• by Steve McClellan  @mp_mcclellan, March 24, 2015

GroupM’s John Montgomery told 4As Transformation attendees Tuesday in Austin that the organization’s Media Leadership Council, which he chairs) continues to focus on issues such as mobile, programmatic and cross-media measurement. They’re all critical areas that agencies have to master to stay current.

Programmatic, said Montgomery, is “not completely defined,” but that’s not stopping marketers like Procter & Gamble and American Express from buying the majority of their digital media via programmatic platforms.

“There’s no going back,” Montgomery said, stressing that agencies have to embrace programmatic and invest in the data scientists and other “new kinds of talent” required to maintaining a successful programmatic buying operation.

That said, Montgomery added, agencies can’t take their eye off the traditional TV business which continues as a “real powerhouse,” which is “still the medium of choice for many marketers,” who spend about $370 billion globally on it each year.

Many marketers have a trust and confidence that TV will deliver based on its 60-year track record and solid research. It offers volume and scale like no other medium, said Montgomery. “Video pales in comparison,” he added.

TV is “likely to remain as powerful in the future.” And he said, it’s “100% viewable.”