Dentsu Aegis launches hi-tech global trading desk

Mumbai: Digital marketing communications and media firm Dentsu Aegis Network on Monday said that it has launched a technology-driven and algorithm-based global trading desk AMNET in India. It will help buy highly-targeted and audience-specific digital media across display, mobile and video.

The platform is based on the concept of programmatic buying, which refers to purchase, placement and otimisation of media inventories in an automated manner.

AMNET in India will be headed by Sumit Aggarwal and will help understand online behaviour of consumers by gathering big data.

A platform like this, the agency says, will help allow the right advertisements to be delivered to the right people, at the right time.

Aggarwal has over 17 years of experience in media, entertainment and telecom sectors was vice-president (monetisation) for Reliance Jio’s multiscreen advertising platform. He will report to Ashish Bhasin, chairman and chief executive officer for South Asia, Dentsu Aegis Network. Salil Shanker will be the business head of AMNET and will take care of the operational aspects.

The platform will of use for the Dentsu’s bigger clients with larger inventories, said Bhasin. Some of these clients include GM, Microsoft, Philips, Reebok and Adidas, Jet Airways and British Airways.

“For the first time, Dentsu Aegis Network clients will exclusively have access to programmatic buying at this scale and with such levels of sophistication,” said Bhasin who added that the decision to bring the platform to India was led by the fact that they have been strengthening their digital offerings with four different agencies in their portfolio—iProspect, Isobar, Dentsu Webchutney and WATConsult.

Bhasin said that besides adding to revenues, the bigger focus was to help optimise client spends towards the digital medium more efficiently.

According to a recent report by media investment firm GroupM, backed by smart data and analytics, programmatic buying in India is expected to see growth in 2015.