The value of recognizing programmatic in the advertising industry
Who doesn’t love to debate a listicle? “Top 10 cities in America to live in,” or “the top 10 public universities.” We all take pride in our roots and experiences and love to compare and contrast, especially in a contest format.
Pixabay
Half the fun in this discussion is that the conversation is debatable and not empirical. The lists are subjective by nature as there are no bits of objective data that can back up why Seattle is a better city to live in than Chicago, for example.
Ad creative is similar. Ads are art and art is also by nature subjective. Everyone fancies their own and when the ad industry is concerned, we often look to a select few for their preferences and utilize these as the golden standard.
On the other hand, the 100-meter dash doesn’t quite stir up passionate debate since there is rarely a doubt over who wins. But, this doesn’t stop us from watching and cheering. This also doesn’t stop us from giving a gold medal to the winner.
Programmatic trading is a blend. When thinking of the Olympic equivalent, it’s like the diving competition. While there is clearly empirical data and results, the entrants are often compared across industries. Different judges may believe one is better than the other, but some clear results need to be achieved.
Advertising Disrupted
For 60 years, client meetings were predictable. Creative always stole the show while media took five minutes toward the end. Media is important, but there hasn’t been much innovation there, and it’s been elusive in its ability to be measured against real results.
Yet achieving results is why over $600 billion is spent on media each year!
In the advertising industry, we’re just getting used to the fact that we can measure everything. We’re not accustomed to being able to actually know if we succeeded on a campaign – with zero doubt. As we are getting used to this, there are clearly some in the industry who are best in class, and awards for this effort are the perfect way to showcase the industry’s best and brightest.
The spirit of the competition also encourages innovation and excellence. Going back to the Olympics, the feats divers performed just a few decades ago are nothing in comparison to what divers are doing today. The competition has encouraged the sport to evolve and excel.
As advertising lives through its age of disruption, we need to begin incorporating programmatic into the award circuit, alongside creative.
Awarding Programmatic
Even with the rise of programmatic, the creative aspect of advertising still exists in our industry. In fact, it remains the industry’s main driver. Without emotionally compelling creative, advertising loses most of its appeal and becomes incredibly devalued.
However, without the tech, the creative is simply not as effective. This need for a cohesive partnership in creative and technology is a result of the media movement from three main ways to reach the consumer (print, radio and TV) to too many ways to count. Without the right blend of technology, a beautiful ad can have almost no impact if it’s not delivered in just the right way to just the right consumer. It’s like a diver doing flawless spins in the air, only to belly flop into the pool.
This year, The Drum had its inaugural Digital Trading Desk Awards in the U.S. The event attracted more than 500 industry insiders. This was not just an excuse to grab a beer, this was serious business. There were roars and sighs as winners were called, which goes to show the passion people have for their work. Attendees took the judgment of their work and pride they felt for the results they’ve achieved seriously.
The Drum has done our industry a great service by bringing these awards to The States. Next year is sure to be as rewarding, agonizing and exhilarating as the first!
Brody O’Harran is EVP-sales at Goodway Group