WPP’s GroupM Wins Big; Brian O’Kelley Says “Programmatic Is Dead”

WPP’s GroupM Wins Big; Brian O’Kelley Says “Programmatic Is Dead”

by AdExchanger

Media Biz Booming For WPP

WPP’s GroupM media arm won $854 million in net new business in Q1 (earnings release), nearly double its new billings during the same quarter last year. Some of the costs are attributable to the Q4 acquisition of Essence, a programmatic-first digital media agency. And of course the figures include lots of publisher payouts and other costs. But even if the margins are tiny, the volumes are huge (an estimated $7.7 billion in total quarterly media billings).

AppNexus CEO: Programmatic RIP?

In a Forbes op-ed, Brian O’Kelley declares, “Programmatic is dead.” In its place will be a “programmable” future where the media is “omnichannel” and the supply chain ever so transparent. “The programmable Internet … has compressed the supply chain for goods and services and replaced often opaque transactions with transparent ones.” Read it. Interesting alignment here between the programmable age and the company’s own “programmable bidder.” More in AdExchanger.

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