• by Gavin O'Malley , Staff Writer @mp_gavin, September 23, 2013

Despite its many complexities, can online video advertising now be bought and sold alongside TV? Gathered for OMMA Global on Monday, most agency executives said, “No” -- though they expressed optimism about the future of cross-platform media planning. Presently, “When it comes to the creative unit and where they’re placed … it’s difficult, it’s very difficult,” said Christine Merrifield, President of Investment and Activation at MediaVest USA. “From a creative perspective, there’s a huge difference,” agreed Eddie Revis, Senior Creative Strategy Lead at T3. Putting Madison Avenue on the spot, Brett Wilson, co-founder and CEO of TubeMogul, blamed “agency mechanics,” which he said continue to prevent TV and digital from being bought and sold together. On a more optimistic note, Wilson predicted a true convergence within the year. Raining on Wilson’s parade, Brian Gleason, Managing Director at Xaxis, North America, called the forecast overly optimistic. Regarding the current state of digital and TV, Gleason said: “It’s a totally different type of media.”