Elevating Your Programmatic Strategy with Viant’s Co-Managed Model: Q&A with Associate Manager of US Advertising Operations Cristen Silvers

The world of programmatic advertising is complex — and it’s only getting moreso. New ad channels, changing media consumption and purchasing habits, plus the end of third-party cookies are changing how the industry operates. Plus, not every agency or brand has the ability to optimize their programmatic strategy. 

To share why Viant’s Co-Managed Model is a great option for brands and agencies looking to get into (or elevate) their programmatic strategy, we sat down with Associate Manager of US Advertising Operations Cristen Silvers. 

Q: Cristen, before we dive in, can you give an overview of Viant’s DSP and our Co-Managed Solutions?

Viant’s DSP is an omnichannel programmatic platform that provides a one-stop shop where marketers can execute, target and measure (on and offline!) ad campaigns all in one place. It’s a complete solution. 

I believe our Co-Managed model is the perfect pairing to that solution because we pair an expert trader to help the client achieve success. This is the ideal solution for a client looking for more transparency, but might not have the resources for a full in-house trading team to manage their programmatic buy. 

Q: As an associate manager on our US Advertising Operations team, can you discuss how you typically interact with Viant clients?

The interactions for co-managed clients start on our side after the Master Services Agreement is signed. We work to develop and implement the campaign based on the client’s media plan and objectives. After the campaign is live, we manage the day-to-day needs and make optimization recommendations as needed to help maximize success. The client has visibility into all campaign activity and is responsible for final sign-offs. We believe communication is key, so there are often weekly office hours with clients to collect and provide feedback or optimizations, as well as weekly (or daily) emails and the occasional phone call outside of regularly scheduled meetings. 

Q: Say I’m an agency looking to get into or expand my programmatic execution. What makes our co-managed solution a win? 

Our co-managed solution is a win because you get the transparency of the self-service model and the expertise of a PCM/PAS to provide guidance and insights and help make the campaign successful. Us providing an expert trader is a relief to clients who might not have the bandwidth right away to support being fully self-service. It’s worth noting too this model makes a great stepping stone in moving from a traditional fixed-price buy to a programmatic/self-service buy. 

Q: What’s your favorite success story of working with a client using our co-managed solution?

I can’t think of just one instance, but my favorite scenario is seeing a client start off with a small test that eventually grows exponentially via experience with the platform and building a relationship with the Viant team. We’ve found it doesn’t take long to find success, either — a little time passes and soon enough we are enabling clients’ login with self-service access. It’s pretty neat to see how fast clients can ramp up and take off from our co-managed ‘nest’ over to the self-service side.  

Q: What, in your opinion, makes Viant’s Advertising Operations team stand out?

What makes Viant Ad Ops stand out is our adaptability and embrace of a core Viant’s tenant: Figure It Out. You got a problem? Ad Ops has the solution. Always. It’s part of the culture. We work really hard towards our goals and have a lot of fun along the way too.

Q: As we look towards Google deprecating cookies at the end of 2024, how do you think our US Advertising Operations team can help marketers succeed in digital advertising’s evolving cookieless landscape?

We can help marketers succeed because we do not rely on cookies for targeting or measurement. There are a lot of limitations around a cookie which we are not bound to. Because our Viant ID is people-based, we can see a user from the start to the finish of a campaign — no matter the device or location — all in a privacy-conscious way. We can also seamlessly onboard marketers’ customer data for targeting or use for measurement. This is a huge advantage for a client to be able to activate key customer data and keep the identity of that user intact via a programmatic buy. There is a lot of power in being able to do that and ultimately it drives more revenue for marketers.