Ming Wu, VP of trading at Omnicom, makes the point that algorithms alone aren’t enough to do all the work behind real-time bidding. He says the most up-to-date DSP technology isn’t worth much without having an experienced hand analyzing the data and working with the agency to optimize campaigns instead of having to test millions of permutatiosn of ad targeting attributes via machine. “You do need a human behind this to find out what works for the agency,” he said.

Do agencies need their own trading desks? Nope, says Jenna Umbrianna, Platform Media at Hill Holliday -- nor do her agency peers on an afternoon panel at OMMA RTB. "We don't," concurred Nuno Andrade, Media Director at SapientNitro. Oh, and as the entire panel agreed, most -- if not all -- exchanges are dealing with the exact same inventory. "We're all probably tapping the same stuff," admitted Umbrianna. Yep, that's "most likely" the case, agreed Victor Wong, CEO of PaperG Then, what's to differentiate individual exchanges? It's a matter of people, process, and strategy, according to Michael Kaushansky, SVP of …

How and when are publishers going to get over their fears about putting premium inventory onto ad exchanges? Ben Fox, Executive Vice President of Adconion Media Group, says he knows the answer. In the not-too-distant future -- Fox explained during his afternoon keynote at OMMA RTB -- reticent publishers are going to do a "very simple analysis" and compare how much it costs to staff a full sales team versus letting exchanges work their magic. They're going to do the math, smack themselves on the forehead, and "then the floodgates are going to open," Fox promises.

It's an ironic, but symbolic coincidence that Internet Week and Upfront Week are coinciding this year, but Adconion's Ben Fox just reminded OMMA RTB attendees about the big joke circulating this week, and the Internet side of that punchline may not find it all that humorous.

That's what OMMA RTB afternoon warm-up act Ben Fox just suggested.

"I'd like to propose a new acronym here today," Brian O'Kelley, CEO of Appnexus said on the "Grill The Vendors" panel at OMMA RTB. "I think we should take the RT ouf of RTB, because it's bidding. Why don't we just say B."

Premium publisher panel moderator Mike Leo just asked his panelists a good, albeit tough question, that all of them seem to be side-stepping.

That's because the "Premium" publishers panel is working blue, dropping F-bombs, and firing S-rockets left and right.

Skip Brand, founder and CEO of Martini Media, is making a great point about the publisher upside in the RTB marketplace, which is that it can only create higher value (ie. higher CPMs) if publishers and data exchanges begin showing the kind of data that will drive higher value.

That's what Jay Seideman, U.S. director of targeting & exchange team at Microsoft Advertising, quipped during the opening of the "premium" publishers panel at OMMA RTB.