Three Strategies for Ensuring a More Effective Programmatic Advertising Ecosystem

We’re excited to share our latest Forbes Agency Council article on a topic every digital marketer should care about – how to create a more effective and transparent programmatic advertising ecosystem. Here are some excerpts from the article to give you a sense of why this topic is so important:

As the founder and leader of a digital performance marketing agency, I know the upside to programmatic advertising is tremendous. Still, the ecosystem surrounding it has recently come under fire for a lack of transparency. Advertisers rely upon data, algorithms and strategic agency partners to decide where to serve their ads, but the practices and tools they are using aren’t leading to the best decisions or outcomes. As a result, their ads can appear on sites that don't deliver value, and the audience reach that was promised—to real people and real decision makers—just isn’t there. This disconnect is causing advertisers to lose money and not get a sufficient return on their investment.

In fact, the ANA's 2023 Programmatic Media Supply Chain Transparency Study found that only 36 cents out of every ad dollar entered into a demand side platform effectively reaches the consumer. As much as 35% of every dollar is wasted—often on unproductive media that doesn't deliver measurable results.

Here are three strategies our team uses to address this challenge, with the aim of delivering more impact and ROI to advertisers:

1. Prioritize Trust with Your Agency Partnerships: When it comes to programmatic advertising, the media landscape is complex, and it's essential to navigate it effectively. Media activation is the process of preparing and launching a media campaign, including selecting and activating digital ads on various media sites. Having a media activation partner that you trust can make all the difference. These partners should avoid made-for-advertising (MFA) sites and ensure that ads reach real people who represent viable campaign targets. Read the article for a deeper dive into building partnerships driven by trust.

2. Get in Front of Audiences That Are Ready To Buy: Unlike email, where execution costs are low, digital advertising costs can multiply. It's essential to get in front of your target audience while the opportunity for conversion is at its peak. That's where deterministic intent data can give you an advantage. It allows you to identify and connect with buyers and decision makers who have already indicated they intend to buy the types of solutions your brand offers. Read the article for more details on deterministic intent data and how it can power a more targeted and successful programmatic campaign.

3. Insist on Reliable Reporting: Many media buying and activation partners and platforms fail to share how many clicks or views emanate from legitimate users. In reality, many come from click farms or fraudulent bots. This is why transparency in the media buying process is critical and why reliable performance measurement and reporting matter. When reporting is grounded in transparency, you can make data-driven decisions, understand ad performance and optimize your campaigns. Check out our Forbes article for more insights on how to ensure reliable reporting.

Trusted media activation partnerships, accurate reach, and more reliable reporting all lead to higher campaign ROI and more meaningful results for advertisers. But advertisers alone can’t create the impact needed for change. Agencies and other partners in the programmatic ecosystem must also commit to delivering true value to their clients.

Our team at OMI is passionate about improving the programmatic advertising ecosystem. It all starts with putting our clients’ interests first. Connect with us for a conversation on how we can guide you in using the above three strategies.