Placido Balmaseda (Córdoba, 1977) is the general director of , a marketplace in which the main publishers at a national level (Hurry, Vocento, Godó and Hello), give access to your digital inventories in a unified way to activate digital campaigns based on audience or contextual environments. To learn a little more about his business model, and his current vision of the sector, we spoke with Plácido.
More than two years ago Wemass was born, with you at the forefront ever since. How did the idea of creating it come about?
The intention of the media to create a Private Marketplace (PMP) is not recent. There were several attempts at various unions that did not bear fruit. The idea in which Wemass materializes arises, as you say, a little over two years ago, with a much more advanced approach because the members acquired a higher level of commitment to the project.
Wemass is created as a real partnership between the main national media. Seeing how the -Google, Amazon, Facebook and Apple- each year increase their relevance in the market, they understand that their real competitors are not among themselves, but on these technology platforms that, under an audience model and using their data, use the inventory of all media to impact the user. Due to this and the implantation of commercial intermediaries, it was decided to create Wemass with the clear objective of uniting the big media and establish a premium environment for data, inventory and technology in the digital market to offer a differential value that did not exist until that moment.
Of course, having the backing of three publishing giants is considerable support. How many media do you currently have? How has the evolution been since then?
Having the backing of the main publishing groups has been fundamental in creating the gene of the project. That three means the span of Hurry, Vocento and Godó have come together to promote Wemass takes a lot of courage and can only be understood if you understand what is happening in the digital market.
Let us remember that they are competing groups among themselves, but that they have understood that there are larger competitors and that the union helps them join forces against the large technology providers and digital intermediaries. This means not only unifying the digital marketing of its most important formats, but also establishing a common center in making strategic decisions to face Topics as relevant as Cookieless, new digital products or prospecting for new technological platforms.
The first year of operation was a period of creation and adaptation. It was at the start of 2021 when we have started to include new media. We started with two that already had prior agreements with our partners, such as Canarias7 and The Voice of Galicia. After them, we have focused on incorporating other large national publishing groups. The result of this is the incorporation of HELLO!, the main Spanish lifestyle group. We are convinced that, in a few years, we will have all the major national groups and that Wemass will help them set the rules of the game in the digital environment.
The sector has two names, Google and Facebook, which control most of the advertising pie. What does it mean to have to compete with them? Where does your main advantage lie?
Our focus is not on competing with them but rather on becoming decision makers about what happens in the current digital ecosystem. Google or Facebook have become rivals and friends in equal parts. On the one hand, they are important income generators and on the other, they condition the strategic decisions of the media because they have become part of its technological ecosystem with many links.
The objective is to be able to offer a differential product to the market, to provide a clear alternative in the purchase of audiences in digital media. this alternative It is born from working three fundamental points:
- A 100% brandsafety and transparent environment.
- A highly qualified own audience by an independent DMP that better categorizes and qualifies our data, thus being able to adapt to the market and its demands.
- Being creators, both ideological and technological, of new solutions that allow us to add differential value to the market. The unique ID or new formats such as Skintext are realities created by the needs of the market.
What are your clients like? What kind of campaigns do they carry out?
Our clients have highly advanced profiles and great knowledge of the digital environment. They understand that it is not just about analyzing a project to assess the effectiveness of the campaign. they know that The end does not justify the means and that the objectives must be achieved in the best possible way.
Therefore, they seek safe and effective ways so that your brand is in premium environments, in which they know they will not be penalized. In this way they manage to impact the selected target and the objectives set. Wemass clients see in this project a clear and scalable alternative to achieve objectives that previously could not be achieved outside the GAFA world, betting on a quality environment.
What about supports and formats? What are the most demanded, or the ones that offer the best results?
Depending on the focus of the campaign, everyone has a very equal weight in the Wemass environment. Video formats such as Outstream or , Premium Display formats or RichMedia they are used more for branding campaigns, launches or brand recall. If you are looking for Performance, native formats, both at Home and indoors and the standard display formats They are usually the most requested, since they have a higher conversion level, although they work much less in the medium/long term and do not help build a brand.
