10 “ONLY CONNECT” “Respondents admitted that they didn’t completely understand today’s marketing environment.” So was the understated conclusion of the research company Forrester in 2015 when they asked clients what the shift to digital meant for them. No wonder. The media landscapes have shifted tectonically. In Ogilvy on Advertising you can feel the old world of media. In fact, it was given scant attention. “I have never worked in the media department of an agency,” David wrote, “but my observation of those who have been successful in this field leads me to think that they need an analytical mind, the ability to communicate numerical data in non-numerical formats, stability under pressure, and a taste for negotiation with the owners of media.” About 20 years ago, a structural change started which was controversial. In fact, it began on 1 November 1997, when my counterpart Alan Fairnington of JWT Asia and I agreed to pool our Asian media departments and create the first true media independent, MindShare: a decision both advantageous and dear to the holding company that owned us, WPP, and not so endearing to our immediate bosses. But it was clear that, if the agencies were to compete effectively, they needed to have both the necessary economies of scale in software development and the aggregated muscle in buying power. It was the right thing to do. Of course, something was lost (as our immediate bosses feared), and that was the fruitful interface between creative people and media people. Who owned media planning – the creative agencies or the media agencies? Ironically, the Digital Revolution has taken away much of the angst. We have observed the “so-and-so is dead” attitude that has accompanied it: the one claim which would be most accurate is “media is dead”. That is to say the world of media in which many of us grew up. As Account Executives, there was one simple formula we learned: “80 per cent coverage at 6 OTS”. That’s what you’d say when a client asked you what weight of television campaign you would recommend. Reach (coverage)