Marketing Managers: Consider understanding Programmatic buying before it's too late

Today it is vital for marketing managers to understand where programmatic buying could help your bottom line. As a graduate student in the Northwestern Medill's Integrated Marketing Communications program, I have found two compelling articles on programmatic buying that you will find interesting. 

The first article 7 Advertising Trends That Show You Exactly Where This Industry Is Headed – Mobile and programmatic are changing everything discusses how Programmatic buying for digital is only going to increase drastically in the next few years. It also outlines seven major trends in advertising that are a direct result of the increase of mobile and programmatic buying.

The second article Private Marketplaces, Programmatic Direct not just a Fad outlines the rise of programmatic buying increasing significantly and not only that, the concerns and limitations of quality control on automated buying disappearing from marketing managers.

After reviewing these articles and from my studies in the Northwestern Medill IMC program, here are three action items you should immediately consider when evaluating your own digital media initiatives and strategy: 

• LEARN – Marketing managers need a basic understanding of what Programmatic buying is and how it can elevate their media buys.
• EVALUATE - Marketing managers need to understand Programmatic’s capabilities and limitations to fully evaluate whether it is the appropriate tactic in your digital media mix.
• IMPLEMENT – Marketing managers need to gauge how Programmatic buying can be integrated into their overall media mix and digital media strategy. 

Programmatic buying in digital media is estimated to grow significantly over the next couple of years. Programmatic is the evolution of digital media and may become the entire media landscape for traditional media buying in the near future. If you follow these three simple tips, you will be on the path to understanding how vital it is for marketing managers to understand what Programmatic is and how it can play a role in supporting your digital media mix and strategy.

Noel Moossa is a marketing communications professional with 9 years of experience, primarily in the digital space. He specializes in strategic communications, digital marketing and media management. Noel is a pursuing a master’s degree in Integrated Marketing Communications at Northwestern University’s Medill School. Connect with him on Twitter (@mo0se182) and LinkedIn.