MINT Eyes On: transparency and data visibility in advertising

The "MINT Eyes On" series, produced by Engage for MINT, continues to explore some of the most relevant themes in the Advertising Resource Management sector.

In the second episode, we had the pleasure of conversing with Federico Salvitti, Vice President Growth for MINT in the United States, who clarified the distinction between the concepts of "transparency", still very popular in Europe, and "visibility", a term that is rapidly gaining traction in the USA in relation to advertising data access.

"Visibility is the ability to surface the necessary data for decision-making," Salvitti explained. "Imagine being a leader in an ever-evolving world, where everything moves at 200,000 miles per hour and new data constantly arrives. Without visibility into what's happening, it's like driving in the rain without a windshield that allows you to see clearly."

Watch the first episode: Governance reimagined: MINT's vision for advertising industry transformation

Salvitti then clarified an essential distinction between visibility and transparency in advertising operations: while the term transparency might give the impression that someone is trying to hide relevant information (which in reality is never the case, as everyone works towards the same goals and for the success of campaigns and media investments), the concept of visibility refers instead to building a technological infrastructure that allows access to necessary data at the right time, facilitating rapid and adaptable decision-making.

Agility is another crucial concept for all leaders involved in media strategy planning. Salvitti emphasizes that agility isn't just about speed of action, but also about optimizing ongoing activities. "If something isn't working, let's change it," he states, emphasizing the importance of quickly adapting to the real scenario based on available data. "If an element of the campaign isn't performing as expected, let's rectify it."

Salvitti also spoke about the advantages of a modular and integrated approach to advertising operations, highlighting the importance of technology in companies' digital transformation journey: "The most advanced media teams are optimizing their operations, workflows, and how decisions are made. However, often the definition of the right software comes only at the end of the strategic process, without realizing that the software's UX represents the real bottleneck for change."

In this context, MINT proposes an integrated approach that combines internally developed elements with existing modular solutions, allowing for faster and more efficient digital evolution of advertising operations.