Jacek Chrusciany, our CEO and Co-Founder, wrote an article “The Growing Complexity of Today’s Media Buying” in his “Pathways to Transparent Media” series in Association of National Advertisers (ANA) Industry Insights.

Link to the original article

A reprint of this article can be found below.

The role of a media buyer has shifted dramatically since the dawn of digital marketing. Gone are the days of phone negotiations for spots in local or national print. Today's buyers need to navigate a complex ecosystem, from the ad platforms such as DV360 and Meta to the burgeoning retail media networks of Amazon, Walmart, and the like.

Each click, each option selected, determines whether a campaign will prove a success or not. Because these clicks, in this opaque digital environment, are essentially a roll of the dice.

So, after those thousands of hours developing the market insight and persona, carefully crafting that Cannes-worthy creative and handing it over to the agency to deploy, brands are left to question: Will it even reach the right audience? Or will it end up running alongside some deep fake porn site, damaging the brand while helping fund an unethical business.

And it's not just brand safety issues that are the concern. It's also about the huge amount of budget wastage that can result. Each platform, whether DV360, Meta, TikTok, The Trade Desk or Amazon, offers its unique set of tools and options, each with its own implications for ad performance. From targeting precision to ad format selection, the choices and combinations are virtually endless.

All of this means media buying is no longer the straightforward negotiation task it used to be. It has evolved into an involved strategic role that demands expertise across an ever-expanding array of platforms. It's not enough to simply place an ad. Buyers must understand the settings and implications of their choices. These are the stakes in today's digital advertising game.

Yet, within this complexity lies opportunity. Brands that master the nuances of these digital spaces can achieve quality engagement and conversion. The key is to leverage the right strategies and tools:

• Invest in education. As the media buying role has evolved, many senior leaders oversee the outcomes, without an understanding of how the process works. Look for opportunities to gain this knowledge. Organizations like ANA offer courses geared to senior leaders that provide the right level of information regarding the nuances of each platform. Here you can see and maybe even experience firsthand how an effective tactic on Meta may not apply on Amazon or Google, and so on.

• Change your mindset. Approach media buying not as a series of isolated purchases but as integrated elements of a broader digital marketing strategy. Consider how the campaign impacts the customer journey across all touchpoints. Use the data available from digital platforms to inform every decision, whether it's choosing frequency settings, whether to use user-rewarded content, or the plethora of other seemingly minor choices that have a bigger impact than you know.

• Leverage advanced tools for advanced problems. Embrace tools that centralize control and offer a more sophisticated look at campaigns every step of the way, including their set-up. Use these tools and the expertise of the teams that deliver them to stay on top of changes in digital advertising norms and platform capabilities. And be ready to pivot strategies in response to new information or tools.

The responsibilities of media buyers have expanded. It's no longer just about the selection of where and when to place ads. It's about a deep understanding of one of the more complex ecosystems of our times. It's also about eliminating a long tail of small mistakes to unlock major aggregated value. Those willing to delve into those complexities and understand and employ the right strategic tools can drive meaningful brand success with flawless, impactful campaigns.