In our blog series “Life in Adtech” we’re showcasing the different ways in which StackAdapters are driving innovation in adtech, and creating a progressive tech culture. From using modeling and data to create advanced algorithms to building stylish and robust user interfaces, everyone at StackAdapt is contributing to evolving the StackAdapt platform and providing the best product and service to our users.
This month features Berina Colakovic, Sales Director of APAC at StackAdapt. In this post, we will get an inside look at her journey into adtech, her role at StackAdapt, and how her team benefits and supports potential StackAdapt users.
How did your journey into adtech begin?
While I was earning my undergrad degree in Business Administration with a major in International Business, my favourite courses were always in marketing and advertising. That said, at the time I didn’t know exactly what I would want to do within the field.
After graduating, I researched and applied to various jobs, but the one that piqued my interest the most was a role as an ad operations intern. I took that role, and well, the rest is history. I have loved working on different adtech projects throughout my career, and it’s led to me landing my current role, which I absolutely love! I’m thrilled to be leading StackAdapt’s expansion into a new region of the world, Asia Pacific (APAC).
Throughout my career I have been lucky to work alongside leaders who have inspired me to take on leadership roles. The time, energy, and resources that great leaders provide allowed me to explore my strengths and improve in areas that prepared and led me to an equal opportunity.
How does your team approach finding and supporting new StackAdapt clients?
My team’s approach is to always deliver solutions. We look for problems or challenges that potential clients are facing, and then come up with innovative solutions that not only resolve the issue they are facing, but provide value.
To do this, we carefully research and then cater proposed recommendations toward each and every client that we speak to. In addition to looking at the big picture on the agency or brand level, we often focus on the core initiative at hand for each specific campaign to ensure the strategy is outlined to achieve the desired goals and key performance indicators (KPIs). This way, we’re able to deliver the best service and results.
What is the main focus of your role as a Sales Director, APAC?
The main focus of my role is to lead the development of strategic services. At StackAdapt, we take a consultative approach to all our partner conversations and it’s important as the Sales Director to understand what strategic services are key within different markets. I then use my knowledge to lead a team of thoughtful Account Executives who provide ongoing support for StackAdapt clients.
Account Executives are tasked with finding unique solutions for advertising problems, and identifying areas to advance a strategy before a client even thinks of it. My job is to teach them the ropes! I help them figure out the best way to approach the market and identify areas where campaigns can be improved.
Who do you most collaborate with within the organization, and what do you like most about this direct collaboration?
Aside from working with my direct team on new ideas, I am always collaborating with team members from other teams across StackAdapt, like our Partnerships and Inventory team, Platform Quality team, and Marketing team.
Keeping open lines of communication across StackAdapt’s teams helps us to ensure that all aspects of the customer support are in tune with the expansion. What I love most about this direct collaboration is being able to meet new StackAdapters from around the world, and learn more about their processes. Connecting with other teams allows me to learn new ideas, and brainstorm with people who have different perspectives. I think this enables us to come up with the best strategic recommendations possible!
What’s been most exciting about being part of StackAdapt’s expansion into markets outside of North America?
The most exciting part of any expansion is making new connections and learning about the intricacies of each market and region. In being part of this expansion, I get to explore how the APAC market compares to North America’s. Having the opportunity to meet new people in the programmatic landscape, travel, and help deliver solutions globally is incredibly rewarding!
What trends in programmatic do you think we’ll see take off in 2022?
I think 2022 is going to be a big year for contextual advertising. With the privacy landscape evolving, marketers are understanding the value of contextual targeting, and not just because it is a cookieless methodology for audience targeting. Marketers are seeing that contextual advertising is offering new opportunities for innovation! I’m excited to see how this methodology is leveraged in the coming year.
I think we will see creative solutions coming out of contextual advertising, but we will also see growing creativity around data, other targeting capabilities, and even creative formats themselves.
Interested in joining StackAdapt? See our open roles and apply, here.
In each new addition, we will be highlighting our teams and team members in our “Life In Adtech” series—stay tuned for more!
