EDI PROJECT

There can be no more important issue facing our business of media selling and buying than the need to automate the complicated processes involved in managing the transactions. Rapid expansion of media channels has given almost exponential growth to the number of options and variables that must be accounted for in this ever more complicated world of media.

As a result, the Canadian Media Directors Council (CMDC) in partnership with the Institute of Communications and Advertising (ICA) are calling on all parts of our industry to cooperate in creating more efficient processes with which to execute and administer media transactions.

The key to solving our difficulties will be the adoption of industry-wide and accepted EDI standards. While our industry was thwarted after spending several years attempting to accomplish this goal via the EST initiative, we believe new developments can now make our objective achievable in the near future.

To this end, the CMDC and ICA are calling on key media sellers to help fund the coordination and implementation planning tasks. Brian Pearman, who managed the EST organization, has returned to help us make this happen. Brian's job is to educate and encourage media organizations in the new possibilities and opportunities that are available to us all.

David Harrison (HYPN)
Chair of the CMDC/ICA EDI committee
416-324-1738