Why You Should Consider a Career Path in Demand-Side Platforms (DSPs)
Programmatic advertising has revolutionized how brands connect with consumers, offering a simple yet impactful promise: to target the right person, at the right time, in the right environment. This transformation is powered by technologies like Demand-Side Platforms (DSPs). A DSP is a critical component of the programmatic ecosystem, enabling advertisers to automate the purchase of digital ad inventory and target audiences with precision. Here’s why you should consider a career in DSPs
1. A Dynamic and Rapidly Growing Industry
The programmatic industry has significantly expanded over the last decade, with the rise of new advertising channels like Connected TV and Digital Out-Of-Home, emerging alongside more traditional digital formats, offering vast opportunities for advertisers.
This growth shows no signs of slowing down, with constant innovation fueled by advancements in AI and Machine Learning. It now accounts for a significant and growing percentage of global ad spend, representing approximately 90% of all digital display ad spending in the U.S. and over 70% globally. In 2023, global programmatic ad spend reached around $550 billion, and it is expected to continue increasing as more advertisers shift towards automated data-driven ad buying. The industry is young and fast-moving, offering professionals opportunities to navigate with cutting-edge technology and advanced marketing strategies. Working for a DSP places you in the driver’s seat of this change.
2. The Central Role of DSPs in Programmatic Advertising
To understand why working for a DSP is so rewarding, it’s important to understand its place in the broader programmatic ecosystem. The programmatic workflow involves several key technologies, including Supply-Side Platforms (SSPs), Data Management Platforms (DMPs), and measurement companies. However, the DSP is the epicenter of programmatic advertising—the pivotal link between Supply and Demand. It’s the only platform that cannot be bypassed, as every dollar spent in programmatic advertising transacts through a DSP delivering a 360 view of the entire transaction chain!
3. The pinnacle of Technology and Innovation
DSPs are where the magic happens in programmatic advertising. As the most sophisticated piece of technology in the life of a bid, DSPs house 3 critical components:
· The Inventory Gate: This component ensures that brands access the right ad spaces at the right time with the right Supply Path Optimization strategy.
· The Bidder: The algorithmic engine that decides, in real-time, how much to bid for a particular impression based on quality of inventory, audience data, user scoring and targeting parameters.
· The Transaction Data: Any form of reporting, recording the history of all transactions operated on the platform. This allows machine learning, optimization, tracking and measurement (with respect to Data privacy requirements).
The whole value proposition of programmatic advertising depends on those 3 properties: targeting efficiency, cost-effectiveness, complex attribution models as well as ad personalization. Working for a DSP means you’ll be at the frontline of creating and optimizing this architecture, which is the foundation of the programmatic advertising ecosystem. For tech enthusiasts and problem solvers, mastering the technology behind a DSP can last an entire career. Very few technologies can claim the same level of complexity and depth, which provides endless opportunities for professional growth.
4. Deepening Your Technical Expertise
A career in DSPs offers unparalleled opportunities to expand your technical knowledge. The complexity and sophistication of DSP technology encourages professionals to deepen their understanding of how real-time bidding works. Whether you are a sales representative, developer or account manager, working for a DSP is fascinating and will push you to the next level in your career.
In practice, DSP roles often require professionals to collaborate with data scientists, engineers, and product teams. It offers a unique opportunity to transition from a role-specific to an outstanding programmatic consultant, who understands the whole ecosystem, making you highly desirable to employers across a variety of industries.
As the entire transaction process is managed by DSPs, you will also be involved in various partnership conversations across multiple areas—whether with publishers, data providers, or advertisers—which offer a diverse set of experiences, making every day different and exciting. This constant exposure to different sides of the industry will expand your expertise and network, which will set you apart in the job market.
5. The Current DSP market
The demand for skilled DSP professionals is rising as programmatic advertising continues to dominate global ad spend. Major players in the DSP space have set high standards in the industry. However, newer DSP platforms are emerging, bringing innovative solutions that address the latest challenges in the industry such as the deprecation of cookies. These next-generation DSPs, built on the most recent technologies, focus on powerful functionalities to drive better performances, addressing privacy and brand safety concerns, improving transparency, and integrating the most advanced technologies like AI to provide more effective and ethical advertising solutions.
As a job seeker, it's important to carefully evaluate which DSP aligns best with your career goals, whether it's an established player or an emerging platform that excites you with its innovation and vision.
Conclusion: A Future in DSP is a Future in Innovation
As programmatic advertising becomes increasingly important in the digital marketing world, DSPs remain the most critical component of the ecosystem. They offer endless opportunities for learning, technical expertise, and career growth, while placing you at the center of technological and marketing innovations with constant new industry regulations.
If you’re looking for a career path that is dynamic, fast-paced, and future-focused, then working for a DSP is a smart choice. You’ll be involved in the sophisticated conversations that power modern advertising and will help shape how brands connect with consumers in a constant evolving digital landscape.
Written by Audrey Boisumeau, Managing Director EMEA, AIDEM Technologies
Source :eMarketer (Insider Intelligence),Statista, IAB, Magna Global