A New Media Generation Slowly Taking Charge: JWT Names its Worldwide Digital Director as CEO, North America.

Per a report in the Wall Street Journal, JWT has named its Worldwide Digital Director, David Eastman, North American CEO. He will keep his worldwide digital job. David is 46. That's important. He was 30 when the Internet came upon the world commercially and he (thus digital) is now the heir apparent.

Change is coming to the media world pretty much on schedule. It takes 20 years and it doesn't happen because the people in the corner offices suddenly go "Oh, right, now I get it"; it happens because the people in the corner offices change.

It did not take the Wall Street Journal 20 years (April 2002) after USA Today broke the four-color barrier in newspapers (September 1982) to finally start printing in color because it took them 20 years to figure-out that four-color could create content and advertising opportunities. It took 20 years for people who had grown-up with four-colored newspapers to finally be in charge.

It did not take Cable TV 20 years to appear at the top of the advertising food chain because it took that long for people to "want their MTV". It took 20 years for people who didn't want their MTV to finally disappear from the building.

It is a curious thing about media change that for consumers it can happen overnight (the first issue of USA Today sold out), but for the rest of us assigned to watch them it can take a generation.