CPX Interactive recently sponsored the event, Strategy is the New Creative: An Evening of Cocktails and Conversation, which was held this past Thursday, May 12, 2011.  The event was held to emphasize the ongoing workshop/ conversation/ forum/road show that is starting the conversations that will bring about a new understanding of what is possible in digital advertising.  CPX Interactive also dedicated the web site, http://www.strategyisthenewcreative.com to showcase information behind the initiative.

Prominent members and executives from all corners of the digital advertising industry gathered for the highly anticipated panel-focused event.  Industry leaders were prepared to address why digital advertising (online, mobile, tablet) has not yet reached its tipping point and what it will take to get all parties truly leaning into digital so it can finally live up to its promise as a game-changer.

A beautifully renovated 17^th floor Penthouse, situated on the corner of 5^th Ave and 14^th Street was the scene for the night’s event.  As guests exited the elevator, breathtaking views of Manhattan were highlighted through the transparent walls made of wide, arch-shaped windows.  As it began to get dark, the Empire State Building became a brightly lit centerpiece against the city’s dark backdrop.

(From Left to Right) Donna Lieberman, Attorney, Halperin Law; Adrian Smith, Owner, Smith DIgital Healthcare Strategy and Business; Helen Wong, SVP, The Falk Group; Matt Maland, Account Manager, Quad Graphics

The initial meet and greet cocktail hour was a great opportunity for attendees to wind down as they mingled and socialized with CPXers.  Panelists were also available for a little colloquial dialogue prior to the main event.

Following cocktails and appetizers, the panel took their respective seats on stage. Speakers included: Robert F. Hussey (President and CEO, Digital Lightwave, Inc.), Chris Kindt (VP Group Media Director, Digitas), Sherrill Mane (Sr. VP Industry Services, IAB), and Michael Seiman (CEO and Chairman, CPX Interactive). The moderator of the panel discussion was our own, President and COO, Rob Rasko.

(From Left to Right) Rob Rasko, President & COO, CPX Interactive; Christopher Kindt, VP Group Media Director, Digitas; Robert F. Hussey, President & CEO, Digital Lightwave,Inc; Mike Seiman, CEO & Chairman, CPX Interactive; Sherrill Mane, SVP for Industry Services, IAB

The idea exchange that took place among the speakers served as delightful insight into the minds of some of the most forward thinking individuals in the digital advertising space.  Each member of the panel shared their opinions and beliefs about the current state of the industry.  How to reallocate brand dollars more towards online was a theme revisited more than once by the panel.  A friendly debate even came about through the topic, further proving the underlying theme of: “starting the conversation early.”

It was a successful and enlightening evening overall for both the industry and CPX Interactive.   Because there is much more to discuss when it comes to digital advertising, there will be much more to come from Strategy is the New Creative.  Look for videos coming soon of the panel discussion, executive interviews and much more.  For information about Strategy is the New Creative you may visit http://www.strategyisthenewcreative.com

President and COO, Rob Rasko, discusses the evolution of the CPX Interactive technology platform. This video was filmed as part of an interview series at CPX Interactive’s 2010 Global Management Conference.

CPX Interactive President & COO discusses the evolution of the online ad networks’ technology platform. This video was filmed as part of an interview series at the company’s 2010 global management conference.

It’s a busy week for the online advertising industry, and CPX Interactive is taking part in events in Florida and Washington, D.C.

COO & President, Rob Rasko, and EVP of Sales, Gary Bembridge, are attending the iMedia Brand Summit in Miami.  At this Summit, iMedia is asking digital marketers and their brand manager colleagues to pair up and learn together. They have been discussing core business challenges with peers-and publisher and service provider partners, and yesterday, enjoyed a keynote from Mark Snyder, CMO of the Kmart Corporation. CPX is sponsoring today’s lunch, from 12:30-1:45.

While Gary and Rob are in Florida, CPX CEO Mike Seiman, and VP of Publisher Development, Mike Zacharski, are in Washington D.C., lobbying Congress on behalf of small website publishers. They are participating in the IAB Long Tail Alliance Fly-In, a unique opportunity for small publishers from across America to tell their story to Congress. CPX is a major supporter of the Long Tail Alliance, and is proud to be a part of this event.

Last month, a group of CPX executives traveled to Ecuador for a very special event: the opening of the B.U.D.S. Community Center in Guayaquil. The building of the center was a project first invested in by co-founders Mike Seiman and Carlton Hickman, and its name comes from the acronym they gave their initial business venture, B.U.D.S. Inc.  It stands for “Brothas Unda Da Skin,” and it represents Carlton and Mike’s close personal bond, despite different ethnic backgrounds.  At the time the center project became a reality, several other members of the CPX Executive Team became sponsors as well. They are COO & President, Rob Rasko, VP of Publisher Development, Mike Zacharski, VP of Sales-CPA Division, Jeff Reitzen, VP of Network Operations, David Zapletal, and Emily Seiman, VP of Creative Development.

