Events & Resources

Learning Center
Read through guides, explore resource hubs, and sample our coverage.
Learn More
Events
Register for an upcoming webinar and track which industry events our analysts attend.
Learn More
Podcasts
Listen to our podcast, Behind the Numbers for the latest news and insights.
Learn More

About

Our Story
Learn more about our mission and how EMARKETER came to be.
Learn More
Our Clients
Key decision-makers share why they find EMARKETER so critical.
Learn More
Our People
Take a look into our corporate culture and view our open roles.
Join the Team
Our Methodology
Rigorous proprietary data vetting strips biases and produces superior insights.
Learn More
Newsroom
See our latest press releases, news articles or download our press kit.
Learn More
Contact Us
Speak to a member of our team to learn more about EMARKETER.
Contact Us

Why Ubisoft Is Moving to Self-Service Ad Buying

Marketers are taking steps to reduce tech fees

An interview with:
Ken Tran
Director, Performance Media
Ubisoft

Advertisers’ demands for more transparency and lower tech fees has given rise to self-service ad buying. Ken Tran, director of performance media at Ubisoft, spoke with eMarketer’s Ross Benes about how the video game company grew its programmatic operation and took more control over the way it purchases ad inventory.

eMarketer:

Has your programmatic operation grown in recent years?

Ken Tran:

Yes, it has. We had two people on programmatic in 2016. Now we have about 18. It's considerable growth, considering how short the amount of time it has been.

eMarketer:

How has your approach to programmatic ad buying changed as you’ve grown your team?

Ken Tran:

We essentially buy through demand-side platforms’ [DSPs] self-service capabilities. In-housing the tech stack involves moving away from a managed model to a self-service model.

eMarketer:

Is reducing tech fees the main incentive to moving to self-service buying?

Ken Tran:

That’s part of it. It’s the ability to be more efficient and cost effective. But another key component is to enhance collaboration between [different company departments], especially between the marketing team and the media team.

eMarketer:

Do you still work with an ad agency to buy inventory?

Ken Tran:

In some digital buys, we do rely on our agency partners. With endemic and direct buys that we are not able to self-service, we do work with an agency partner and leverage the buying power that they have.

Interview conducted on August 8, 2018
Create an account for uninterrupted access to select interviews.
Create a Free Account