The Democratization of Ad Tech – Part 1

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I’m a digital marketer. What do digital marketers do…we sell things on the Internet. This gives us both a tremendous advantage and a tremendous challenge. It’s a big, big world out there and the reality of all this is that we live in a world controlled almost entirely by technology. It’s natural. Once it became “safe” to buy things on-line it became safe to sell things on-line and that’s what us digital marketers have to figure out for ourselves…pretty much one day at a time. But the irony of it all, because it is all “hi-tech” and therefore mystifying, everyone finds themselves in the same boat. And when I say everyone I mean everyone. We are in the midst of an era. The transition from one way of life to another, a transition that rivals our evolution from the steam engine to the combustion engine. Whether I’m Procter & Gamble or LittleGuy Advertising, we now have the same tools and the same playing field. That means that if Procter & Gamble and LittleGuy were ever to compete in the same arena, the 20th century model, based entirely on deep pockets, would quickly favor a P&G.

Don’t get me wrong, there will always be room for deep pockets in this business, but even in today’s age of economic disparity, there is a certain revolution going on…re-asking a very old question. Can money buy everything?

It can buy talent, it can buy equipment, it can buy large swaths of land. But can it be sure that cute little Facebook or Instagram ad wll have whatever it takes to create a short-lived but potent viral effect? Will Proctor & Gamble ads have a greater impact on a teenage audience because they have deep pockets? Maybe yes and maybe no. The keyword here is “maybe”. P&G can pump millions of dollars into the ad machines that determine what gets seen where. They will be seen by millions…but with lackluster results? Very possible. While LittleGuy ads spend $1000, go viral, sell whatever they’re selling like hot cakes, and everyone’s happy. Maybe…maybe not.

The certainty of big ad agencies or big marketing companies or big anything…no longer exists. Some may find it disconcerting and I can understand why but others will find it quite liberating. In high school physics we were taught about simple machines and the mechanical advantage they create that make doing a tough job easier. The lever, for instance, one of my favorites, could allow a single person to move a rock or a dead animal 2x or 3x their own weight. The “amount” of mechanical advantage being 2x or 3x the weight depended on where one placed the fulcrum…the balancing point.

In my opinion, what the internet has given us is the opportunity to build our own levers to lift what we need to lift with the added advantage of choosing our fulcrum anywhere we want.
But keep in mind, the lever works the same way for EVERYONE. It doesn’t divvy out its mechanical advantage based on who’s rich and who’s poor. And like the Muses chooses to give her secrets only to the virtuoso…the most skilled of artists and craftsmen. In coming articles, you’ll see what I mean.