… than when purchasing through an ad exchange or even using an ad server? I am tasked with helping to expand my company’s online marketing, the options we are looking at are essentially 1) using an ad server to manage ‘private’ media buys 2) using an ad exchange like OpenX Market or 3) using a DSP. One major factor in this decision is the amount of data we can collect in order to optimise media buys.
This question was asked on Quora, below is my answer.

In the current marketplace a DSP is going to be able to give you more insight into your buys across many exchanges and SSPs. They are built from the ground up to cater to the needs of buyers.

Data

You’ll want to find a DSP that can work with many SSP and exchange’s private marketplace technology stacks. You may even find yourself using an SSP’s interface to place orders with particular publishers. Those deals are likely to be executed through the SSP/DSP technologies, so you’ll still need your DSP to act as the buying agent once the deal is done.

Since data collection is one of your primary needs, you might consider using a 3rd party ad server if the DSP you’re working with doesn’t have one that suits you. You can use an ad server as a service or set aside some hardware and install one on your own.