London-based independent media agency, the7stars, has announced the launch of Prospero, the first fully managed, transparent, programmatic omni-channel trading model in the UK. Built to bring real disruption and change to the programmatic marketplace, Prospero provides marketers with:

• Consolidation of all programmatic supply, both inventory and data, into a single platform  
• Complete visibility and control across the entire programmatic ecosystem, both demand and supply side
• Premium publisher and privacy first data focus

By breaking down the programmatic supply chain and enabling the full optimisation of each stage, Prospero can significantly reduce the proportion of a brand’s media budget being spent on technology, data, and management fees that are not adding incremental value to media campaigns. As a result, a greater portion of the media budget is invested with premium publishers, leading to better results for brands.  

Launch clients, including Sofology, Avanti, and Sandals, have already experienced game-changing results. For campaigns handled through Prospero, clients have seen, on average, an increase in working media spend of 20-25% compared to the latest ISBA/PwC benchmarks.

Powered by Hawk’s omni-channel technology, Prospero delivers high-quality, impactful inventory across connected TV (CTV), digital out-of-home (DOOH), digital audio, digital video, digital display, and in-game. Following a competitive pitch process, the7stars partnered with Hawk in an exclusive relationship that offers unparalleled levels of transparency in the market.

Rhys Williams, digital lead at the7stars said: "Many advertisers are rightly concerned about the state of transparency in the programmatic supply chain. Whilst the latest UK ISBA/PwC study showed some progress has been made, it was telling to see that still just 65 pence in every pound spent on programmatic actually ends up being spent on working media.

"Prospero aims to provide advertisers with insights and confidence to make informed decisions over supply path optimisation. Understanding fee structures is essential when it comes to measuring campaign effectiveness and optimising strategies." 

Jennifer Richards, group commercial lead at Hawk said: “Prospero is unique in the market. It empowers advertisers by allowing them to see under the bonnet of every single technology in the programmatic media trading supply chain, as well as have visibility of every single impression that runs through a campaign; as a result they know the value that's being added from a data perspective, from a supply perspective, and can then have this verified.”