Welcome to the 29th video in our Ad Vision series of talks and interviews leading up to Cannes Lions 2011! 

Our 2nd to last film is a special panel discussion from the Festival of Media, held last month in Montreux.  Navigating Digital Possibilities: The Changing Nature of The Consumer’s Digital Journey brings us a rapid fire, all-hands-on-deck discussion between three agency executives knee deep in the mix: Ian James, Chief Digital Officer for EMEA at Starcom MediaVest, Steve Parker, Managing Director at Mediavest UK, and Stewart Easterbrook, CEO London Centre of Excellence at SMG.

Laurent Delaporte, VP EMEA at Microsoft Advertising, fires it up with a series of questions: What really is King – Content, or data? Who owns the data?  How do you advise your client on balancing media? How do you customize your message by medium? Does mobile trump social?  Does social trump display? 

Our panelists are forthcoming and don’t hold back.  The overall message is one of perspective and prediction, rather than reflection.  For example, rather than asking who owns the data, we should be examining how we use it to tailor business decisions.  When it comes to identifying a “King,” forget it – they’re all king.  How do you get the balance in media with your client?  There’s no static formula for that either; the question isn’t about balance as it is about they interact with each other.  And when it comes to the role of social, well, it’s “the plasma in which all media sits.”

A great discussion and some thought-provoking re-framing of those classic questions we face each day in the industry.  A must watch!

To view all the videos in the series, keep an eye on our Cannes Lions microsite and follow us on Twitter using the hashtags #AdVision and #CannesLions next week while we're in the South of France. You'll also find all our films on our digital advertising channel on YouTube.

Got any questions about Microsoft Advertising? Then please contact us for more information.

We hope you enjoy the Ad Vision series. We’d love to get your thoughts, so do join the conversations either below with a comment or on Twitter.

Cheers

Mel