Theorem Inc., a full-service flexible digital marketing and tech solutions provider with over 20 years of experience successfully streamlining ad operations, conducted research exploring the experience and sentiment ad operations and sales professionals have with the automation process and the impact automation has on business imperatives for media companies in categories such as streaming, audio, retail media and publishing. The research – conducted in partnership with global insights and strategy agency Hypothesis Group – uncovers key findings around time savings that automation affords and cites improvements with common pain points such as human errors and make-goods. The findings suggest that automation speeds up revenue cycles, allowing companies to realize revenue faster by processing higher volumes of work more efficiently.
Ad operations professionals see areas of opportunity when it comes to enhancing their workflows with big benefits for their organizations. A large majority – 86% – believe automation can modernize their businesses. Eighty-seven percent believe automation can make their companies more profitable, and 83% expressed that automation can make them more productive.
Time constraints were reported as presenting a major challenge to ad operations professionals. In fact, 86% of respondents say complex, time consuming or inefficient processes slow their pace of working. Seventy-five percent believe that automation will address those challenges and help them save time.
Not only does automation increase efficiencies, but 67% of ad operations professionals agree that automation can reduce human error while another 59% say it centralizes information and establishes consistencies across processes which eliminates bottlenecks and minimizes make-goods.
“Human errors and make-goods have become a standard practice across the industry due to the nature of the current ad operations workflow. We are seeing first-hand that automation has the power to revolutionize the industry and the revenue opportunity for media companies by addressing these systemic challenges,” said Jay Kulkarni, founder and CEO, Theorem. “By automating the manual tasks that lead to inefficiencies, human errors and make-goods, media companies recognize revenue faster, which drives their bottom lines.”
According to the research, common use cases for automation in the ad ops process include generating reports (62%), completing repeatable tasks (59%), and eliminating labor- intensive tasks (56%). Various benefits were cited as well:
- With automation, 64% of organizations expect to see better campaign performance;
- 63% of organizations want to see increased company revenue;
- 48% of respondents state they plan to see improved client satisfaction.
The research also explored sentiment around automation among ad ops professionals. The survey found that respondents felt positively about the introduction of automation. A fear of job loss was not mentioned. On the contrary, 81% of respondents believe automation is a complement to human workers, not a replacement. Additionally, 90% of respondents were open to their roles evolving as a result of automation.
“The research shows an eagerness among ad ops professionals to evolve workflows through automation and play more strategic roles in areas such as media strategy, campaign optimization and performance, and white-glove account management,” continued Kulkarni. “This is an encouraging finding and is very much aligned to what we have observed working with our clients and their teams. Media companies have much to gain from reimagining media operations and driving excellence with technologies like automation. It starts with the people and ends with greater revenue gain for the business.”
Methodology
In collaboration with global insights and strategy agency Hypothesis Group, Theorem conducted both qualitative and quantitative research from March 23 to April 17, 2023. Within the quantitative research, 229 decision-makers for digital ad and media planning were surveyed. Participants represented publishers, retail media networks, streaming media and audio companies, among others that use digital ads as a revenue stream and are considering implementing automation.
About Theorem
Founded in 2002, Theorem provides end-to-end agile digital marketing services for some of the world’s leading brands. With a mission of humanizing technology by delivering innovative solutions that empower businesses to drive sustainable growth, Theorem takes legacy services and pivots these approaches to develop future-proof, modern marketing solutions for clients and partners. Creating end-to-end solutions designed to solve client challenges, through extensive knowledge of digital marketing technology and strategies. Theorem is pioneering the future of full-service flexible marketing solutions. Theorem’s expertise saves their clients time, reduces their costs and increases their revenue. For more information, visit www.theoreminc.net
