This article originally appeared in Italian on Programmatic Italia.
What are the programmatic market trends in Italy for 2017?
According to Giovanni Tricarico, Manager, Platform Solutions EMEA, for MediaMath, the industry this year will face two major issues: the redefinition of access to supply through automated buying advantages and increased brand awareness of programmatic.
“Since programmatic is becoming an increasingly standardized solution in every media plan and an ever-increasing portion of the budget is being moved to this buying solution, the access to available inventory is expected to become increasingly complex and competitive,” according to Tricarico.
“As has already happened in more mature markets, the Italian panorama of programmatic is becoming increasingly crowded, so we will start to see big operators redouble their efforts to ensure access to more premium and customized inventory for their customers. To accelerate this trend, we will see a greater adoption of innovative solutions proposed by the SSPs (header bidding, direct integrations, management of direct buys programmatically, etc.). So for media buyers, it will be just as imperative to assess the purchasing platforms (DSP) through their ability to support this transformational change.”
Another trend, according to Tricarico, is instead related to a growing awareness on the part of the brand of adtech advantages. “Automated purchasing gives marketers important tools in terms of attribution and targeting specific KPIs and measurement of audiences otherwise not available through standard channels. As the benefits of programmatic emerge with greater clarity, knowledge and expectations naturally evolve. The year 2017 will, therefore, represent a breakthrough in terms of Italian CMO awareness of the purchase options at their disposal in terms of programmatic media. While this growing demand in terms of transparency, expectations and standards will force the business model of the agencies in Italy to evolve, on the other hand, it will also represent a great opportunity for agencies to be able to gain a competitive advantage using specific skills, investing in internal training and offering tailored solutions.”