• by Joe Mandese  @mp_joemandese, February 21, 2012

That’s what some of the opening commentary on the OMMA Metrics & Research conference panel on “monetizing media” suggested CMOs are, or rather, need to be.

Asked by panel moderator Scott Knoll (CEO of AdSafe Media) how digital metrics relate to the bigger picture, Digitas Vice President-Group Director of Strategy Jasme Bantens said generally it is done by hooking digital metrics to sophisticated offline metrics and data, especially single-source data platforms that simultaneously measure a consumer’s exposure to media with their product purchases, or the algorithmic equivalent of that: marketing mix modeling.

Fellow panelist and comScore Chief Research Officer Josh Chasin echoed that sentiment, and added that the key focus of the “digital” industry is to ensure that it has the best inputs possible to make sure it gets a fair shake in the marketing mix models.

Chasin said the models are currently what “justifies the wheel barrels of cash” that consumer marketers put into TV.

“Get better at making sure that digital is in these marketing mix models. That’s the way you make sure it gets those wheel barrels of cash,” Chasin said, later adding the insight that, “Shifting some of your TV money into digital, helps the plan – can add reach and add frequency to the TV plan.”

“What we’re hearing form advertisers – is that advertisers are actually trying to figure out how to put more money into digital,” Chasin continued, noting. “All the research shows that shifting TV money to digital is good for your plan.”