While it’s hard for anyone to change a culture like that, it’s pretty clear that’s its wrong from the get go.  Marketing on the Internet isn’t merely digital, it’s interactive.  It’s a conversation, not a soapbox.  It’s not just a marketing channel, it’s a completely different medium.

However, it’s awfully hard to get people to understand the power of a medium they barely know how to use.  CEOs are just to busy worrying about other things to “surf” and learn to adopt a new behavior.

What would I do in this situation?  I’d bring up case studies both good and bad.  If it’s a competitive threat, it tends to get a response.  Take a look a blogs like the consumerist and see how often you’ve been listed.  It’s important to make people aware that people on the Internet will talk about your brand regardless, so it’s better to be involved than try to ignore it.

As I was writing this, I found this great interview about how ad agencies are changing their approach to interactive.  It’s a great read, especially for those that would call internet marketing “digital.”