Everyone is talking about digital these days, but how much do you know about programmatic advertising, the innovation that has transformed marketing on the internet as we know it? In the ‘Passionate About Programmatic’ series, we highlight the people driving forward this revolutionary and ever-changing field of advertising, sharing perspectives from around the globe.
Seun Odeneye – Matterkind
Nice to meet you! Tell us about yourself and your current role.
My name is Seun Odeneye, and I’m currently in my dream job as Managing Director of Matterkind, UK and Ireland.
How did you get into programmatic advertising, and what do you love most about it?
I got into programmatic advertising by accident, actually. I did a sandwich course in Business IT, and my placement was at an advertising company called AdLink. That’s where my love for this industry began. Not everybody loves their job, but I love my job because of the change. It’s forever changing, and I’m forever learning.
How would you explain programmatic advertising to someone outside of the industry?
I would sum it up with one word: automation. I sometimes use the example of a bank. If you walked into one 15 years ago, what did you see? Cashiers all over the place. If you walk into one today, you see many more machines. Today, these machines have taken over the smaller, more rote tasks–depositing cash and cheques, withdrawing money, etc. Some might think that there’s no longer a need for people in an automated world, but that’s not true–we need them, but for different things.
What are your thoughts on the cookieless future?
When you think about the post-cookie world, all it really means is that the currency of programmatic will change. Precision and measurement will still be at the forefront of what we do; we are just going to be doing it differently. There’s an opportunity for disruption in terms of how we measure, what we measure, and how that makes an impact on business outcomes.
What is your biggest learning from the last 18 months, and what do you have your eye on for 2022?
My biggest learning is just how awesome and agile my team is. In a world where we are remote, my team is still delivering amazing work for our clients.
We can look forward to the consolidation of companies because of things like the demise of third-party cookies and because their value proposition simply isn’t good enough. Think about the Lumascape; our industry is too fragmented as it is. All of the fragmentation makes it difficult for us to do what we’re meant to do as marketers, which is create meaningful moments for brands. Hopefully, consolidation leads to better opportunities for us to take a more considered approach that puts the user at the center.
The Quantcast Query (a rapid-fire Q&A)
Who is your role model–in the industry or otherwise?
My late mum. She taught me, “Whatever your hands find to do, do it with all your mind.”
What is your favorite campaign of the past year?
The Johnson & Johnson [Listerine] campaign, for which we leveraged Compass Connect, a proprietary tool built in-house with J3. It enabled us to bid at specific times, when we knew that certain macro factors would affect consumer consideration of J&J products.
What is the best and worst piece of advice that you’ve been given?
The best: “Every day is a school day.”
The worst: “Are you sure you want to come back into this industry since you don’t drink?” I guess it was a reflection of the times back then–I’m glad I ignored it!
Which industry acronym is your favorite–or driving you up the wall?
RTB. Because of my years in tech, the first time I heard this in the agency world, I immediately thought, “Real-Time Bidding!” as opposed to “Response to Brief.” I wonder which came first…
Finish the sentence: To me, programmatic done well means…
… that there was a great combination of technology, data, and inventory to deliver a business outcome for a client.
Interested in Learning More?
To learn about how Quantcast is enabling brands and agencies to activate and measure campaigns in cookieless environments, check out our cookieless capabilities.