What do ad agency bigs think of
Apple’s iPad? We all know Wall
Street, Apple fans on Main Street and Medialand love it, but the idea of a
subscription media play got a resounding
“meh” from the panelists who joined me
at B&C’s Upfront Central event last week.
“Just another platform,” said Magna
chief Elizabeth Herbst-Brady, while top
General Motors buyer Mike Rosen suggested
that it’s easy to get caught up with
things that impact “the next three months
versus the next three years.”
Microsoft’s Keith Lorizio, however,
touted the potential of another device. In
our Q&A at the event, the VP of U.S. digital
ad sales discussed the prospect of the
Xbox becoming a competitor to TV, noting
the global success of its interactive show 1
vs. 100, which is rated by Nielsen. Lorizio
made it clear that Microsoft wants to target
the ad community with interactive TV opportunities
in a much more serious way. The
days of shrink-wrapped software providing
all the growth are over.
