such platforms as the Internet, wireless and interactive television.
They will also give you an opportunity to benchmark what is going on
in your industry sector, whether that's consumer products,
technology, finance, cars, travel or entertainment.
Stuart Smith, Editor of Marketing Week
EDITORS' INTRO
Nowhere else in the marketing and advertising industry is as exciting
as the interactive arena. It's the fastest-growing area of the industry,
the most innovative, and the most challenging. It's also the area best-
equipped to surmount the many problems faced by marketing and
advertising in an age of consumer cynicism and media fragmentation.
At the same time, interactive advertising is under-used. It's true that
online now accounts for over 2% of the UK's total advertising spend,
but all the studies show that people who have access to the Internet
spend around 10% of their media time online. So the main reason for
launching these awards is to show those people and brands not yet
using interactive media just what can be achieved.
As these awards are being backed by Marketing Week and New Media
Age, they will concentrate on effectiveness, on the results delivered by
campaigns. They will also take account of creativity, technological
innovation, channel integration and use of media. And the winners will
be standard-bearers for the emerging age of interactive marketing
and advertising.
Michael Nutley, Editor of New Media Age
