Q+A: How Havas Media Group’s Meaningful Marketplace Cleaned Up the Supply Chain Pipeline

Navigating the murky waters of the digital advertising supply chain can be difficult for buyers and publishers looking for transparency in a brand-safe environment. 

Havas Media Group created the Meaningful Marketplace to better connect advertisers and publishers with media that matters, making the supply chain pipeline shorter and cleaner on both sides of the programmatic pipe. 

The Meaningful Marketplace reduces high sell-side fees for media partners, allowing for a greater equitable share of investment and more opportunities to invest in content and creators. Brand-safe content is more accessible, allowing advertisers to support media that isn’t harmful and minority-owned and operated media. The cost is also transparent from the buy to the sell-side and available to both publishers and advertisers.

Magnite spoke with Tom Grant, SVP, Group Director, Investment Operations at Havas Media Group, about how the Meaningful Marketplace ensures transparency in a programmatic ecosystem and how Magnite’s ExpressLane helps it get there. 

What challenges were advertisers facing that led HMG to create the Meaningful Marketplace as a solution?

Historically, HMG purchased inventory on a larger list of SSPs and leveraged open exchange buying alongside PMPs. In these environments, it was challenging to curate inventory to avoid lower quality placements such as “made for advertising” sites or ensure that all tech partners were transparent on supply chain costs.

Conversely, Meaningful Marketplaces provides advertisers with access to trusted media while creating a more equitable ad ecosystem for publishers by reducing sell-side fees.  

How does HMG define a brand-safe environment, and how is the agency working to establish this for clients?

HMG is a member of the industry body GARM, which aims to provide consistent categorization of sensitive content through its Brand Safety Floor and Suitability Framework. The framework provides low, medium and high-risk content categories that can be deployed across ad verification partners and publishers.

How does HMG use Magnite’s ExpressLane for the Meaningful Marketplace? What are the benefits for HMG partnering with Magnite?

ExpressLane provides a more direct path to publisher supply at a significantly lower cost to publishers than traditional DSP>SSP pipes.  

In turn, this has allowed publishers to pass on those savings to HMG and their advertisers. Another benefit has been improved access to supply, enabling HMG to scale against harder-to-reach audiences. With more direct access, HMG can better control investment to maximize performance and publisher relationships. 

How has the Meaningful Marketplace benefited clients so far? Any specifics you can share?

Through the Meaningful Marketplace, HMG has enabled its advertisers to show up on properties that are trusted, engaging and influential to end consumers. This has translated to stronger KPI performance, including a 9% improved CPA and 40% improved CTR.

What are HMG’s future plans for the Meaningful Marketplace?

HMG has recently integrated attention data into its proprietary tool, the Meaningful Media Planner, allowing advertisers to optimize delivery within the Meaningful Marketplace to drive the strongest outcomes for clients. In 2023, HMG will complete integration with Scope3’s carbon calculator to enable an understanding of the environmental impacts of buys and enable offsetting as part of an advertisers’ ESG program.