Q&A with Jason Warner, Director UK & EMEA at SBS

Who are SBS?

We are a programmatic curation partner with a decade-long commitment to helping independent media agencies achieve greater programmatic efficiency in their omnichannel campaigns. We bring a strong roster of over 50 state-of-the-art tech solutions to clients, creating a bespoke ad stack that we then integrate with proprietary algorithms and use of artificial intelligence. Our insights platform also provides clients with granular insights and proprietary data analytics on their campaign delivery to optimise outcomes. We empower independent agencies through a managed service basis covering all aspects of programmatic campaign strategy, delivery, optimisation and reporting, and we will be making our self-service solution available in the coming months.

SBS work alongside independent agencies in particular – what do you see as their major issues at the moment?

It goes without saying that the rocky economic landscape has put pressure on many media agencies in the last few years. Even with the general outlook being brighter, the recent drop in ad budgets highlighted by the latest IPA Bellwether signals the tough place the industry is still in. While all have felt the pinch, independent agencies are challenged with competing with larger ones who have far greater resources.. Being able to train and run a programmatic trading desk is no small task, but gaining greater efficiencies from programmatic is a major focus for many of our clients.

At the same time, the deprecation of the cookie continues to hang over advertisers. While the recent deadline delay may have given agencies more time to plan for a post-cookie world, they cannot escape the inevitable. We have partnered with numerous data providers who offer deterministic, qualitative, self-declared, and non-probabilistic data, in order to assist independent agencies to bridge the attribution gap that the loss of the cookie is leaving.

How are you seeing agencies respond to the challenge of cookieless?

The cookie depreciation saga has been rumbling on for so long that many will be exhausted by having to think about it still. But it is a seismic shift that drastically alters the advertising landscape as we know it, and independent agencies need to be prepared for it if they are to continue to drive success for both themselves and their clients.

Agencies face a challenge around the need for continuous updates of products in-house  required for this new cookieless future and customising them to meet customer needs. This is a time intensive process that requires sourcing, managing, and retaining specialised workers and supporting those in  need of training or updates.  Independent agencies  also need access to the  inventory and expertise of platforms and technologies.

To stand out in this new environment, independent agencies need to be able to offer a privacy-first and unique proposition. This is where curated audiences can be a powerful tool.

Can you explain curated audiences?

These are audience targeting segments that have been created using audience data that helps to signal interest in a specific area or topic. Users are syphoned into the segments according to their interests and then anonymised to ensure privacy, where marketers can then precisely target them

This method comes into its own when executing omnichannel campaigns. It allows marketers to precisely target across a range of channels in a holistic way, maximising the potential of ad budgets. Effective targeting is about leveraging the right technology to convey a story to audiences across a range of platforms.

What else can independent agencies be doing to drive efficiencies?

The first step every independent agency must take is to reexamine their programmatic ad stack. Agencies must take a step back and fully evaluate what is and isn’t driving value for them and their partners.

This can seem like an overwhelming task, but to put it simply, when evaluating the tech stack, they need to look at solutions that prioritise two key factors: transparency and data privacy. We work with independent agencies to help them to understand which parts of their tech stack are contributing to their success – and which can be ditched.

Similarly, we give independent agencies access to solutions that may have previously been out of their reach. This levels the playing field allowing them to more easily achieve or exceed their KPIs.

Transparency has long been an issue in programmatic, how can this be solved?

The truth is that different traders work by different transparency standards when it comes to programmatic. This leads to agencies being hampered by traders that are cutting corners and harming client campaigns. The problem is exacerbated in omnichannel campaigns. With creative running across a number of environments, keeping up with where every penny of spend is headed can be tough. Agencies must look for partners that prioritise full visibility, ensuring they have access to all necessary data to enable effective decision making if we are to create a more open and transparent programmatic playing field.

Finally, how can independent media agencies be more sustainable with their programmatic ad buying?

You have to be able to measure something to reduce it. This is complicated – especially in omnichannel. But there are solutions out there, and we are proud to offer our partners the ability to measure their emissions. It’s all about efficiency – by cutting unnecessary parts of the tech stack, power usage reduces for every transaction.