Gumtree drives hard into programmatic with launch of Gumtree Media
Sales site Gumtree has taken a huge step into the programmatic space with the launch of Gumtree Media to drive “active buyers” directly to advertisers by becoming a “programmatic-first” business.
The move comes as the sales site continues to build its local offer, having recently launched a campaign promoting itself as the first destination for car buyers in Australia.
Laura Hill, head of advertising and partnerships for Gumtree Australia, said that the move was a natural one for the business. “Programmatic now has got to the level that it’s not just about buying remnant media anymore.”
“In the past couple of years that we have been working in this space it has really evolved, and it has evolved quickly.
“We have started to see more brands and more ‘always on’ briefs come via the trading desk, so we’re really seeing a switch in the way media agencies are planning and buying their campaigns. We feel like now is a good point to be an early adopter and a first-to-market on this approach.”
Hill said many companies were now also setting up their own in-house programmatic trading desks and that Gumtree, with an audience of seven million Australians on the site each month, allowed advertisers to move to a fully programmatic-driven buying model which would offer brands better targeting.
“This will drive efficiencies for both the buyers and sellers,” said Hill.
“Australia is definitely a leader in digital advertising and Australia is also progressive in the programmatic space and we are seeing more dollars transacted programmatically in Australian than in the US.
“From a programmatic perspective we are really focused on leveraging data to enhance the user experience whilst also working with our product teams to ensure that the advertisements are relevant.
Hill said Gumtree would continue to work directly with key accounts to add value to its businesses. Its push into programmatic is accompanied by a refresh of the Gumtree website, which Hill said was part of the ongoing evolution of the brand and part of Gumtree continuing to add new elements to its offer over the coming months.
“It is a cleaner visual representation, an improved user experience across our mobile web and desktop experience to really bring a fresh, modern contemporary feel to the site.”
