The role of the media buyer is changing as seismic shifts in the media landscape and advertising world take place, and the growth of the American Association of Advertising Agencies annual conference of media buyers - beginning today in Orlando and titled Now, Soon, and the Future - will reflect those changes, the Wall Street Journal writes (via MediaBuyerPlanner). Last year, attendance was at 1,345, a record for the three-day gathering, but this year 1,350 people have already registered. The event began in 1994 with an audience of 375.

As media buyers themselves have predicted for years, the role of the media buyer is finally beginning to emerge as a vital one in the advertising landscape. In years past, when television advertising was king, media buyers were low man on the totem pole compared to the creatives who dreamed up glamorous TV commercials.

Now, the Journal points out, cellphones, blogs, podcasts, video games, and product placement are all receiving a share of ad dollars, and advertisers are increasingly looking to media buyers for guidance.