Commentary

Don't Tell Anyone, But The Secrets Of Ad Technology Are Being Shared

In early December, Brett Wilson, CEO of TubeMogul, made note of the increasing number of agencies and brands making ad technology decisions. When brands and agencies team up with ad tech providers directly, Wilson calls it a “private trading desk” model.

I wrote then that the “private trading desk” model made sense, that it would be “interesting to watch how the industry reshapes itself as brands get handsy."

Well, it didn’t take long for the industry to start reshaping itself.

Keith Gooberman’s decision to launch an independent trading desk equipped with a consulting component -- to teach advertisers and agencies how to trade in the programmatic space -- could be representative of the future of trading desks.

For one, it’s not as if brands and agencies will suddenly lose curiosity when it comes to buying media programmatically. What's more, Gooberman told RTM Daily that demand-side platforms (DSPs) are now “going after advertisers directly.” That trend is not favorable for the typical trading desk model. However, it’s not a death knell, as most agencies still use trading desks from their own holding company. In other words, it would stay within the family.

That is, of course, unless agencies go the independent route. With Gooberman’s decision to leave a holding company trading desk -- MDC's Varick Media Management -- and declare his independence, it's not hard to imagine more of the same in the future.

We saw ad networks evolve because of what advertisers wanted, so why not trading desks? The industry does not go where the wind blows; it follows the money.

How to buy media via programmatic technologies has been one of the best kept secrets, mostly due to how daunting it seems and because it's easy to let others manage it for you. But with some of the industry’s top traders eager to share, the secret won’t be under wraps much longer.

"Shh" photo from Shutterstock.

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