Reflections on Programmatic Week, err, Advertising Week

As the industry gathered in NYC last week to talk shop, there’s no doubt why programmatic was on everyone’s mind: The growth trajectory is just staggering. In the past five years, automated buying has gone from nothing to 42% of display spend, and in the next five, a majority of mobile ads will go programmatic as well. Advertising Week? More like Programmatic Week.

We’ve come a long way since 1994, when John Battelle, then the founding editor of Wired, helped launch the world’s first banner ad.  On October 1, Battelle keynoted Metamarkets’ ‘Perspectives on Programmatic’ event, sharing his thoughts about where it’s all headed with the 50 industry executives in attendance. You can watch his session below. Without spoiling it for you, Battelle makes a strong argument for why programmatic is laying the foundation for consumer experiences far beyond banners, or even advertising.

Rounding out the insights were Jon Suarez-Davis, VP of Global Media at Kellogg’s (which spends about 60% of its online budget programmatically), and Steven Rosenblatt, the CRO of Foursquare, both of whom have invested heavily in data-driven approaches to marketing. We’ve embedded that video below as well.

A common sentiment from everyone (both at the event, and throughout the week) was that it’s still the early days for programmatic. There are big challenges left to solve, including immature measurement standards, significant pockets of fraud, and businesses relying on outdated organizational structures. That said, the growth is very real and the optimism is justified. To paraphrase Jon of Kellogg’s, it’s the perfect time to be in programmatic. The next few years will be a fun ride.