SPEAKERS representing both traditional and new media have
gone head to head to debate whether the old established media can compete
against its new electronic counterpart in marketing terms.
The discussion took place at the Chartered Institute of Marketing
Travel Industry Group seminar held in London.
Chairing the event was Leisure Direction managing director
Alan Potts who kicked things off by declaring: “New media does not work as far
as I can see. It will be a long time before it does work.”
This proved to be the most hard hitting comment of the
seminar. The remaining speakers were in broad agreement that print, radio and
television based media can compliment the Internet, WAP and interactive digital
television when it comes to marketing products.
New media company 24/7 managing director Mark Lall
acknowledged Internet usage is growing but remarked: “It seems to be main
broadcast television is suffering at the hands of the Internet. Radio listener
figures go up when people are on the Internet because they sit and put on the
radio while they surf.”
Andrew Horton and Malcolm Stoodley were there to represent
IPC media, an organisation with both traditional and new media interests.
Commercial director of Unmissable TV Horton said: “What we are trying to say is
we are in the business of media. We are not interested in looking at whether
something is traditional or new media.”
Delegates also saw a presentation from associated newspapers
head of planning Neville Toptani who demonstrated how his company would combine
both new and old media to market a product.