Debunking the top 5 stereotypes of programmatic traders

Do you think programmatic traders’ jobs consist of basic data entry, playing around on computers and saying “no” to requests all the time? Think again – their role is far more significant in driving the bottom line than ever before. From implementing and running programmatic campaigns across various DSPs, to the day-to-day management of client campaigns, programmatic traders are the first point of contact for troubleshooting or audience and optimization recommendations. And once a campaign has run, they’re responsible for producing and presenting campaign analysis to demonstrate the effectiveness of planning, testing and media optimization and management. The workhorses of the advertising industry, programmatic traders, too often don’t get the respect they deserve. This is due in part because of a fundamental misunderstanding about just what it is that they do every day, even by their managers and colleagues. Too many ad industry professionals think traders have simple jobs that don’t require strategic thinking, when in fact the truth is that the digital advertising world wouldn’t run without them, and the operational knowledge they possess. To illustrate this, we’ve outlined the top five programmatic trader myths and the reasons why traders are the foundation of a revenue-generating advertising group. Myth #1:  Their days are filled with data entry With so many automation and machine learning options available, many leaders in the industry think today’s traders are just responsible for plugging in some data, pushing a few buttons and letting their computers do the rest, right? Not so fast.