Brand marketers must embrace the ethos of statisticians to ensure consumers remain interested in their products and services, according to Rocket Fuel’s Dominic Trigg.

Speaking ahead of the Festival of Media Global in Rome, which includes a panel debate on the ‘new marketer’ featuring Rocket Fuel president Richard Frankel, the programmatic firm’s managing director for Europe warned only “5% or 10%” of digital marketers are so far on the right path.

Reflecting on a meeting with a client’s brand marketing team, Trigg said they felt conflicted by the traditional imperative to ensure the brand is seen by consumers in the appropriate media environment.

In future, he argues, they must embrace the idea of engaging with potential customers at the right time, rather than the right place: “Statistics are going to play a major role in how and when marketers plan for high-impact media.

“If you meet me at the point of creative engagement, I’m going to be more engaged with your brand, regardless of whether it fits in an environment that reflects that. I think there is going to be a coming together of those two pieces. It’s not called DR, or brand – it’s called marketing,” said Trigg.

Axis shift

The steady advance of programmatic buying into traditional media like TV and print is likely to assist this transition, he believes, as will increased investment in fully 360-degree attribution models.

“In my opinion, the market is going to shift on its axis over the next three to four years. High-impact engagement in any form of branding media is going to be as accountable as the digital space, and probably bid for in real-time.

“That offers marketers a real opportunity to get behind their creative and one-to-one communications,” he said.

Broadcasters and print publishers have been slow to move to automated media buying technology, concerned that real-time bidding will erode the value of premium inventory, but Trigg insists they need not be worried by the combination of “oil and water”.

“Traditional media will start embracing that level of oil and water, and start bringing in real-time, tradable inventory, alongside what it already sells. And it won’t cannibalise [existing sales], it will actually increase them, and they will make more money,” he said.

“Proof of impact is where it is going to be. Being able to bid on ‘Downton Abbey’, for instance – it’s a very exciting time.”

Festival of Media Global takes place at the Rome Cavalieri from 10 to 12 May – download the full agenda here