In a forever-changing industry like ad tech, it’s easy to get caught up in the latest technology, trend or shiny new toy. Much like the IT industry before it, ad tech (specifically, the evolution of programmatic) has instilled in marketers a tendency to treat the tech and methods and metrics at their disposal like an unlimited buffet—fill up the plate now and figure out if there’s an appetite later. In an acronym-laden landscape, there’s FOMO (fear of missing out, for those not in “the know”) on how the latest and greatest approaches can drive competitive advantage.
But during the first day of ad:tech NY 2015 at the Javits Center, some seasoned marketers encouraged their audiences to take a more measured approach to the ad tech they are welcoming into their brands and agencies. “Marketing is about a brand plus a brand plus a customer,” said Julie Clark. VP, Programmatic Sales at Hearst Core Audience in the session Understanding Programmatic Advertising in 50 Minutes. “Don’t get hung up on the sexy stuff.”
It’s not just activation of media; need to know strategy and audience to do #programmatic well #adtechNY
— MediaMath (@MediaMath) November 4, 2015
Clark prompted the audience to keep the essence of marketing at the forefront. For example, “Do you really need to worry about viewability for your KPIs?” she asked. With each step of the way, she said, marketers should remain fully integrated with what a brand’s strategy is, and make all decisions from that place, not a place of “I’m going to miss out if I don’t do everything.”
A theme common here at #adtechNY is getting back to marketing purity. Remember you’re a marketer & ask yourself “why” each step of the way. — MediaMath (@MediaMath) November 4, 2015
Do you agree with Clark’s marketing mindset? Why or why not?
We will be at Day 2 of ad:tech NY today. Follow our tweets @MediaMath with the hashtag #adtechny.