The Trade Desk Closes the Gap Between Advertisers and Publishers with the Debut of OpenPath

OpenPath is closing the gap between advertisers and publishers by offering direct access to premium publisher advertising inventory. As a global leader in advertising technology, The Trade Desk, makers of OpenPath, is introducing this new product, leveling the playing field for advertisers. 

What Are The Biggest Challenges OpenPath is Designed to Address and Correct?

OpenPath is designed to address some major challenges within the industry including the following main issues:

1. The complexity and opaqueness of the supply chain. 
2. The transparency and costs for both publishers and advertisers.
3. The unfair advantage can sometimes cause problems for those in the middle of the process.

The Trade Desks Goals 

The main goals set forth by The Trade Desk for this new tool is to do the following:

1. Create a level playing field for everyone.
2. Find the best path to every impression for advertisers.
3. Strengthen access to targeted, premium inventory, including CTV. 

The Basic Function of OpenPath

OpenPath in its most basic form gives publishers the ability to integrate directly with The Trade Desk. This means advertisers are given direct access to advertising impressions created by those publishers, enabling them to maximize their revenue from these impressions through better positioning. One welcome design feature of OpenPath is the removal of traditional inefficiencies that are too often present when it comes to digital advertising programmatic supply chains. 

Jeff Green, who is the chairman, CEO, and co-founder of The Trade Desk, describes OpenPath as follows:

“OpenPath levels the playing field for advertisers, ensuring they get transparent and objective access to the very best digital advertising inventory, starting with many of the world’s top journalistic outlets. OpenPath is an excellent example of industry leaders working together to advance an open market that ensures transparent price competition and maximizes value for both advertisers and publishers. With that in mind, as OpenPath launches, the Trade Desk will turn off Google Open Bidding on its platform.” 

Advertisers Don’t Have to Take Immediate Action

The Trade Desk is currently in the process of onboarding initial publishing partners to launch OpenPath fully. Therefore, advertisers don’t currently have to take any action at the moment. There is also no current change in how advertisers access their inventory at present. In the future, though, through the implementation of this platform, advertisers can either choose to access select premium publishers either through a typical SSP pathway or OpenPath. The Trade Desk will maintain principled, objective choices on paths focusing on helping advisors deliver the best outcome. Colling Media has gained access to beta programs and has connected digital advertisers finding success already via OpenPath. 

What OpenPath is Not

The Trade Desk is not launching a supply-side platform SSP, though they will continue to partner with SSPs across the open internet to access the full breadth of supply. Instead, they are giving advertisers the choice of a more direct path to premium publishers. In so doing, they are supporting a more objective, transparent, and efficient supply path, thereby maximizing the value of a buyer’s media investments. 

Serving Only Advertisers

With the announcement of OpenPath, The Trade Desk remains committed to serving only advertisers. Since its inception as a company, its main goal has been to increase the supply chain and simultaneously optimize transparency with regard to its advertising clients. OpenPath is the notable and significant step yet to this end. It’s important to understand that The Trade Desk will not be entering the supply side of the industry, it won’t be providing side services either, like yield management. Instead, OpenPath is purposefully designed to create direct access, meet advertiser demand, and allow them to continue to leverage their current yield management tools and partners.

Conclusion

Colling Media has newly partnered with the Trade Desk to drive results for a wide range of clients. Through our partnership we combine the premium experience of OpenPath with advanced targeting capabilities, delivering your ideal customer at your feet. While tracking online activity is vital, we find it just as important to track offline conversions as well. Being stuck in the supply chain is becoming a way of the past as advertisers should look to invest in their future leads. 

Are you looking to connect your business directly to publishers? Contact us.