Digital advancement: Brands focusing on in-house programmatic to raise RoI

Most of the advertising in today’s world is taking place digitally and programmatic being a very important part of the advertising funnel is in high demand. It has made lives of the advertisers and publishers a lot easier. Due to the transparency, real-time measurement, efficiency, and data support given by programmatic, the process of focusing on the right audience and influencing them has become convenient. The Economist had carried out a study to scan their readership, where they decided to focus on intellectually curious readers. 
 

Programmatic helped them streamline their database, analysing web and app data to focus on the desired audience. Earlier the process was set up manually and optimised every now and then, but due to the acceptance of digital advancement, the process has become simpler for the publishers.

As the programmatic industry is gaining traction in India, publishers are in a run to focus and streamline their process to achieve maximum output. The challenge today is scrutinising data management platforms and figuring out how it can be directed to a better trading process. Enter the Programmatic Analyst. We are seeing the rise of the role of a domain expert who has the perfect balance of commercial expertise and technical proficiency. Apart from the blend of skills they also need to communicate internally and externally to make sure the identification of new commercial partners is carried out with utmost diligence.

The role of a PA majorly includes building an association with the accomplices both in the organisation and outside to analyse where and how it fits into the company. Brands are focusing on in-house programmatic units to maximise their RoI. Companies like Vertoz and Unilever have their in-house set-up to get the most out of their advertising campaigns. It is essential to understand the intricacies of the technology and to be able to harness its potential for the campaign. A programmatic analyst in this scenario needs to possess a mix of hard and soft experience that includes driving good eCPMs, having high fill rates and maintaining relationships with direct demand sources that bring quality and quantity to the table. 

They are a boon especially from a supply perspective as most of the inventory which is put on auction must be scanned by somebody to know its usage and evaluation. A specialist would make a huge difference to the entire publisher offering and will give a perspective to how the entire ecosystem of the new automated world works.

We are seeing a shift from data buying being done directly. For example, if a Pepsi or Nestle wants to run a campaign with a multi-platform publisher, they won’t buy the inventory directly from them. The buying through a DSP route will require a person who knows the crux of the business and can get them under one roof, for it to be successful.

Keeping in mind the importance of appointing a PA, publishers have accepted that they would largely benefit. Now 40 per cent to 70 per cent of revenue comes from indirect channels like programmatic, as observed by experts from the field, the reason being the growth of digital advertising and technologically engaging campaigns. Direct sales are gradually fading and getting replaced by indirect or channel sales. An essential role of a PA is to identify potential projects that involve data sharing with different publishers that increase the company’s reach and network.

They bring much-needed user level experience to the company with technology-driven knowledge. Their insight allows a brand to leverage the segregation and filtering of different TG profiles for relevant messaging as also to target existing segments from data networks for custom campaigns. 

The programmatic industry is exploring new innovations every day and executing processes that are not only changing the face of the internet but also bringing buyers and sellers closer. While the role of a Programmatic Analyst might still be considered as a luxury than a need in India, global markets are adopting it faster as they have experienced the scalability of this channel. The major reason for this is the lack of understanding from the publisher’s perspective of how the programmatic world is working and the depth of the technology. This is true of many innovations and breakthroughs that have become a necessity over the past decade. 

Advertising is going digital, it's an inevitable evolution, the reason being the audience. The audience is no longer impressed by the traditional approach and needs the wow factor. 

Hence, programmatic advertising is the perfect option for every brand. A brand cannot gauge their online audience or market share unless they have a digital campaign in place. Another aspect being the need for optimization. With the changing advertising scenario in India, an expert with the right approach and knowledge in the space would be an asset to the brand. Publishers in India would do well to recognize the credibility and ROI a Programmatic analyst brings to the company. That’s dais, we are still dealing with a serious talent deficit in this area.