• by Wayne Friedman , Staff Writer, July 18, 2011

Joshua Wepman, vp of investment banking concern GCA Savvian, speaking at the OMMA Ad Nets event says "we are in the decade of the CMO [chief marketing officer]. They want someone to make their job easier."

In the digital age, a multitude of channel options has made their job too difficult.

In that light Wepman says the CMO is going to be in the driver's seat, pushing digital businesses to work together or merge. He says consolidation of the business is inevitable. "The current landscape is too fragmented and too confusing."

Concerning the ad exchanges, he says their future prospects are that they will be a component of display advertising -- but only a component. He notes that private exchanges and those handling premium ad network buys will continue to grow.