186. Why More DSPs ≠ More Reach: Programmatic Deep Dive with Gary Guarnaccia & Ryan Verklin

Oct 8, 2025

Gary Guarnaccia, an ad tech partnerships expert, and Ryan Verklin, a programmatic strategist at Bayer, share insights on the complex world of programmatic advertising. They discuss the fallacy of thinking more DSPs equal greater reach, emphasizing the importance of strategic selection. Ryan describes retail media strategies, highlighting on-site vs off-site tactics. They advocate for better tools for programmatic traders, with efficient DSP interfaces as crucial for success. The duo also explores the evolving relationships between DSPs and SSPs, predicting a future of increased overlap.

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ANECDOTE

From Agency To In-House And Retail Media

Ryan described moving Bayer programmatic buying in-house from an agency and then leading retail media efforts.
He explained Bayer uses retail media for CPG brands like Claritin and One A Day to drive on-shelf sales.

INSIGHT

More DSPs Don’t Guarantee New Reach

Gary argued adding DSPs/bidders alone does not automatically increase unique reach due to ubiquitous supply and overlap.
He warned that measured incremental reach from another bidder is often an artifact of IDs and attribution, not true new users.

ADVICE

Choose DSPs For Unique Value, Not Reach

Don't add bidders just to chase incremental reach; pick bidders for unique value like publisher access, data, or custom algos.
Prioritize strategic reasons for each bidder rather than raw reach metrics.

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