It’s a new year, and dealers are considering how to reach today’s car buyer. One company leading that conversation is The Trade Desk, helping brands and dealers connect with consumers across the open internet. Joining us on today’s episode of Driving Solutions is Jason Goldberg, GM of Automotive at The Trade Desk.
The Trade Desk is an AI -powered advertising technology firm that connects brands, agencies, and dealers to consumers across the open internet. Goldberg defines the internet as content that lives outside walled digital gardens. Its platform combines data-driven targeting with precision marketing and measurement, which allows dealers to engage the right audiences while tracking the impact of campaigns down to offline sales.
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Historically, automotive advertising relied on newspapers, radio, and basic performance marketing, often measured by vanity metrics such as clicks and impressions. Today, dealers who rely solely on search and social ads are missing opportunities to reach potential buyers earlier in the customer journey. Therefore, Goldberg encourages dealers to rely on programmatic media, which he asserts bridges the gap and offers a combination of brand-building and precise targeting in one streamlined package.
With the linear marketing funnel largely obsolete, Goldberg explains that consumers now follow a circular journey, moving fluidly between makes, models, and segments before making a purchase. Multi-channel campaigns accelerate conversions, noting that one channel averages 23 days, two channels cut the time to 15 days, and three channels reduce it to seven. Channels include connected TV, online video, audio, display, and premium digital content.
Central to success is a data-first approach, as Goldberg encourages dealers to use first-party data whenever possible, supplemented with third-party sources to identify in-market buyers. Programmatic platforms then deliver the right message, to the right audience, on the right device, while avoiding oversaturation. This approach, Goldberg says, improves efficiency and ensures marketing investments drive measurable results.
“Programmatic really is the gateway to the open internet… It’s a place where your brand resonates with engaged consumers in a premium, safe environment.”
The Trade Deks also provides granular insights for dealers, allowing campaigns to target audiences at the zip+1 level or nationally. The platform matches marketing activity with sales data, showing which campaigns influenced purchases, where consumers defected to competitors, and how advertising dollars impact real-world outcomes. Placing ads in premium, brand-safe environments further increases engagement, brand recall, and purchase intent.
Goldberg emphasizes key mindset shifts dealers need to adopt: embrace the circular customer journey, expand beyond search and social channels, lead with data, measure actual outcomes rather than vanity metrics, and leverage programmatic as the gateway to the open internet.
By combining AI, omnichannel reach, and measurable results, programmatic advertising equips dealers with the tools to connect with modern car buyers, improve sales performance, and gain a competitive edge in a rapidly changing marketplace.
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