The Women In Programmatic Network was set up to represent women in the programmatic industry. To celebrate its work, NDA is running a series of interviews with its members. Next up is Andrada Gheorghita, Trading Assistant, Dentsu.
Why did you join the Women in Programmatic network and what do you hope to get out of it?
I want to get more involved in communities that I’m part of and learn as much as I can regarding this industry as I am fairly new to programmatic.
What are the biggest challenges, and opportunities for women in the programmatic industry today?
I think being taken seriously is less of a problem than in the past, which is amazing to see, but I also think women in general don’t find this job prospect attractive, or just don’t know enough about it.
My initial idea was to apply to work in social media marketing, which would have been a tad more creative than programmatic, but I am ultimately glad I was offered this job and I feel like I learn a lot every day. My home country in Eastern Europe and every ex-Eastern Bloc country had a heavy focus on involving women in technical jobs / STEM jobs, as seen by today’s high statistics of women continuing to join these industries in our countries, so I believe ultimately raising awareness and advertising these jobs *to us* is key.
In terms of opportunities, I believe we have a chance to encourage other women and lead by example. We can flourish and set ourselves apart in an industry that I believe is still heavily male-dominated in the West.
What does the industry need to do to champion women in the programmatic industry better?
The industry needs to platform women to speak in public (such as in company-wide meetings), work hard to combat frat boy culture in the office and also accommodate the needs of women who want to start a family (as I know not every company does).
What are the biggest challenges, and opportunities overall for programmatic advertising this year?
The evolving situation on cookies’ removal has been a challenge, and so has been the increase in fake news due to the socio-political climate, and we have to think outside the box to adapt to both and find positive outcomes.
What is your biggest achievement in programmatic to date?
I think my biggest achievement as someone fairly new in the industry (my one-year anniversary is coming up soon) has been becoming comfortable with working independently and sharing my own ideas on how to innovate our campaigns.
