B2B brands struggle with programmatic advertising more than agencies

Agencies outperform B2B brands when it comes to programmatic execution, according to a study by Dun & Bradstreet.

The 2019 Data-Driven Marketing and Advertising Outlook found the top challenges for both agencies and brands were targeting, measurement and metrics, as well as lack of skills in programmatic.

Almost half (49%) of brands struggled with targeting, compared with 32% of agencies. Approximately 10% more brands found lack or in-house programmatic skills an issue, in comparison with agencies.

,

Agencies further ahead in data-driven tactics.

Some 58% of agencies said they’re currently doing real-time campaign optimisation, compared to 39% of brands. Agencies were also found to do more cross-device targeting and predictive analytics than brands.

Anudit Vikram, SVP of audience solutions for Dun & Bradstreet, said: “Whether you are a brand or an agency, efficiency in executing campaigns is intimately dependent on understanding and activating data and generating actionable insights to power your marketing strategies.'

,

Programmatic spend is set to increase

The report also found the spend on programmatic ad buying was growing, and a dependence on data was continuing.

Despite little alteration in the number of programmatic users, 61% said they plan to increase programmatic spend in the next 12 months. Of these respondents, a fifth stated they plan to increase the spend by more than a quarter.

The research surveyed 237 B2B marketers from both client-side brands and agencies.

,