Programmatic media buying is a powerful way to reach your target audience across multiple channels and formats. But not all demand-side platforms (DSPs) are created equal. How do you evaluate the performance and transparency of a DSP for programmatic? Here are some key factors to consider.
Before you choose a DSP, you need to define your campaign objectives and KPIs. What are you trying to achieve with your programmatic campaign? Is it brand awareness, lead generation, conversions, or something else? How will you measure your success and ROI? Your DSP should be able to align with your goals and provide you with the tools and metrics to track and optimize your campaign performance.
One of the main factors when choosing a DSP is the variety of existing AI and machine learning algorithms. These should be directly linked to the campaign goals and KPIs that I want to achieve as an advertiser or brand. Although there are common algorithms present in most DSPs (CPC, CPA, ROI, VTR, Viewability, etc.), there are other more specific algorithms present in specific DSPs. A clear example is the AVOC (Audible and Viewable on complete) algorithm, present in DSPs such as Adform, which allows us to focus on maximizing the user's attention.
Another important factor is the quality and quantity of the inventory that the DSP can access. You want to make sure that your ads are reaching real and relevant users, not bots or fraudsters. You also want to have a wide and diverse range of publishers, platforms, and formats to choose from, such as display, video, mobile, native, social, and audio. Your DSP should be able to offer you the inventory that matches your target audience and budget, as well as the verification and filtering mechanisms to ensure quality and safety.
The bid strategy is how your DSP determines how much to pay for each impression in real time. You want to have a DSP that can offer you the best value for your money, as well as the flexibility and control to adjust your bids according to your campaign objectives and performance. Your DSP should be able to provide you with the options and insights to set your bid strategy, such as fixed, dynamic, or algorithmic bidding, as well as the factors that influence your bid price, such as competition, frequency, recency, and relevance.
As a programmatic media buyer for public sector clients, fee transparency is another thing I consider when selecting the right DSP. Comparing fees between DSPs allows me to demonstrate where tax-payer dollars are going and plan how we can get the most out of our budget.
Data is the fuel of programmatic media buying. You want to have a DSP that can leverage the data that you have, as well as the data that it collects and provides, to create and refine your target segments and audiences. Your DSP should be able to offer you the data sources and types that suit your needs, such as first-party, second-party, or third-party data, as well as the data attributes and dimensions that enable you to target your ads based on demographics, behaviors, interests, intents, locations, devices, and more.
The reporting and analytics capabilities of your DSP are essential for measuring and improving your campaign performance and transparency. You want to have a DSP that can provide you with the data and insights that you need, in a timely and accurate manner, to understand and optimize your campaign results. Your DSP should be able to offer you the reporting and analytics features and functions that help you to monitor and analyze your campaign metrics, such as impressions, clicks, conversions, CPM, CPC, CPA, ROAS, viewability, reach, frequency, attribution, and more.
I believe that reporting and analytics are crucial features when assessing DSPs. While most DSPs function similarly and may differ slightly in user interface and task simplicity, the capability to offer comprehensive analytics for campaigns is paramount. Understanding the user journey, including intricate analyses like path to conversion, remains challenging in some DSPs. Going forward, advancements in technology should simplify these complexities, offering traders more straightforward and time-saving data analysis capabilities.
The service and support that your DSP provides are also important for ensuring a smooth and successful programmatic media buying experience. You want to have a DSP that can offer you the level and type of service and support that you require, whether it is self-service, managed service, or hybrid service. Your DSP should be able to offer you the resources and assistance that you need, such as training, documentation, account management, technical support, troubleshooting, and feedback.
In my experience, this should be a much higher priority. You need to work with partners that you can trust. Yes, that takes time and makes it even more difficult to "break in" to an agency or a buyer's selection set. Having a team on the other side that understands and is engaged in your goals as much as you are, can make a huge difference. Sometimes this can be an individual or the process or as simple as the UI. We work in fast environments, and trusted partners are essential.
If there is something that really makes a difference in the Adtech ecosystem, it is the customer care and support provided by the adtech partner. An end-to-end dedicated local service, working closely with the client, is critical to achieve the best possible results in programmatic. Adtech companies must be fully transparent and reliable partners, not just providers.