Independent programmatic, planned around your customers.

The Trade Desk is an independent technology company whose demand-side platform lets advertisers buy digital advertising programmatically across the open internet. Through one platform, campaigns can reach display, online video, connected TV, streaming audio and other formats across a wide range of publishers and exchanges. Being independent means it does not own the media it sells, which many advertisers value for transparency. It offers detailed control over audiences, inventory, frequency and measurement, and is widely used by agencies and larger brands.

An agency that works with The Trade Desk plans, buys and optimises programmatic media on your behalf. At Vertical that includes media planning, audience and data strategy, inventory and deal selection, creative specifications, brand safety, frequency management, measurement and ongoing optimisation. Because we also run search, social and native advertising, we build programmatic into a single plan and connect its results to the rest of your marketing. You work with experienced planners focused on commercial outcomes.

Both are demand-side platforms for buying programmatic advertising across display, video, audio and connected TV. DV360 is part of Google's marketing tools and connects closely with YouTube and other Google products. The Trade Desk is independent, which appeals to advertisers who want a neutral buying platform across the open internet. The best choice depends on your goals, the inventory you need, your measurement setup and your existing tools. We will recommend the platform that fits rather than a default.

It tends to suit brands with meaningful media budgets that want to reach audiences at scale across several formats, particularly connected TV, audio and online video, with close control over quality and measurement. Smaller budgets are often better served by self-serve platforms such as Google Ads or Meta, where the minimum effective spend is lower. We look at your goals, margins and current channels before recommending programmatic, and we will say plainly if another route would give you better value.

Yes. Connected TV is one of the main reasons brands use The Trade Desk. It reaches people watching streaming services on smart TVs and other devices, with digital targeting and measurement that traditional television cannot match. We plan connected TV alongside online video and audio, manage frequency so people see your message enough without being overexposed and measure the effect on site visits, searches and sales. Lift studies can be added where you need firmer proof of impact.

Unified ID 2.0 is an open source identity framework, developed with The Trade Desk, that lets advertisers and publishers recognise audiences using consented, encrypted identifiers rather than third-party cookies. It is one of several identity approaches available for programmatic buying. We use identity solutions where they improve relevance and measurement, alongside contextual targeting and your own first-party data. Privacy and consent are respected throughout, and we choose the approach that suits your data, audience and the markets you operate in.

We agree suitability standards with you before launch, then apply them through exclusion lists, inventory selection, private marketplace deals with trusted publishers and verification tools where appropriate. Viewability and invalid traffic are monitored continuously, and placements that fall short are removed. The aim is for every impression to appear somewhere you are comfortable being seen, while still reaching enough of the right people to make a difference to results.

We connect conversion tracking to your analytics and judge each campaign by the role it plays. Connected TV, video and audio are measured on reach, attention and their effect on site visits and searches, while retargeting is measured on leads and sales. Where awareness activity needs proving, we use lift studies to compare exposed and unexposed audiences. Reporting uses agreed definitions, so programmatic results can be compared fairly with your other channels and budget can follow evidence.

Start with a conversation about your goals, audiences, budgets and current channels. If you already buy programmatic media, we usually begin with an audit of campaigns, inventory, frequency, brand safety and measurement, then share a prioritised plan. If programmatic is new for you, we scope a focused plan with clear measures of success. Either way, we will tell you plainly where we think the opportunity is and how we would approach it together.