Here at Arm Candy, our goal is to meet with as many tech partners as possible. It is part of our job to be experts in the digital media industry, and the industry changes constantly. Evaluating partners and vetting out promises or guarantees on performance is a crucial step in the process.
The most important factor we look for in a partner is a unique differentiator—be it technology, data, capabilities or something else. Second, are they bringing something unique to benefit our business or are they simply on a road show, going from agency to agency with the same exact pitch?
One of our QSR clients is testing connected TV this year, so we vetted a variety of partners to discover added value opportunities and exciting technology that could give this test the best chance of success.
Selecting the partner
After reviewing the proposals, we selected Verve as the right partner to select for this campaign for the following reasons:
- SSP ownership
- Innovative targeting
- Fantastic technical support
- Great added value opportunities including brand lift studies
From the technical perspective, Verve owning an SSP was a big differentiator for us, which allowed us to pass along cost efficiencies to our client. As a media vendor, they have experience running brand lift studies across both open inventory and PMP environments. Finally, we trusted that they would not “set it and forget it”. This is, in our experience, the most underrated part of any ad tech partnership.
When reflecting on the partnership, account lead Lauren Cannarella shared, “Verve was a partner that went above and beyond in all aspects of the campaign. They had weekly meetings with the team, bringing performance notes and optimizations recommended and put together a thorough QBR for not just us, but the client as well. The special touch they brought was creating a memorable Hawaiian experience at our client’s office to build excitement around the brand. We not only had great performance, but it was a great partnership and relationship throughout the campaign.”
It takes two to tango
Arm Candy’s mission is to be an “MVP” (most valuable partner) to our clients and we apply this ethos to our partners as well. “Arm Candy’s cutting-edge technology stack and collaborative working style combine well with Verve’s premium inventory and scalable audiences. In a short time, we have already exceeded campaign goals, and we are eager to uncover more opportunities to help the agency and the brands it represents. What has impressed me the most about working with the Arm Candy team is their ability to translate client goals and objectives into data-driven technology solutions that deliver on client expectations. That’s the kind of partnership that Verve Group wants to be a part of for the long haul,” said Michael Shmarak, Senior Director of Communications at Verve Group.
Looking for us to vet out ad tech partners for use in your media plan? Or just want a consultation about the current space? Drop us a line here and we’re happy to chat!