Thriving in the digital advertising realm is a complex task. As we’ve observed the ebb and flow of various streaming services and media outlets over time, one must wonder: What’s the secret to staying ahead? Leveraging successful video marketing strategies can significantly enhance your digital advertising efforts, helping you maintain a competitive edge.
The rush to launch can often eclipse the development of superior technological solutions. Engineers frequently face the pressure to deliver features swiftly, yet finding the right balance is crucial.
Nearly a decade into his career, Nikolay Lebedev has mastered the art of rapid development followed by iterative optimization at Paramount streaming. Starting at Pluto TV as one of the pioneering ad tech engineers and now leading his team, Lebedev’s contributions have led to the creation of an Emmy Award-winning advertising platform.
Nikolay, with your career starting alongside the advent of streaming ad technology, how did you identify the most promising solutions and directions?
In any burgeoning field, especially in digital ad technology, charting a course in uncharted territory demands creativity and innovation, alongside adapting to changing business needs. One day, the priority may be speed; the next, quality.
It’s crucial to experiment, embrace failure quickly, and take bold risks while building rapidly. Perfection isn’t required in your initial solutions. What matters is progress. Soon, you’ll set a pace, and others will look to you for guidance.
As advancements in artificial intelligence (AI) continue to shape various industries, staying ahead in digital advertising demands a keen understanding of these technologies
What are the key elements for developing a successful digital advertising technology solution?
Data reigns supreme – it’s vital to measure everything. This principle is fundamental for all advertising platforms, as the efficiency of your system hinges on how well you understand your audience and product.
Incorporating robust A/B testing, data pipelines, and telemetry is essential. These investments are long-term but yield significant dividends by enabling rapid, data-informed decisions for future features.
From my experience, perfection at launch is unattainable; aiming for it is the goal. Using data to derive insights provides a clearer path to this target and persuades stakeholders to continue backing your vision.
What do you perceive as the biggest obstacle to growth in the advertising technology sector?
Growing pains are inevitable, but neglecting to scale your solutions can lead to significant setbacks. This is especially pertinent in the dynamic ad tech landscape, characterized by mergers, acquisitions, and occasionally, overnight success.
Balancing system performance and reliability with business expansion is a complex challenge for engineers. Scaling involves not just increasing infrastructure and resources to support growth and ad volumes but also ensuring the technology remains robust, efficient, and adaptable to varying advertising demands.
In ad tech, where speed is essential, being unprepared for emerging opportunities can hinder growth. Ignoring scalability affects your ability to maximize revenue and deliver value to advertisers.
How do you tackle seemingly overwhelming challenges in digital advertising?
Often, the best engineering solution is the simplest one. For instance, streaming is simply a modernized form of watching TV – an evolution of an existing solution, simplified through technology.
My approach is to adapt familiar solutions to new problems rather than inventing entirely new concepts, which are rare. Then, tweak these solutions to meet specific business needs.
I always remind myself that no challenge is too daunting. Breaking problems into smaller segments can spark creativity and lead to effective solutions.
Besides your technical skills, what has been your “superpower” in your ad tech career?
Collaborating with problem solvers is crucial. After forming several engineering teams, I’ve learned that the best results come from a solution-oriented approach.
The focus should be on collective problem-solving skills, adaptability, and a willingness to iterate and innovate. This involves creating an environment where team members can freely share ideas, face challenges together, and feel supported in doing so.
Moreover, maintaining close collaborations with partners and stakeholders builds strong relationships that are mutually beneficial. While this strategy may seem straightforward, it is incredibly effective in the advertising sector, as success is shared.
A typical example in ad tech is ad exchanges, where both supply and demand sides grow together. By combining forces, each can concentrate on their strengths.
