True Value of Technology
Eliza Nevers | Contact Eliza | Comment | Print version
Advertisers and marketers looking to execute a digital advertising campaign face a multitude of choices when it comes to technology platforms offering ad placement and reporting services. But, the labels and definitions are vague and learning the core capabilities of each prospect is critical. By cutting through the clutter, you will be able to identify a "true technology company" to partner with and ensure that your campaigns will have the greatest impact. Technology is a critical factor in executing the most effective, online ad campaigns that yield the greatest return on investment (ROI). It affects the degree to which advertisers can control, optimize, target, and analyze their campaigns. Advertisers looking for the best results should go straight to the source and select an ad platform armed to compete in the congested online ad space with both its own state-of-the-art technology as well as the expertise to gain the greatest benefit from its capabilities. Identifying the experts from those less qualified competitors can be difficult, but it is possible. True technology companies offer a complete ad platform, unlike many players in the space that piece together a solution through outsourcing. These third-party providers may not fully understand or control the technology, limiting the value and impact of an online ad campaign. Working with a true technology company is best because it not only created the technology it is operating, but has the expertise to fully maximize elements such as real-time bidding (RTB), targeting, and optimization efforts. The quality of the technology and the expertise of those controlling it affect the precision and impact of each feature. But, keep in mind that not all technology is created equal and not all partners have the knowledge to maximize their capabilities. For example, advanced optimization technology can greatly affect how data is used in the RTB space. A complete platform marries optimization and data and uses experience and expertise to understand the true value and make informed decisions. In sum, choose a true technology company that owns and operates its suite of tools -optimization, targeting, and bidding that are designed to work together. Next, dig deeper to learn more about the technology your partner is using to ensure it is the best. Take optimization. Multiple factors including real-time performance data, advertiser budget, available inventory, demographics, geography, user behavior, and others are used to optimize ad placements for the best possible performance. Efficient delivery involves deciding where to show ads and how often to show them given budget constraints, client business needs, and performance metrics. A true technology company knows this and developed their optimization engine with this in mind. Once you've determined that your partner uses the best optimization engine available, be sure the targeting is powered by a robust platform. We all know retargeting produces strong results but a targeting platform needs to enable more than just simple retargeting. An ideal targeting platform combines numerous data sources and robust predictive technology to achieve scaled performance. Be sure to ask your partner their targeting capabilities. Working with a true technology company controlling the full suite of solutions also offers direct access, transparency and accountability. Advertisers have a right to know exactly how they are spending their money and true technology companies can provide specific, exact information on audiences targeted, and true audience numbers. | 
