Rob Norman, Global Digital Expert and Advisor, Madison, led a thought-provoking session into fundamental principles amidst the rapidly changing landscape of media planning and buying.

Norman was speaking at thePitch Madison Advertising Report 2024launch, delving into the topic of defining media planning and buying, drawing on his extensive experience spanning over 30 years in the media planning and buying industry."Media planning and buying, at the core of Madison's business, can most easily be described as the budget allocation process between channels, the optimization of investment within channels and the process of attributing. It's a function that has remained unchanged in its purpose, representing the stewardship of a significant cost line for marketers seeking predictable and profitable growth," Norman stated.

Moreover, reflecting on the evolution of advertising and brand marketing, he outlined three epochs: pre-television, the broadcast age lasting until 2010, and the current on-demand era since 2010. In this respect, he stated, "Until 1950 in the US, when TV reached 50% penetration and the broadcast age from 1950 to 2010 in which TV dominated all forms of communication and culture and now since 2010 the on-demand area at which point broadband passed 50% in the United States and who knows how long that will last."

He also highlighted the challenges arising from a lack of transparency in digital advertising, particularly concerning brand safety, social safety, and measurement.

Norman noted the broadcast age is a time of well-organized oligopolies, offering simplicity in planning and predictability in outcomes. However, he also shared that the advent of the on-demand era, driven by the rise of broadband, introduced complexities and uncertainties.

Emphasizing the significance of trust in the digital world, he shared, "I would recommend all of you to follow an Oxford University Professor whose name is Rachel Botsman. She has built the first course on trust in the digital world at the Said Business School at Oxford University. She's more than worth your time."

Looking forward, Norman outlined Madison's commitment to addressing industry challenges collaboratively. "Madison and its peers, and I think about this from a community point of view, and an industry point of view, have an important function. We have to protect advertisers from fraud and appalling context. Still, we also have to protect publishers and, more broadly, creators from demonetization and consumers from disinformation, and we have to use the tools now available to us as a scalpel and not blunt instruments."

In conclusion, Norman highlighted the collective responsibility of the industry to adapt to societal changes, be leaders in social impact, and consider the economic and social costs of media and advertising operations.

"We need to find identity and contextual solutions in a post-cookie world that thread the needle between consumer privacy and advertiser utility, and we need to collect and deploy first-party data, including that data volunteered by the consumer and data known and exclusive to advertisers persuading the CFOs that have great influence over the investment" he concluded.