OPINION: Are trading directors evidence of a misunderstood industry?

Conventional wisdom has it that the introduction of trading directors is a sign of online growing up and a measure of how important the digital space has become. But to the author's mind, it really shows a misunderstanding of digital media, where price is just one of the levers available to a buyer - and arguably not the most important lever. Research shows that site selection can account for variations in effectiveness of around 300%, from best to worst on a plan. A trading director would have to be negotiating some hefty discounts to compensate for plans where irrelevant media choices are shoe-horned in. When people plan a campaign they usually have strict CPA targets and those are achieved by looking for sites with the most relevant audience to clients.