Let's take a step back in time.  Pretend, for a moment, that it's recess and you're in 3rd grade.  Since you were in kindergarten, you always brought the coolest and newest toys to the playground.  The other kids literally swarmed around you on the playground, hoping to get a chance to try out your toys.

But then some new kid shows up.  And he has newer toys.  And suddenly all the kids want to play with his toys and not yours.  Before you know it, you're alone on the playground and all the cool kids are doing something totally different.

Ok.  We're done in the past.  Come back to the present and resume your previous position in life.

As more and more companies turn to the internet as an avenue of advertisement, traditional ad agencies have seen their territory invaded by a host of online newcomers with better "toys."  Some have embraced the internet and the opportunities that it offers.  But according to the New York Times,  some aren't thrilled about the entrance of internet advertisers like Yahoo and Google.

Some are afraid the cool kids are going to start jumping ship.  Some are down-right worried.

I've written about the new stabs into traditional advertising that the search companies have been making lately here.  And here.  And here.  Here, too.  One more.  Obviously… the space is heating up.  But with every push into other forms of advertising that companies like Yahoo and Google make, another company doing traditional advertising looses business.

Now even the major advertising firms are taking notice of Google and Yahoo's ventures into newspaper advertising.  Google has plans for radio advertisements.  And neither has ruled out getting a finger or two into television advertising.  In fact, Google wants to create a platform for advertisers that would allow them to purchase advertising on any medium.  A lot of folks in the advertising industry would suddenly seem pointless if such a system were released.

The Times article talks about an advertising bidding system being developed by auction powerhouse eBay.  Google has built most of it's fortune and power on search advertising.  And Yahoo now has a deal with over 150 newspapers to handle online advertising with the possibility of offline advertising not ruled out.

I think the message is pretty clear:  traditional advertisers need to get on board or risk finding themselves on the outside of the loop.