Interactive marketing can no longer be a skunk project for agencies that want to have relevant solutions. The smartest creatives are already thinking in Net-applicable ideas. See Goodby's Internet work for HP, Crispin's Subservient Chicken for Burger King, Ogilvy's Superman movies for Amex, and my favorite, Wieden's Beta 7 campaign for Sega, which was an Andy winner last week.

As Andrew Robertson, worldwide president of BBDO says, you don't have to be a pioneer experimenting with clients' money, but you do have to be able to move when the consumer moves. And the consumer is moving.

What does this say for those companies that are "specialists" in the interactive space and are not part of an agency. Well, there will always be room for you, but unless you significantly differentiate yourself, your best bet may be to find an agency to partner with. At some point, the space will consolidate, your local agency will become more hip to interactive, and you may need a friend.

[via AdAge.com - WHAT LEO BURNETT TAUGHT US ABOUT THE INTERNET]