• by Kate Kaye , March 4, 2004

It seems that there's no job in the online ad industry that doesn't involve technology in some capacity. Even the most right-brained creatives are more familiar with Photoshop brushes than they are with those of the sable variety. The thing is, not everyone grasps the tech stuff readily. That's why people like this week's In the Trenches subject--Todd Chu, manager of technology solutions at ad management firm Atlas DMT--make all the difference.

Basic Training
Todd has had a mind for tech from the beginning. But it's his flair for translation that got him where he is today. Starting out with a degree in Industrial Engineering from the University of Michigan, he went on to work with Intel as an engineer, and later as a consultant at Accenture. Like many in the Internet ad business, Todd took the dot.com boom bait around 1998, landing at one of the few companies that's still thriving--DoubleClick. Following a stint there assisting sales people with product technology, Todd moved on to a position with a DoubleClick rival, aQuantive's AtlasDMT.

Daily Drills
As manager of technology solutions, Todd serves as a link between the pre- and post-sales process, ensuring clear communication from product development through to sales pitch and account management.

"I like the drama of sales," says Todd, whose job is action-packed. On a typical day spent at the home office in New York, Todd becomes a human communications hub, speaking with sales management regarding the technical capabilities of products, helping client services understand client needs, dealing with his own clients, and discussing product development, management, and analytics with the company's internal group.

And then comes the external part of the job--traveling. Todd spends at least one or two days each week accompanying salespeople to meetings with agencies or corporate marketing clients. Chicago and Boston are regular stops for Todd, as is Kansas City, Missouri. One client recently coaxed Todd into a tussle with a mechanical bull at a rowdy Kansas City bar.

Tough Battles
"One of the most difficult parts of my job is in the translation," admits Todd. "I must communicate clients' business needs to the development team or translate complex technical information to clients." Todd finds that analogies can be great tools when it comes to explaining complex concepts.

Another challenge for Todd is dealing with excessively tight turnaround times. It's not uncommon for clients to approach him for the very first time regarding a campaign they want to run the following week, or even the following day. "Last-minute syndrome bugs me," he concedes.

Base Camp
Todd shares a cluttered office at Atlas DMT's New York location on Madison Ave. "It's kind of a midtown worker corporate feel," he says. Despite the "expensive lunches," the area is central to a lot of clients. The décor, which has little more than "a white board that's perennially filled with equations, timelines, and implementation plans," leaves something to be desired, he explains.

Mission Possible
Todd's chief goal is to get ad trafficking the respect it deserves as an integral part of the online advertising process. "The perception of trafficking is it's something that's tactical or administrative," Todd laments. He hopes to see ad trafficking become more than an afterthought in the future: "Every time you're trafficking something you're touching a piece of revenue."

Do you know someone who deserves a salute from MediaPost's In the Trenches? Let us know! Contact Kate Kaye at kate@mediapost.com.