The Drum @ Cannes: Why the invisible wall between creative and programmatic needs shattering
There is still an invisible wall that separates creatives from technologists, but Cannes 2016 shows how boundaries are finally being breached.
James Patterson on programmatic's invisible wall
That is the opinion of The Trade Desk’s UK general manager James Patterson, who calls on even faster integration between the creative and programmatic worlds.
Speaking to The Drum, Patterson says that there is still “a lot of work to do” to unite the two sides. He says: “It is not one person’s fault. Dynamic creative optimisation (DCO) is helping but it is also about the work flow, the planning process and we need to completely flip that on its head.”
He advocates that agencies and brands should start with the strategy first instead, as as he believes too often happens today, creating the creative and then planning the budgets and media strategy.
“The good news is we are already seeing that happen as people become more and more aware - and as Cannes illustrates – more and more digital companies are getting more involved. There is still a bit of an invisible wall between creative and the digital side but at least they’re spending time together in the same week.”
In the video interview, in partnership with The Trade Desk, Patterson also suggests that better creative is the answer to ad blocking; how technology is allowing marketers to blend branding and direct response budgets together and why the nascent Data I Lions category is so important.
“When will we see the first programmatic awards at this event,” he asks. “Or, will all advertising be programmatic? We think so.”