We chatted with Alex Andreyev, VP, Partner, Integrated Investment at Universal McCann Worldwide on programmatic and what’s next for UM.

1. How is programmatic growing at UM?

Programmatic is not only a proven performer, it also allows us to target users more effectively by matching products to specific user purchase behaviors.

2. What is your competitive advantage or unique approach to programmatic buying?

Without getting into too much here, the combination of our research, planning, investment strategy and analytics allows us to identify and target users with great effectiveness. Additionally, our obsessiveness (maybe I’m the only obsessive one) over fraud and brand safety that gets updated and analyzed weekly, allows us to maximize the value of every ad impression for Coca-Cola.

3. How do you evaluate your programmatic supply partners?

While we typically work with publishers directly to increase performance based on campaign goals, we do quarterly analysis of our supply sources/exchanges and either cut partners with high fraud rates, or require the exchanges to provide fraud guarantees or make-goods for our media. Additionally, thanks to ads.txt implementations, we’ve already identified and cut suppliers that misrepresent and/or resell high quality publisher inventory without direct relationship with publishers.

Programmatic is not only a proven performer, it also allows us to target users more effectively by matching products to specific user purchase behaviors.

4. How do your traders educate themselves about inventory, quality, fraud, viewability and the “next big thing?”

Our investment teams work across programmatic and non-programmatic media, so we frequently communicate with publishers and understand their inventory flow and opportunities. When programmatic tools state otherwise we try to reconcile through communication and transparency. Working closely with publishers and technology providers (DSPs, SSPs, etc.) helps us also understand new opportunities, ways to improve, innovate and invent the “next big thing.”

5. What’s next for UM?

Our goal is to improve not just our targeting but the media it’s served against programmatically. So we need guarantees from publishers and tech chains in between to help provide quality, measurability and media that truly makes an impact on our sales. We expect to increase measurable media, viewability, and eliminate fraud, while continuing to improve our media performance.