This episode of #MediaSnack is all about data strategies, viewability, ad fraud and key client watch-outs when it comes to programmatic.
David is joined by one of the most experienced people in ad:tech - Wayne Blodwell. For the last couple of years he led programmatic initiatives at Dentsu Aegis and GroupM in the UK but has now founded a consultancy offering programmatic advice to brands, agencies and media vendors.
David and Wayne start with some context. Programmatic is now one of the fastest-growing disciplines in advertising. Brands are expected to spend almost $40bn on programmatic this year, with more half of all display transactions now conducted this way.
Next, they look at how programmatic strategy differs from traditional marketing strategy, and Wayne identifies the key elements that make the former successful: data, segmentation, creative, activation and measurement.
Wayne and David also discuss the vexed question of whether brands should take programmatic in-house. Earlier this year, ID Comms’ Global Media Talent report highlighted the fact that advertisers are expected to develop their programmatic skills internally in the next two or three years. There are already signs of such investment, the most recent example coming from the UK, with Diageo's hire of Gawain Owen as Head of Programmatic.
While agencies currently have the greater tools and talent, and are well informed to make decisions for their client, big brands that are spending more and more on programmatic do need to get closer to the data and the tech that's enabling it. They also need to get a handle on issues such as ad fraud, viewability and ad-blocking to ensure they are not needlessly exposed to risk.
Finally, Wayne summarises his three key recommendations for advertisers. Firstly, they need to think about their data, first-party as well as the data that they have access to. Second, they need to think about technology and whether these decisions are being made appropriately for each brand. Thirdly, they need to think big and take advantage of programmatic beyond the simple placement of display.
Getting programmatic right will allow marketers to make smarter decisions and get more value from their media investment.