Welcome to Friday! This week we’re featuring a member of our incredible sales team, Alex Ratajczyk. Recently promoted to Channel Sales Director, Alex is responsible for servicing our demand side platforms. He’s been with 33Across for over four years and a lot has changed within the industry since his start. Check out his thoughts on how programmatic advertising has changed, awesome qualities within great salespeople, and his skills behind the camera.
Since your start at 33Across, how have you seen the programmatic industry evolve?
In my 4+ years in the industry, I've seen programmatic evolve to include more advanced buying tactics and more client demands for actionable insights including the need for more trusted partners to combat the 'bad actors' within ad tech. Leading industry players are now aligning with partners that are advancing in quality, transparency, and products. This allows them to achieve a real return on their programmatic advertising investment.
.jpg?width=550&name=50%20mm-6%20(1).jpg "50 mm-6 (1).jpg")
What are brands looking for in their programmatic partners in 2018?
In order to build efficiency, brands and agencies want to optimize their inventory access points and translate the value of the advertising dollar. Known as Supply Path Optimization (or what I like to call "SPO"), this process allows agencies and brands to get closer to their target audience and also benefit from richer data insights.
What do you think the best quality is for a salesperson to have?
Great salespeople know that it's all about the customer and they are always in tune with the customers’ needs. Let’s say a product doesn't align with a prospective client, the salesperson should be able to provide advice and recommend something they will find value in.
If someone wanted to enter the programmatic space, what advice would you have for them?
My advice would be to stay up to date on industry trends. Most importantly, learning and aligning your strengths to business needs is key. Strap in, it's a wild ride! The programmatic industry is fast-paced and always growing.
Do you have any creative passions outside of work?
I've been running around with my camera taking pictures and videos for years now. I love creating videos that people enjoy watching and taking photos. Most recently I've been creating music videos for hip-hop groups.
