2008 Awards Gala

Sept 29, 2008

Download the entire report here (PDF)


Serving as emcee of the Mixx Awards Gala held in New York on Sept. 23 was Rob M. Norman, CEO of GroupM Interaction Worldwide.
    "Tolerance of ads is not what it was," says Norman, a colorful Brit who regularly riffs on all things interactive. "Advertising messages are more avoidable than ever, and people are reducing time spent with the traditional media we relied upon. So the question is, how do you insert advertising into new ways people are passing their time?

    "When we look for the best of the best in interactive marketing, we are looking at people's ability to identify an audience's likelihood to respond to certain kinds of messages," he continues. "We are also looking for messaging that gets the greatest degree of opportunity from that exercise.

    "When you get those audiences, you have to get the most out of getting them," he says.

    As the master of ceremonies of the premier interactive advertising awards show, and the CEO of one of the world's most prominent interactive media agencies, Norman is energized by the shifts taking place in the advertising world.
    
    "The big macro challenge facing people now is how to find a relevant place for brands, a relevant and valuable form of communication in environments that are active and interactive rather than passive," he says.

    MIXX Award winners, past and present, are meeting that challenge.

For more IAB Mixx Awards Coverage:
Advertising in the Age of Interactive
2008 Awards Guide
Why Mixx Matters