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StackAdapt Hosts the First StackDay of 2019

On January 17th, we hosted our first ever StackDay event! It was a huge success and generated a great conversation around programmatic, with some of the best thought leaders in the industry.

One of the major highlights of StackDay was an afternoon panel and networking session. StackAdapt Co-Founder and COO, Vitaly Pecherskiy hosted 2 panels: a programmatic panel and a brand panel. The speakers came from diverse backgrounds and brought thought provoking perspectives from all corners of the ad tech industry.

We were so compelled by the discussion that we just had to share our key takeaways.

3 Key Takeaways from the Programmatic Panel

StackDay panelists

The programmatic panel provided insight on how agencies can navigate the evolving landscape of programmatic buying. Our speakers were (from left to right): Chris Quinn, Head of Display Advertising at Kijiji, Cameron Hourd, Head of Industry at Google, and Tracy Ball, Director of Programmatic & Ad Operations at Innocean Canada.

1. Know When to Suppress Your Audience

Retargeting is a critical tactic for re-engaging visitors familiar with your product or brand. However, saturation in advertising can occur and it’s important to know when to stop targeting a user. This is especially important for customers who have already purchased a product. If they have completed a conversion, perhaps give them a break from the ads. You can retarget these users at a later time, or perhaps with a different product, but it’s better not to bombard them with ads when they have already willingly given you their business.

2. Publishers Need to Find a Balance

There is a need for publishers to strike a balance between having a good user experience for their site visitors, while also providing their advertisers with valuable inventory. It cannot be a one-sided play. Publishers need to ensure that the ad space being offered is not too invasive to the user experience, but is of good enough quality that advertisers will actually be willing to buy the impressions.

3. Viewability Is Key for Upper Funnel Efforts

Branding and awareness campaigns are incredibly important for upper funnel initiatives. Since the main objectives are getting eyeballs on the ads, brand recognition and attention to product, media buyers want to ensure the impressions are being seen. As such, viewability needs to be top of mind. The only way you will get a new user to notice your product or ad is to ensure the ad is actually viewable.

3 Key Takeaways from the Brand Panel

Panelists at StackDay

The brand panel consisted of leaders who shared how their departments were run and how their relationships with agencies are ever evolving. Our speakers were (from left to right): Lauren Wong, VP of Sales & Marketing at HelloFresh Canada, Amy Martin, Head of Acquisition at Shopify, and Claûde Beaupré, Marketing Manager at RBC Ventures.

1. Know Your Prospect and Be Bold

When you are prospecting a brand, it makes a much stronger impression if you do your research and know who you are dealing with. Who are their target markets? What does their product and brand look like? How does the organization or business operate? These tidbits of information will really help make a connection when trying to win business. So be bold, do not be afraid to show up and confidently demonstrate why you know the partnership is a fit, based on the knowledge you have in your arsenal.

2. Become a Specialist

As agencies become increasingly generalized, there emerges an opportunity to double down on specific verticals, technologies, and channels. A large brand is comfortable working with a number of agencies, as long as they are receiving best-in-class services for each initiative. This includes experiential activations, exceptional marketing attribution, or operation of new technologies. You need to find a way to differentiate yourself from the other agencies in the mix, so that brands are not only willing to work with you, but will lean on you for your subject matter expertise.

3. Ask the Right Questions

As an agency, you have won the business and the brand has chosen to leverage you entirely for their media campaigns—great! Make sure the partnership is fluid and ask your client the right questions. This will ensure you are servicing their needs with the exact solution for success. For example, if a client is pushing for a deadline, speed could be more important than quality for that specific project. Ask them and clarify. If timing is of the essence, then help them get it done on time – even if it’s not your best work. Showing the brand that you can serve their needs will give them the confidence to leverage your agency for larger, more strategic projects where timing is more relaxed. Find out what the priorities are for each request and ensure that the creatives and tactics are aligned and will perform.

It was an valuable and insightful afternoon! We learned a lot about the programmatic industry and the different needs and ideas publishers, agencies and brands have. Interested to know what our attendees thought? Check out photos from the event on our Facebook Page.

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