As programmatic continues its growth trajectory, forward-thinking ad agencies are recognising the benefits of combining their talents with technology. To remain competitive, many are considering or already working directly with technology platforms to incorporate programmatic media buying into their service offerings.
Cheil & MediaMath
MediaMath’s partnership with Cheil Worldwide, a global Korean marketing agency, began more than three years ago when we were chosen to drive Cheil’s expansion into the programmatic space. While Cheil provided the exacting requirements for its programmatic trading needs, we used our APIs to build a customised and white-labelled TerminalOne (comes with a Korean user interface) on top of our existing technology infrastructure. Together, we built MediaCube, Korea’s first agency trading desk.
This collaboration of strengths that transpired between Cheil and MediaMath enabled Cheil and its clients to capitalise on the ever-evolving world of digital marketing via innovative programmatic technologies.
Determining how to bring programmatic technology in-house can be a complex decision. For a start, agencies will most likely benefit from selecting a vendor solution that offers immediate ‘out-of-the-box’ execution. Eventually, as their buying expertise progresses, agencies would certainly want to tailor and customise their buying platform to meet evolving needs.
Therefore, it is crucial for agencies to partner with a scalable and flexible vendor solution from the outset. The tech partner must permit for tech development atop its existing platform, including access to full-featured APIs; this allows agencies to customise their ad technology stack, build their own applications or to simply integrate other technology vendors seamlessly and, in the process, fully meet their client’s expectations and advertising needs.
So what key benefits can agencies expect from partnering with a programmatic technology platform that offers long-term flexibility and scalability?
Control over data
It is crucial for organisations to own and control their data. Building MediaCube gave Cheil the flexibility to onboard, segment, action and report on all of the data that a client has to offer within a single platform. Close ownership of data means that Cheil and its clients can fully derive and leverage valuable consumer insights from its data sets with a high degree of confidence and familiarity.
Customised solutions
A one-size-fits-all programmatic platform may not reflect your unique business needs. Open APIs enabled Cheil to localise MediaMath’s TerminalOne in a language and currency familiar to its users, making it simple for its advertiser clients to use.
Expertise and support
MediaMath and Cheil’s close partnership enabled a valuable exchange of knowledge and expertise. MediaMath was able to mentor Cheil in fully understanding and utilising MediaCube as well as train its users to deliver performance and ROI goals via the platform for their advertising clients. In return, Cheil helped MediaMath navigate cultural nuances and regional challenges, as well as share a great deal of insight about employing local programmatic strategies.
Increased company value
Adding programmatic to an agency’s offering increases its overall company value, even for the smallest agencies. Furthermore, by building an in-house ad technology stack, agencies are able to unlock increased transparency in its value chain. Consequently, the ability to accurately calculate the exact cost of each media purchase will allow agencies to make beneficial business decisions favourable to its bottom line, benefiting both agency and its clients.
The changing landscape of the advertising ecosystem means we are very likely to see even more ad agencies working directly with technology partners to develop in-house programmatic technology. For MediaMath, we look forward to many more years of partnership with Cheil as we work together to push the boundaries of programmatic, both locally and globally.