{"version":1,"type":"rich","provider_name":"Libsyn","provider_url":"https:\/\/www.libsyn.com","height":90,"width":600,"title":"194. Resilience in Ad Tech: What Agency Life Teaches Every Programmatic Trader","description":"Sign up to our FREE workshop on March 31st:  Optimization with AI for Programmatic Traders Site Lists + Geo Insights (DMA) \u2014 from Pivot Tables to Prompts In this episode of Programmatic Digest, H\u00e9l\u00e8ne Parker sits down with Assetou Kone, programmatic expert and consultant, for a real conversation about resilience in programmatic advertising and agency life. Assetou shares her journey into ad tech, from studying political science and mass communication to discovering programmatic during a digital marketing bootcamp. What started as a curiosity about digital media quickly became a career built on solving complex marketing problems across multiple verticals, including political campaigns, retail, e-commerce, banking, and pharmaceutical brands. The conversation dives into the softer skills that often determine long-term success in programmatic, including active listening, observation, and understanding the internal structure of the organisations you work within. Assetou explains why knowing how a company operates and who influences decisions can dramatically improve how traders execute campaigns and support client goals. H\u00e9l\u00e8ne and Assetou also unpack the reality of agency work, including burnout, under-resourced teams, and the pressure traders face when managing dozens of campaigns at once. They discuss why deep work is essential for campaign optimisation, insights, and meaningful reporting, and why many agencies underestimate the time required to generate true strategic value from programmatic data. The episode also explores what resilience actually looks like for traders and buyers, from documenting your work and protecting yourself with clear communication to learning from campaign mistakes and using those lessons to grow stronger in the role. They close the conversation with thoughts on the future of AI in programmatic, highlighting how automation could relieve traders of repetitive tasks while allowing them to focus on insights, strategy, and deeper analysis.   \ud83e\udde0 About Us: We help historically excluded individuals break into programmatic media buying and land jobs they love. Through our Reach and Frequency\u00ae program, coaching, and community, we make learning programmatic clear, practical, and welcoming. Our mission is simple: DSP access and education should be for everyone, not just a few. That\u2019s why we teach new talent and support independent agencies and brands through my work at Infillion (MediaMath), helping more people access the MediaMath DSP. Join once, stay learning forever. Past workshops, paid gems, and every new recording + resource added as we go. This library isn\u2019t a one-time thing, it\u2019s the full vault plus all future trainings, recordings, and guides.Access it here: https:\/\/heleneparker\/com\/library   \u23f1 Timestamps: \u2022 [00:00] \u2013 Welcome and introduction to Assetou Kone \u2022 [04:20] \u2013 From political science to programmatic advertising \u2022 [09:15] \u2013 Why programmatic stood out during digital marketing training \u2022 [14:40] \u2013 The soft skills every trader needs: observation and active listening \u2022 [20:30] \u2013 Understanding organisational structure and client vision \u2022 [27:10] \u2013 Agency realities: burnout, campaign overload, and team structure \u2022 [35:20] \u2013 Deep work in programmatic: optimisation, insights, and reporting \u2022 [42:00] \u2013 Learning from mistakes and building trader resilience \u2022 [49:15] \u2013 Documentation, communication, and protecting your work \u2022 [54:30] \u2013 The future of AI in programmatic workflows SIGN UP TO OUR FREE WORKSHOP HERE: https:\/\/www.heleneparker.com\/liveworkshop\/ \ud83d\udc64 Meet Our Guest: Assetou Kone \u2013 Programmatic Marketing Specialist and Consultant Assetou Kone is a programmatic marketing expert with experience across multiple industries, including political campaigns, retail, finance, pharmaceuticals, and e-commerce. Her work focuses on campaign optimisation, data-driven insights, and helping brands deliver the right message to the right audience through programmatic media. \ud83d\udcce Connect on LinkedIn: https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/in\/assetou-kone   \ud83d\udcbb Meet The Team: H\u00e9l\u00e8ne Parker \u2013 Chief Programmatic Coach \ud83c\udf10 heleneparker.com\ud83d\udd17 LinkedIn: https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/in\/helene-parker\/ Manuela Cortes \u2013 Co-Host, Programmatic Digest en Espa\u00f1ol \ud83d\udd17 LinkedIn: https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/in\/manuela-cortes-\/ \ud83c\udf93 Learn Programmatic: For Individual Buyers: https:\/\/heleneparker.com\/library Subscribe to the Newsletter: https:\/\/heleneparker.com\/newsletter Be the first to find out free programmatic training workshop: https:\/\/www.heleneparker.com\/waitlist\/ \ud83d\udcf2 Follow Us: \ud83d\udd17 LinkedIn: https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/company\/programmatic-digest-podcast \u25b6\ufe0f YouTube: https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/@programmaticdigest   ","author_name":"Programmatic Digest","author_url":"http:\/\/programmaticdigest.com","html":"