Display advertising has a great enemy, which are adblockers. What impact does the use of adblockers have on your media? How do you “fight” against them?
Adblockers, being a real enemy, They cannot be considered at this time as the great enemy of display advertising. This title has been earned the disappearance of cookies (cookieless) and how the sector is going to deal with the issue for the coming year. This is where we are focusing our knowledge, to develop our own ID and offer a valid solution so that advertisers have an alternative to the big technology companies.
In any case, what is clear is that for each reduction in inventory that occurs in the environment, the balance between supply and demand also tends to adjust, both positive and negative. If we manage to improve the metrics of the available inventory, we will be able to have more quality than supply the quantity.
The media are already looking for other ways to generate income. The subscription model or/and the premium actions of Branded Content will have an increasing weight in the revenue shares. In addition, they will help to impact the user in a more specific way and provide greater qualitative value.
What would you say to those who think that there are large media websites that abuse display advertising? Where is the balance between profitability and usability?
I believe that every medium must be clear about its purpose. It is not the same to talk about eCommerce media or news sites or video content.
Abuse of advertising in general, not only from the display, is to “punish” the user. We must clearly quantify what this abuse affects us in terms of income to see if it is profitable in the medium/long term. For this reason, I would tell them to establish what they want their route to be and if they prefer to work in the short or long term. Based on that, they decide what to do.
too many campaigns can hurt profitability by format because it enters into a dynamic where based on quantity, quality will be penalized. It is necessary to find the balance point in which that amount does not affect the quality of the metrics sought and with it, the CPM obtained per action, because it may be the case that, by enabling more inventory, the income does not grow.
Balance is hard to find, but a point of reference It would be the one where, by including more formats, neither the user experience, nor the time on the page, nor the number of unique users are affected.
How should a good banner be to be successful?
It must be the most appropriate for the user who wants to impact. A personalized banner, well segmented and launched at the right time will have a much better chance of success than one launched in rotation and without qualifying. For this reason, the previous work of where, how and when you want to launch the campaign is of vital importance when planning.
What headline about Wemass would you like to read in Marketing4eCommerce in a year?
The GAFA-W concept is born. Wemass is consolidated as a real alternative to large audience purchases
Imagine that you could travel in time: What advice would you give to your 2011 Self?
That was braver. I think, with the perspective of time, that there are times when if I had pushed more on my side we could have “jumped into the pool sooner”. Wemass is a peculiar and unique project. Uniting large media, to date competitors, has been a challenge. Much of the success is due to the people who have represented each house and their direct involvement in the initiative.
How do you imagine the digital advertising sector in 2025?
I imagine one integrated digital advertising in all media, where “digital” does not include the web or mobile environment as it does now, but really includes the rest, such as TV, Radio, Outdoors or cinema; even in which the purchase of editorial advertising is also done digitally.
I am a faithful defender that the direct programmatic it will grow more and more. Currently non-transparent environments predominate that facilitate planning and achieving objectives, but penalize other fundamental values when it comes to associating our brands. By 2025 I believe that the knowledge and experience in digital will help this market become much more transparent and that products and services that have lost value during these years, such as display or videos in premium environments, will be revalued.
In short, I see a much more open, controlled and transparent sector.
quick quiz
- What is the first social network you open in the morning? whatsapp and linkedin
- iOS or Android? IO’s
- App or website? It depends for what, but I usually prefer web.
- In which eCommerce and how long ago did you make your last online purchase? In one of sport and free time,, yesterday. I use Amazon a lot and, although whenever I can, I try to buy on the advertiser’s own website.
- And it was? A fishing rod
- Last book read?
- Recommend us a fiction series. The loudest voice.
- What website have you come across lately that has surprised you for the better? I have known her for the vital moment in which I find myself. I think that projects like this have been able to combine digital environments with training and fun.
- What is your favorite thing to do that has nothing to do with digital? Field, in all its versions. I am passionate about life…
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