IAB Engage 09: Online’s future lies in brand advertising

Yesterday’s IAB Engage 09 conference saw Jeff Levick, AOL President, global advertising and strategy, claim that online’s future lies in brand advertising.

Levick told delegates that with brands becoming increasingly anxious about where they advertise, particularly with regard to reality TV shows, they are increasingly looking to partner with publishers to become co-creators of online content.

In a speech outlining five things people should know about the current state of the digital world, Levick also said that “in the online universe, niche is the new mass”.

“The real opportunity and also challenge for brand advertisers is to define these niche audiences.”

He added: “There really isn’t that ideal panacea that you invest in five media properties and you’re done. It might have been like that ten years ago, but it’s not like that now.”

Levick was also adamant that the market is overdue a shift, as “we’re still consuming twice as much information online for half the adspend”.