Mike and Emily Seiman’s connection to Children International extends back 12 years ago. It was then that they began sponsoring children, and they have since sponsored more each year. It was on a trip to visit Yosue, one of their sponsored children, a few years ago, that Mike first learned about the need for a better community center in Guayaquil.

“They took me to the community center, and I could tell it was in need of much improvement. The center served nearly 6,000 children, and was not properly equipped to give them everything they needed. I  saw a real need for refurbishment and expansion, and I have really enjoyed helping Children International build a place that can truly serve the community in Guayaquil,” Mike said.

Watch below as Mike and Carlton talk about working with Children International at the center’s opening ceremony:

CPX is a sponsor of IAB Europe’s Interact Congress Barcelona 2010, which takes place June 2^nd-3^rd at Casa Llotja de Mar. Rob Rasko, COO & President of CPX Interactive, will take part in a panel on the second day of the event. The panel will discuss Direct Response vs Online Branding, and will be moderated by Randall Rothenberg, CEO of IAB US. It takes place at 2:00 pm on Thursday the 3rd.

The overarching theme of this year’s Interact Congress is Branding Online: The Time is Now. Panels and keynote addresses will cover topics including opportunities and challenges, creativity and engagement, use of social media, and the role of online in overall strategy. The event concludes with the Mixx Europe Award ceremony, recognizing the best branding campaigns across Europe, as well as the most awarded brand, agency and advertiser.

CPX COO, Rob Rasko, talked to Josh Crandall, CEO & Co-Founder of Netpop, a new social advertising and insights platform, at the IAB Leadership Meeting. Crandall explained that the Netpop platform provides brands and publishers the opportunity to structure conversation with their audiences around mutual interest. He looks forward to working with companies who are defining how consumers are interacting with advertising, around products that mean something to them, and working with consumers to change how advertising works for them.

Responding to IAB Chairman, Dave Moore’s, keynote speech encouraging more aggressive advertising, Crandall emphasized the importance of respecting consumers with the data that is included in advertising. He also pointed out that it’s important for consumers to understand their responsibility to participate with advertising and provide their perspective on it. This  opportunity to engage in a dialogue with the consumer is, he says, something that was never possible in traditional media, and should definitely be embraced.

CPX COO & President, Rob Rasko, met up with GE’s Director of Global Strategy, Andy Markowitz, at the IAB Leadership Meeting to talk about changing the ecosystem, the idea of more aggressive advertising, innovative marketing techniques, and more.  Markowitz discussed the existing interest in digital within his group at GE, and that they will ultimately be charged with elevating practices and standards within the company. He plans to show people how to use technology to create more relevancy, both from a consumer standpoint, and a B2B standpoint.

Rasko and Markowitz discussed one of the major topics of conversation among IAB members: the growing tendency towards more aggressive, intrusive advertisements.  Markowitz is open to exploring new ways of doing things, and believes there should be tolerance for new formats, but he was also sure to point out that it’s not an all or nothing situation. In other words, an ad doesn’t have to either be totally aggressive or not at all. He stressed the importance of using creative wisely, as well as taking the opportunity to create better contextual relevancy.

In terms of innovative marketing techniques, Markowitz would like to see better idea generation. More specifically, he would love for marketers to come in to a meeting ready to lay out an idea for what they can do with one of his businesses right away, and the more relevant the idea, the better. He would also appreciate more of a focus on B2B in addition to B2C. Additionally, Markowitz sees data becoming increasingly more relevant and a bigger piece of the puzzle in the near future. Not only will it be helpful from the audience selection standpoint, but also in terms of the ability to mine data and understand the audience better.

CPX’s COO & President, Rob Rasko, recorded this message for the OM Expo, which took place in Madrid at the end of February. He begins in Spanish and later switches to English, as he talks about ad networks, platforms, CPX Interactive and the future of online media buying.

After his keynote speech at the IAB’s Annual Leadership Meeting last week, IAB Chairman Dave Moore took the time to speak with CPX COO & President, Rob Rasko.  Moore talked about the event, his first as chairman, and the great opportunity to network, exchange ideas, compare problems and seek solutions together.  He discussed the issue of self-regulation and the importance of educating legislators about how the Internet works, stressing that, especially in an economy that is still recovering, the last thing the industry needs is legislation that hurts business.

In addition to serving as Chairman for the IAB, Moore is also Chairman and Founder of 24/7 Real Media.  When asked how 24/7 plans to affect the market in 2010, Moore referred back to a prediction he made in his keynote: that demand side platforms would become a service to every major agency. He discussed 24/7’s position as the inventors of the first demand side platform, known as B3, before the term was even coined, and the growth that platform has already experienced. This year, they plan on continuing to play a major role in driving the WPP digital strategy.

