Creative marketers could see broadband as the mechanism with which to create and develop involving and long-term relationships with their consumers. However, it is unlikely that this will be the preserve of the traditional advertising agency. Smart companies are going to need new forms of help to progress the development of their brand channels. Advertising agencies will struggle to get it because the work required is too much of a daily editorial grind and probably not remunerative enough.
We need to reconsider why we advertise in the first place. The generally accepted core reasons are as follows: Generate incremental sales, especially in direct advertising. Generate Return on Investment (ROI) possibly in brand equity. Reinforce category leadership, possibly also as a barrier to entry. Underwrite future profitability, possibly by building short-term brand share. Twenty years ago most companies measured effectiveness by how many boxes left the factory. Today, there needs to be a more "holistic" approach. We need to evaluate both long-term effectiveness and the short-term effect. Whatever the ultimate objective of advertising, the advertiser should have a clear view of how ROI is going to be delivered in order to maximise advertising effectiveness.