Why is programmatic important?
Programmatic advertising across Asia-Pacific is currently growing at a rapid pace, with ad spend in the region set to account for 43% of the global market by 2019.
In light of this, many marketers have struggled to maintain the necessary knowledge and understanding of programmatic advertising.
Having this struggle to gain the right knowledge at the speed of pace of programmatic in the region, it has led to millions in wasted ad spend and contributed to the lack of transparency which is currently holding back the market.
The SAA Guide to Programmatic Advertising aims to address this issue by offering advertisers the latest thinking on the opportunity. It promises education on what advertisers can achieve with programmatic, to help them develop an effective digital strategy.
However, the guide acknowledges, whilst programmatic is a powerful tool, there are barriers advertisers need to be aware of. It features information on the major challenges that marketers face, including transparency, viewability, ad-blocking, brand safety, fraud and ad measurement.
The launch event
The launch of the guide took place at a packed venue in Singapore's Science Park, with many of region's leading marketers in attendance. It kicked off with an introduction from Oliver Chong, President, Singapore Advertisers Association & Vice President – Brand & Marketing Communications, Starhub, who stressed the importance for SAA members to educate themselves on the opportunities and challenges, especially in light of the increase in digital and programmatic investment in the region.
Infectious Media's MD, Attila Jakab, then talked about the need for advertisers to get their approach and partner relationships right in what is a fast evolving industry. Attila emphasised transparency of financial terms, and access to the right inventory, whilst still ensuring the quality of inventory bought. Attila went on to highlight how advertisers need to get value from their own data and ensure that they measure campaigns based on benefit to their business objectives.
The event culminated with a panel hosted by Campaign Asia's Technology Editor, Babar Khan Javed, and featuring Singapore's Health Promotion Board and Uber, where the themes ranged from the key challenges for marketers in the region and what they could do to solve them.
Attila Jakab, Managing Director at Infectious Media, said:
“Over the coming years we’re increasingly going to see APAC taking the lead when it comes to global growth in programmatic. The opportunity this represents for brands is huge. But the programmatic ecosystem is extremely complex and ever evolving. Keeping ahead and staying aware of the pitfalls is a constant challenge. We share the SAA’s commitment to empowering marketers with the right knowledge to ensure they’re able to demand the very best standards from their partners."
Commenting on the need for the Guide, Mr, Chow Phee Chat, Director of Marketing Communications & Corporate Affairs, Nestle Singapore said:
"There is an opportunity for marketers to take advantage of programmatic buying in South East Asia right now... It's essentially about tapping into technology to enable marketers to better understand their target audience and identifying opportunities to grow."
Oliver Chong, President, Singapore Advertisers Association, Vice President – Brand & Marketing Communications, Starhub Limited said:
"We want our members to be able to exploit the full potential of programmatic. Our partnership with Infectious Media to publish this guidebook is the first step we are taking to build a more knowledgeable industry, starting with our members.”
The SAA Guide to Programmatic Advertising has been written for advertisers & brands operating in Singapore and South East Asia, to request a copy please email the SAA at secretariat@2as.org.sg