Performance Is King: Keys to Success in Programmatic Advertising

We told you all about ad spenders continuing to adopt programmatic advertising capabilities in-house. You know that digital media teams have to figure out how to make programmatic and direct buying co-exist peacefully. What’s left? Well, it’s only March, so there’s probably plenty left on your digital plate for the rest of the year. And we want to help you get set up for programmatic success in 2018.

Beyond the tools and the features and the teams, what can digital media professionals do to get the most value from their programmatic partners? How can they manage the change within their organization? How can they drive the most performance out of their media, their teams, and their business?

You didn’t think we’d leave you hanging, did you?

Our Programmatic Performance Research

When we worked with research firm Ad Perceptions on this survey, we made sure to ask a simple question of 150+ digital media professionals: What would help you be more successful in your role?

The results probably won’t surprise you:

• 55% of agencies and marketers said they want more time for strategic and high-level planning
• 54% said they’d like unified tools that measure campaign performance across platforms
• 54% are looking for more effective data integration and actionable reporting opportunities

Ultimately, marketers and agencies want campaign performance and results they can work with – the right results to satisfy their bosses and impress their clients.

What will surprise you: Everything that marketers and agencies deemed a “key to programmatic success” remain some of their biggest pain points – things like better insights, consistent measurement standards across all buying channels, and an overwhelming selection of vendors vying for their attention.

It’s a catch-22. And the real challenge we’re facing as an industry lies in figuring out how all the tools stack up against the problems we’re facing.

Programmatic Advertising Tools and Agency Satisfaction

According to our research, the tools themselves aren’t always the problem. Of the groups we surveyed, agencies were the most likely to be satisfied – with 64% saying their existing toolset works well. Whereas almost half of the marketer respondents expressed that their toolsets are cumbersome and not effective.

Ultimately, users of this digital tech and software may not be fully considering how theses tools relate to their satisfaction. The tools are a means to an end – but are they delivering? Are they generating the right results? Are they being used to their full potential?

In a digital world inundated with the promise of tools and tech and solutions that can do more, how can you quickly recognize the value of yet another programmatic ad partner? And once you find that perfect partnership, what resources can you tap into to ensure you’re unlocking everything that’s possible with digital media?

At Centro, we like to focus on three main things:

1. Proprietary tech that drives working media and programmatic performance.
2. Data and insights that inform better buying decisions.
3. Service, support, and industry education that enhances everyone’s digital IQ.

Learn more about Programmatic Advertising with Centro.