HOW TO EVALUATE AND CHOOSE A PROGRAMMATIC PARTNER?

DorisRon

Member
Whoever fought in the "trenches" of modern media buying in recent years, could not help but notice how programmatic evolved and occupied a prominent place not only in the minds, but also in the wallets of advertisers. And the most important thing for a marketer who decided to bet on algorithmic advertising buying, is to respond to market demands correctly and to find those partners that will help take full advantage of this new paradigm.

Each brand must clearly define business objectives which usually include specific key performance indicators (KPI), a variety of test and training sessions, analysis and attribute modeling, the effectiveness of cross-channel advertising, and more. Why is it important? Because usually the goal defines the best possible solution. This can be called a critical factor, especially given the vast array of possible solutions that are available in the market.

A successful programmatic solution is based on four fundamental pillars: the ability to aggregate and manage data (DMP), advertising buying (DSP), methods for estimating the efficiency (analytics / attribution) and robust reporting. Very often brands use only some of these solutions that results in a kind of "Frankenstein", which can not boast with unity and functionality. On the other hand, many marketers want to build domestic solutions, thus creating a lot of problems, including significant investment in resources. There is also a wide range of solutions that adhere to the rule of the "golden mean", offering different levels of flexibility, interoperability and cost-effectiveness.

In programmatic there is no place for such concepts as "must buy" and "a formulaic solution". Every marketer, studying this or that particular case, must carefully consider all the market's needs, goals, resources, and business practices. We can evaluate the set of solutions available today, only through a system consisting of six key aspects. You can use these aspects to assess whether your potential programmatic partners meet your requirements.

▪ Service. The two poles of the spectrum of services are self-service (SAAS model, Software as a Service) and full service (your partner does all the very hard work). In many cases, the only way for marketers to do things right is to do everything by themselves. And the cause of it is the lack of transparency. However, there are ways to succeed without internal corporate decisions. The main thing is to find your place in this range of services.

▪ Transparency. This is one of the biggest unknowns in programmatic. Of course, there are many examples of very successful business solutions, which are based on the method of "black box", but most marketers require full transparency of metrics of their advertising campaigns. Advertisers also want to know how big budget goes to their effective advertising. In addition, everyone wants to see a list of sites where ads are placed, prices and tactics, as well as performance indicators. So decide what level of transparency is needed for you personally.

▪ Compatibility and interoperability. Brands need to choose a thoughtful and focused approach, which involves the least possible number of partners and the availability of the most effective integrated solution. Of course, each model has its advantages, but a competent marketer would have to wonder whether it is possible to seamlessly integrate one or another element of the overall strategy, and how these elements will be able to further interact with each other?

▪ Customization. There are many available SAAS-platforms, but they often do not have a high level of flexibility. While the level of automation of digital advertising buying is growing by the day, software solutions are still structured by people. Decide for yourself how important the ability to implement customized solutions and adapt the available product specifically for you, is for your business.

▪ Analysis and data measurement methods. This aspect becomes critical, because experienced marketers refuse the attribution of the last click and look for ways to more in-depth analysis. This is done in order to assess what is really effective in both the top and the bottom points of the sales funnel. An integrated solution for measurement and attribution can help gain valuable insights regarding the optimization in real time. Ask yourself how you want to measure success.

▪ Data Privacy. Data privacy is perhaps the most delicate aspect, on which, however, we often pay the least attention. Data is the main asset of each company. Some sellers hold them for seven locks, while others combine the data. That's why you need to decide how important it is that your data has been hidden from other advertisers and used specifically for your campaign.

To summarize, we should say that there are no any universal and simple solutions. There are no right or wrong answers for all these questions. A marketer has to find a balance between his capabilities and objectives, which will help him choose an appropriate programmatic partner.
 
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