Rasko asked Moore to weigh in on the importance of service versus technology, and he explained that the two are intertwined: technology drives the effectiveness of a product.  He also talked about integrating technologies and making them available on a seamless basis with the goal of being able to target as well, if not better, than anybody else in the industry.  Moore believes that this integration and seamlessness would also be extremely helpful in dealing with different types of ad formats. In terms of more intrusive ad formats, which continue to become more prevalent, Moore feels that consumers will become comfortable with them over time. He likens their initial dislike to the first time radio and television programs were interrupted by advertisements, and stresses that although it will be an adjustment, consumers will learn that they have to accept it if they want to continue to get content as inexpensively as they have been getting it in the past.

Touching on a couple of the things IAB President, Randall Rothenberg, talked about in his interview with Rasko, Moore discusses the Networks and Exchanges Committee and the issue of free versus premium content. He explains that the major objective of committee’s recently established guidelines is to give advertisers additional comfort and insurance that their ad is going to be run in the right type of environment for their product.  When it comes to pay walls, Moore supports premium content, and believes that providers need to find other ways to generate revenue outside of advertising. Destination sites, he says, need to figure out new and different ways to syndicate their content so they can reach greater audiences.

Overall, Moore is looking forward to the future. He calls this the beginning of the ‘Golden Age of Internet Advertising,’ and is very excited to be a part of it.

Last week, the IAB held its Annual Leadership Meeting: Ecosystem 2.0.  CPX Interactive recognized that this would be a great opportunity to hear from the thought leaders in the industry, and was glad to sponsor Scribe Media’s video coverage of the event. CPX COO & President, Rob Rasko, had a chance to speak with Randall Rothenberg, President of the IAB, on a variety of topics.

Rothenberg looks forward to 2010 as a year of economic recovery. He believes that agencies and advertisers will be forced to take digital more seriously, despite their fears, as it becomes more mainstream.

He discusses two important growth areas for 2010, which he considers on the opposite ends of the spectrum. The first is an increased focus on mobile. Rothenberg cites the acquisition of AdMob by Google, and Quattro by Apple as evidence of a shift in focus. CPX can attest to this shift firsthand, as we have recently formed a partnership with Nexage to expand our reach to WAP sites and mobile apps. What Rothenberg finds most interesting is that mobile devices are being viewed by marketers as the bridge between brand advertising budgets and consumer advertising budgets.

The reinvention of the television screen as a fully interactive HD device is something else Rothenberg looks forward to this year. He believes that as the interactive television develops, it will cause brand advertising to flow like “nobody’s business” into interactive media. Rothenberg explains that companies and executives are starting to adapt to the obvious reality that the Internet is a disruptive medium.  There is an imbalance between supply and demand that is putting pressure on classic CPM prices for class forms of display advertising, so business models have to change and adapt, he says. The biggest change he sees is the realization among companies that they can either make technology their friend, or it will be their enemy.

A member of the IAB’s Network and Exchanges Committee, Rasko asks Rothenberg about self-regulation, and the guidelines recently released by the committee. Rothenberg reflects on how much the public dialogue and support have increased over the past few years. The IAB is seeing an enormous amount of support for things like their Privacy Matters pro bono ad campaign. At the same time, Rothenberg stresses the importance that every company in the media and advertising/marketing industry (not just interactive) recognize that the threat of really bad regulation by regulators or politicians who don’t understand the business and aren’t necessarily willing to learn. In addition, it is also important for these companies to participate in very strong, very aggressive, independently enforced self regulation in order to prove that they are worthy of the consumers’ trust.

Although he feels like there has been a good deal of support from politicians, Rothenberg has also observed quite a lot of intentional fear mongering taking place in Washington. For example, phrases like “consumer data” are being enflamed, even though it has existed for 50 years. What people aren’t told is that “consumer data” includes such things as IP addresses that allow people to connect to the Internet. Rothenberg also touches on the topic of the dreaded use of cookies. He explains that unless cookies are used, the consumer will be overwhelmed with advertising, and refers to legislation that would limit them as the Spam Reinvention Act of 2010. Both Rasko and Rothenberg understand the need for greater education about the interactive industry. Rothenberg says we have to get a lot better at explaining the basic business operations and technological underpinnings of the interactive business.

In the next part of the conversation, Rothenberg expands on the keynote speech of IAB Chairman Dave Moore, explaining his own view on the direction the Web will take in the future in terms of free and paid content.  Rothenberg refers to himself as a “flaming moderate” on the issue, and explains that he has always believed that it doesn’t have to be one or the other. There are thousands of variations and possibilities in terms of hybrid models of free and paid, and there are ways that both can be used to drive positive user experiences and positive business results.

Rasko introduces the concept of “coopetition” that he has observed among the members of the IAB, and Rothenberg expresses his gratitude for the efforts of members working together to help the IAB operate successfully.

Watch the video above for more from Rasko and Rothenberg, and stay tuned for much more from the event in the coming days.