An AdNews article published 7th Feb Programmatic market turbulence as trading desks and ad platforms raid Australian publishers hit the nail on the head. To say there is a severe supply-demand imbalance in the market is an understatement.
That situation was outlined almost exactly a year ago, along with precautions that businesses needed to take to reduce the impact of a looming real-time bidding (RTB) talent crunch. The RTB landscape a year ago showed some very promising signs of strength, but I am not sure anybody expected that the industry within Asia Pacific would be where it is today.
The sheer velocity of its evolution has caught even the better prepared off guard. The pull for marketers towards the efficiencies of RTB and programmatic has come with no surprises. The shift will continue to transpire. With some traditional media in steep decline and the lines blurring between what was traditional media and what is digital in terms of delivery, the future surely lies within programmatic.
Marketers will continue to pursue emerging channels that deliver tighter targeting and greater efficiency - and the businesses that invest in them - for their own safety and career progression. We’re at a critical point. Marketers will join the players that prioritise RTB and data-driven strategies, whoever they maybe.
In my opinion, this is just the beginning. The arms race is accelerating and winter is coming. Businesses losing talent to established dedicated RTB firms need to take stock. The transition is inevitable. They need to align their hiring strategies to the speed of the market and to their competitors' lure while prioritising their retention strategies.
As with technology, data and relationships, the only way to retain your staff is to invest in them.
Dan Sheppard
Practice Manager – Digital, Media & Communications | APAC & SEA
RTB / Programmatic specialist
Xpand