You Don’t Need to Replace Your Entire OMS to Automate Direct Advertising

As direct deals based on first party data become the norm, end-to-end automation will yield enormous ROI to buyers and sellers. To accomplish it many publishers will consider retooling their tech stack. They may even consider completely swapping out existing systems, including the OMS. But they shouldn’t need to do this — especially if existing parts of their system work just fine. 

Instead, publishers should be able to layer on integrations and technologies that enhance their current tech stack — even if they’re not (currently) open to swapping out a cornerstone system like the OMS. That way, publishers can enjoy the benefits of new capabilities such as automated creative management without going through the hassle and costs that come with a full OMS replacement.

What’s Changed to Make Layering Possible?

For publishers, adding to the capabilities of the OMS has historically necessitated switching providers entirely. So, you may be wondering what’s changed. 

The ability to replicate contracted line items, and subsequently map corresponding creatives enables tools like FatTail’s Portal to seamlessly receive data from alternative publisher systems like Operative and Placements. In other words, Portal – a standalone application that automates creative management and advertiser communication – is OMS-agnostic. 

In fact, publishers running on an OMS other than FatTail’s AdBook can still take advantage of Portal’s capabilities on day one — without having to write a line of code. Those capabilities include automated creative management, media planning, and billing.

What Can Publishers Do with Portal?

Publishers working with national agencies know that a few dozen ad placements on an order can turn into an exercise of 1,000 line-items for flighting or contract purposes. With Portal, the publisher could turn those thousand line items into a much smaller list solely focusing on creatives needed, enabling more seamless asset collection and communication between the publisher and its agency partners. 

Automations like that are how publishers such as Cox Automotive have reduced 50% of the total steps required by creative asset management since starting to use Portal. Last year, Cox used Portal to deploy a client-facing platform that aggregates all creative assets in one centralized location, automates email reminders, and offers transparent campaign details. This has allowed Cox to scale its creative collection to more than 2,000 campaigns since it first deployed Portal in February 2023 while accounting for the difficulties the localization and complexity of its ad products pose.

With Portal, Cox materially reduced costs with 10-20% time savings across account and campaign management teams. During the January 2024 upfront season, Cox was able to handle 18% more line items and 36% higher creative volume, all with a leaner headcount. Not to mention that it was the first time that the team didn’t have to work through New Year’s weekend. 

Will Agencies Actually Use Portal?

Six thousand brands and agencies, including the large agency holding companies, already use Portal to streamline communication with major publishers like American City Business Journals and Cox. 
When it’s easier for advertisers to buy from you, they buy more. To learn more about how you can integrate Portal into your OMS and make the buying process seamless for advertisers, reach out to us at info@fattail.com.