Mr Stephen Moss, one of the most prominent figures in the
traditional media business, has made the jump to an Internet
company.
He has been named CEO of DoubleClick Asia, part of the US-based
DoubleClick Network, which represents more than 650 branded publishers
worldwide.
Mr Moss was most recently Business Week's Asia vice-president and
managing director and prior to that, he was MD of Seavex, a regional
satellite and print repping firm.
However, he said his move didn't mean that he believed traditional media
was on its way out.
"It's an extension of traditional media," he said.
As an analogy, he spoke of selling satellite television when he was at
Seavex in 1992, a time when there was much confusion about this
medium.
"Advertisers asked, 'how does it get into people's homes?' and 'how can
I harness it to get my message across to my target audience?'," he told
MEDIA.
"It all came down to educating advertisers and the proper development of
the medium, which together created the robust industry we see
today."
However, Mr Moss said that the potential with the Internet was greater
because of the medium's interactive power and its growing potential to
be accountable to advertisers through ad tracking software.
DoubleClick Inc was set up in the US in 1995 and DoubleClick Asia - a
joint venture between DoubleClick Inc and Asiacontent.com - was
established in the region last October to tap into opportunities in
Greater China and Southeast Asia.
Offices have been launched in Hong Kong, Singapore and Taiwan, with more
on the way before the end of the year.
DoubleClick Asia-Pacific media VP Scott Knoll said Mr Moss' experience
in traditional media would put him in good stead in his new role to
educate the region's advertisers about the power of the Internet.
"He is a well respected media person in Asia, but there is still
uncertainty among some advertisers about what the Internet can do for
them," said Mr Knoll.
"(Steve's) understanding of old and new media will allow him to bridge
that gap."
