Sydney and Perth-based digital agency Longtail has today launched a consultancy service for clients looking to bring their programmatic advertising and DMP services in-house. Dubbed ‘Longtail A’, the new arm of the business will also help clients looking to move into programmatic with the help of a partner.

Longtail CEO and Founder Carlo Bertozzi (pictured) says the service is designed to help advertisers through what is often perceived as a ‘programmatic minefield’. “The technology available to brands is more powerful than ever, but there are uncertainties that hamper how quickly some brands are taking up programmatic opportunities.

“Issues around transparency and accountability are well-known, but there’s a lack of creative perspective that is an equally significant weakness in most strategies.

“Having visibility over your own DMP unlocks huge potential for marketers seeking to better understand and communicate with their audience, while also solving uncertainties around transparency and accountability. Having an in-house DMP means you get full visibility.”

The new service led by Bertozzi will provide both strategic consulting and practical frameworks for brands that are considering taking the programmatic in-house, particularly the DMP component. Additionally, advice will be offered to clients seeking better integration with any third party suppliers or agencies.

Bertozzi believes that many marketers are delaying any significant moves into this space because they feel their businesses are ill equipped to make the transition, that they aren’t getting the right advice, or more fundamentally because they haven’t been able to clearly identify the opportunity.

“There really aren’t many options for clients seeking independent advice from practitioners with hands-on experience across modeling audience data, creative strategy and programmatic media buying,” Bertozzi added.

“Most brands never extract the full value from their tech stack because they are poorly advised and under-resourced. They are subject to the ‘utopian’ sell from vendors but often are unable re-program and resource their business to take advantage of the opportunity at more than a superficial level.”

“The potential payback for getting it right is huge, a sustainable competitive advantage which is virtually invisible to your competitors, making it virtually impossible to copy.”

The new service from Longtail will reflect this multi-disciplinary focus, with five core areas that are key to a successful DMP & programmatic implementation.

• Partner & platform selection
• Business integration & education
• Ecosystem & Audience modeling
• Media Investment optimisation
• Creative integration & implementation