Over Christmas and New Year, paidContent:UK asked digital media figures to pledge a resolution for the year ahead and look back at the last 12 months. Last time was BBC vision and online group controller Anthony Rose; last in the series is the man who was amongst the first to identify Bebo as an acquisition target for AOL…

—What’s your New Year’s resolution?: “Our industry has to show that what we are doing works and is much better than any other option across media and advertising. My focus is on building reach, relevance and revenue in each of our 18 European markets via engaging and innovative content, so my pledge has to be focused on building on this momentum – and to get back into long distance running so I can chase another marathon.”

—Biggest regret of 2008?: “This year has brought a lot of opportunities and, at the same time, some challenges: the economic crisis, the competitive landscape and the fragmentation of the web. My biggest regret is that we didn’t get our footprint across Europe wider and deeper – as if 15 countries in as many months were not tough enough. I regret not running a marathon in 2008.”

—What will really happen next year?: “The downturn will accelerate demand for even greater efficiencies from media owners and ad networks. Advertising money is continuing to follow people online and we will see closer partnerships between consumers and competitors across digital media and advertising.”

See all the resolutions...