In the early days of programmatic, media agencies or in-house brand teams often leveraged eight or more platforms via direct partnerships. However, as the industry matured, it became evident that this approach led to redundancy in both inventory and capabilities. This realization gave rise to the trend of supply path optimization (SPO). SPO can offer significant benefits for brands and agencies, as managing numerous direct partnerships with tech providers can be both challenging and costly, ultimately impacting ROI. Implementing SPO while still seeking to maximize the value of omnichannel campaigns across various channels and formats can be a balancing act. Because of this there is immense value in partnering with programmatic service providers that adopt a broad approach to the digital marketplace while still maintaining the tenets of SPO. The key lies in finding partners equipped with the right strategies, infrastructure, and expertise to effectively manage and execute campaigns across diverse platforms. What does a broad approach mean? For LocalFactor it means a platform-agnostic approach, not relying on a limited set of demand or supply-side solutions to execute campaigns for our advertising partners. By doing so we can deliver the utmost value for teams looking for either managed service and self-service solutions. Let’s take a deeper look at some of the key benefits to a platform-agnostic approach. The Right Tool for the Job Every platform has its strengths and weaknesses, which may not always be apparent upfront. A platform may provide the ability to activate in every channel, but depending on the origins of their tech, it doesn’t mean that they’re the best suited to execute across all of them. Their solutions might be highly optimized for CTV, but DOOH and audio are bolted on solutions that are not well integrated, as an example. By executing thousands of campaigns across all types of platforms, we’ve gained this insight and have ultimate flexibility to architect campaigns without the limitations that may be faced within a limited set of platforms. What does this look like in practice for an advertiser that partners with LocalFactor? The DOOH portion of a campaign can be executed within a purpose-built DOOH platform, while the CTV piece will go where we have tailored capabilities, premium inventory and the highest performance. Exclusive Inventory Availability & Formats This piece is an extension of finding the right tool for the job, as some supply or demand side platforms will have unique partnerships or access to premium inventory. For example, an advertiser may want to activate YouTube TV, requiring access to DV360. If that is not a platform currently in the mix, the options are to either find an alternative or sign on with DV360 directly, absorbing monthly minimum spend requirements. By using a partner like LocalFactor, we will be able to activate YouTube TV, while maintaining the flexibility to deliver other portions of the campaign on the platforms that make the most sense. Similarly, some platforms offer their own unique formats that are exclusive to campaigns activated within their walls. LocalFactor can take full advantage of these units for advertisers, with the ability to test each for the highest performance. Additionally, we can deploy our own unique Attention+ format across all platforms in CTV, video and display inventory. Cost Efficiencies  A broad view of the supply and demand marketplace enables LocalFactor to find the most efficient path to premium inventory. We can see similar inventory coming from multiple locations and pivot to optimize towards the most efficient sources. And like we mentioned earlier, by using a platform-agnostic partner, advertisers unlock the benefits without absorbing the downsides of additional costs and headcount to manage direct relationships. Category Considerations Each platform approaches sensitive categories in their own way, and some advertisers may face restrictions in certain DSPs and social platforms. In other cases they may be prevented from running campaigns at all. By having flexibility to find the platforms that enable campaigns in sensitive categories, there is less friction to building and launching high performing omnichannel campaigns. Flexibility with Optimizations A common downside of operating in different ad platforms is that performance data becomes siloed, limiting the ability to make optimizations that improve the overall campaign. To address this, teams need a unified reporting system that can dynamically integrate with every platform, ingesting real-time data. However, this can be cumbersome as each platform integration is different, and will require engineering and IT involvement. LocalFactor has built integrations with all major platforms, including social media, to provide a comprehensive view of entire campaigns. This is leveraged by our own trading teams to make quick, data-driven decisions that improve performance, while providing advertisers self-serve access to the same data. This helps LocalFactor keep budgets fluid across the entire campaign, shifting investment where we find the strongest performance. The Human Element As automated and platform-driven the advertising industry becomes, there are still people involved in the strategic decision making process. Individuals have had their own experiences, positive or negative, with many of the solutions in the market over the past decade. Brand marketers and other client-side leaders may have their own opinions on who they are open to using, or completely avoiding. With a platform-agnostic approach it is possible to pivot as needed, while ensuring campaign needs and personal preferences are met. Wrapping Up Being platform-agnostic requires the right infrastructure to be able to execute the planning, buying and measurement of campaigns across platforms. Brands and agencies should focus on their areas of expertise, but remain open to everything available to them via strategic partners. LocalFactor built our LFID Engine performance platform, powered by AI and harnessed by strategists, traders and digital experts, to provide a unified experience that simplifies a complex ecosystem on an advertisers behalf. Want to learn more about LocalFactor’s platform-agnostic approach? Reach out to our team and we’ll be happy to make tailored recommendations for your campaigns.