by Ciaran O'Kane on 8th Oct 2015 in TRADERTALK

There continues to be a lot of talk around the agency's role in programmatic buying. Some DR-focused brands are in-housing the function to sit alongside its search buying. Even big FMCGs are taking a more hands-on approach with programmatic – whether through direct deals with vendors, managing data internally, or just relegating agencies to an execution role.

In this episode of TraderTalkTV, we speak to three senior agency executives to discuss the role of the agency in the ever-changing digital buying landscape.

The panel, which took place at the recent ATS London, was moderated Anthony Rhind, chief strategy officer, Adform. Our C-level panelists on the day included: Damian Blackden, global chief strategy officer, Maxus; Pippa Glucklich, co-CEO, Starcom Mediavest Group; and Paul Frampton, CEO, Havas Media.

The following is a synopsis of the debate:

– The strategic importance of programmatic at the agency level.
– The challenges of silos within the agency organisation, particularly around programmatic and technology.
– The complexity of technology and vendor relationships, and the need to understand how they can add value to clients.
– Why the DMP is an essential piece of technology for clients.
– Why the programmatic function has been absorbed into the opco's
– How concerned are clients with programmatic?
– Evolution of the agency from media management to consultative role.
– How ad tech vendors could work with agencies; and who you need to speak to.