For a well-established global brand like Kimberly-Clark, programmatic not only offers the ability to optimise media buys and improve consumer targeting, it provides critical data that is the backbone of the CPG company's marketing vision.

In this Q&A profile, Mayur Gupta, Kimberly-Clark's global head of marketing technology and innovation, underscores the importance of its DMP strategy while emphasising the need to ensure a "connected omni-channel experience". He also explains why Asia-Pacific seems to be lagging in terms of programmatic adoption, but points to mobile as a significant factor behind the way it drives brand in the region.

Mayur chats with ExchangeWire in the leadup to the upcoming Programmatic Summit in Sydney on 5 March, during which the Kimberly-Clark executive will be giving the keynote speech.

Why is the concept of programmatic buying important to a CPG brand like Kimberly-Clark, and what are the underlying benefits?

The concept of programmatic buying is or will be critical for any marketing organisation and brand builder, not just Kimberly-Clark, that wants to drive consumer engagement and participation. We were one of the pioneers in the adoption of this technology as a CPG player and have grown ever since.

Programmatic is the first ad tech/martech capability that tries to bring the human at the centre of a rather disruptive and fast-evolving technology landscape. It's a culmination of innovation in data and technology and addressable media; ultimately, to drive a connected, seamless and an omni-channel consumer experience.

To really understand the benefits and potential impact of programmatic, you not only need to look at what's above the water but, more importantly, what's underneath. Optimising media buys, driving higher addressability and reach, and an ability to target consumers and personas--as opposed to publishers and venue--are some of the obvious benefits. However, a bigger impact comes from the power of having data and insights collected through programmatic with the evolution of DMPs, especially as you start to connect this data with rest of the data landscape, including third-party data sources. That level of data harmonisation is the foundation for a true omni-channel experience.

What is Kimberly-Clark's strategy around the management and use of data? Do you use a DMP?

Data is extremely critical to our marketing vision and efforts at all levels. Whether it is collecting, measuring, and analysing our data to optimise our marketing spend through mix modelling or optimising our ecommerce initiatives or creating a universal profile of our consumer across channels and touch-points, data for us is the wiring that connects our ecosystem.

The DMP capability as part of our trading desk is a critical asset and while we started that journey a few years back, we are still in 'walking' mode and have yet to transition to a sprint. We have a well-established roadmap for where we would like to take our DMP as part of a broader data harmonisation strategy that fits with our overall marketing vision.

Will the DMP become more important going forward for big brands such as Kimberly-Clark, moving away from a store of cookie data to becoming a multi-channel media and advertising optimisation platform?

Absolutely, yes, but with a caveat that the true impact of the DMP is not limited to delivering multichannel experiences that are isolated to specific channels, but that also drive a connected omni-channel experience that is channel-agnostic. This is where the bigger opportunity exists.

The ability to stitch user experience across channels and touchpoints is only possible when brands are able to harmonise data across various sources and establish a universal view of the consumer. Ultimately, we want to give consumers the right experience, at the right time, at the right location, and with the touchpoint of their choice.

What are your plans for programmatic going forward? Will there be increased activity in premium programmatic, DOOH, television and mobile?

This is a natural progression. Predicting the future is always challenging, but the easiest way to gauge the next two years is to look at the last five. The evolution of media buying from the first clickable banner ad on Global Network Navigator to this world of real-time bidding and contextual buying is a simple proof of the pace and expansion.

What started with display has already evolved to online video. Certain providers and DSPs such as TubeMogul and Cox are already making strides to replicate and pilot programmatic for television. While nothing concrete has emerged across those channels beyond baby steps, it is only a question of time when the blueprints are defined and laid out. It certainly is the next evolution of programmatic.

Is there a bigger emphasis on mobile given the penetration in the Asia-Pacific region?

Yes, no doubt about it. At Kimberly-Clark, we have gone to great length to imbibe a mindset that we don't do 'digital marketing' but we believe in 'marketing in a digital world' and, thereby, in building legendary brands.

This is only possible through delivering seamless consumer experiences and, ultimately, changing consumer behaviours and driving participation. So, while we don't believe in the notion of 'mobile-first' as a channel-focused strategy, for regions such as Asia-Pacific or markets like Korea, mobile does become 'the' digital world in which the consumer lives and engages. This certainly influences the kind of experiences and ideas we design for our brands.

Programmatic deployment is still seen as somewhat behind in this region. What would you say is still lacking in the ecosystem, be it in terms of the tools available or the role of market players, and that needs to be resolved to drive adoption?

Look, there is no doubt programmatic in Asia-Pacific isn't at the same place as it is in North America, or Europe for that matter. However the last 18 months or so has seen a tremendous shift where there has been a lot more awareness and push to adopt programmatic. Leading brands and CPGs, including Kimberly-Clark, are making big strides.

We need to attribute some of that slow adoption to a simple fact that Asia-Pacific is not a homogenous region like North America. The landscape is highly fragmented and traditional big media players have struggled in leading markets due to unique local cultures, business models, and consumer behaviours. The trend is certainly changing, though.