It completely irks me when people try to make it seem like they understand the digital space by saying, “I’ve Worked In Digital.” It means absolutely nothing. I worked at a Dairy Queen when I was a kid; does that somehow make me an expert in the QSR industry? Of course not.

The most recent example of this comes from Nancy Hill, the newly elected President and CEO of the 4A’s. The full interview can be found here. However, the real meat comes in the form of this quote, “I’ve worked in digital, I’ve worked in every type of media. It’s less about what I bring from a gender standpoint than what I bring from a background standpoint.” Again, just because you’ve worked on some “digital” things doesn’t mean you’re an expert and it certainly doesn’t mean you can claim it as a benefit in your background.

The first giveaway, in my opinion, when some says “I’ve Worked In Digital” that makes it clear they don’t get the space is that they used the word “digital.” The category and discipline we live and breathe every day is INTERACTIVE. Digital can be an extension of interactive marketing.

Digital is also soooooooo 10 years ago; when no one understood the space at all. Digital sounded cool and trendy, but as the category evolved and matured we were able to provide a better definition around the medium.

Look, I’ve got no beef with Nancy. I’m sure there’s a hell of a lot she can teach me and I’m confident that she’s going to be great in her new position. However, don’t try to pass yourself off as being someone who can leverage interactive experience, when you’ve only played around in the space at a high level. In turn, I promise not to pretend I’m a broadcast expert because I’ve been on a few shoots?

Deal?