If your media plans feel like they’re stitched together from too many sources, you’re not alone. Today’s DSP landscape is overflowing with choices—and that complexity often leads to wasted time, budget and effort. This fragmented setup results in media plans and ad campaigns built across various ad networks, publishers, DSPs and more.
But what lies beneath this patchwork of platforms and constant “head-to-head tests” usually isn’t efficiency—it’s duplication. Countless workstreams, redundant emails, and the same ads targeting the same users without unified frequency caps all lead to wasted time, budget, or both.
DV360 often gets lumped in as just another “inventory source” in this crowded media buying game ahem strategy. But what if we shifted our perspective and considered DV360 not just as another source, but as a central point for our inventory strategy?
DV360 is a DSP, like its peers The Trade Desk, Basis, Simpli.fi and others. It has access to dozens of ad exchanges, audiences, integrations and publishers to simplify an ad buyer’s life.
Unlike many other DSPs, DV360 not only connects to more than 60+ ad exchanges—including AdForm, AdsWizz, Digital Turbine, Equativ, FreeWheel, HiveStack, InMobi, Magnite, Netflix, ShareThrough, Spotify, Taboola, Triton, Tubi, Vistar, Xandr and YieldMo— but also unlocks exclusive access to Google-owned inventory.
This includes premium properties like YouTube, Demand Gen and the Google Display Network, as well as additional CTV-specific inventory sources such as YouTube TV and YouTube Select.
As a result, you can access Display, Video, Mobile App, DOOH, CTV, Audio, Podcast, and Native inventory—all without the need to juggle multiple direct deals or platforms.
When buyers conduct a “head-to-head” test across two or more DSPs, they often serve ads to the same audiences using the same inventory. At that point, it becomes an attribution scenario rather than a test of which DSP can reach the desired audiences, especially if the same creatives and exchanges are leveraged.
Since sell-side players aim to maximize their inventory’s monetization, having too many inventory sources on your plan can oversaturate your audience while offering minimal insight into what really drove success.
Instead of choosing DSPs based on performance alone, start by identifying which DSP gives you access to the majority of the inventory you plan to use. Odds are, it’s DV360—given it’s the only DSP with 93% reach on CTV audiences and access to 60+ exchanges plus Google O&O.
Then, invest time in learning the platform and understanding its inventory nuances to unlock the performance you're after. Focusing on inventory consolidation benefits your campaigns, clients and business over the long term. You’ll spend less time trafficking tags, negotiating deals, integrating reporting signals and managing overlap. And your audience will appreciate it too, since DV360 allows frequency capping across campaigns and inventory types, preventing them from seeing the same ads 10 times across each inventory source each day.
If you are considering using a DSP or a few, along with ad network or exchange inventory directly, first check if you can access that same inventory through DV360. Chances are the answer is yes and you are unnecessarily introducing complexities, paying more and overburdening your team.
DV360 isn’t just another inventory source in your channel mix; it has it all. By embracing DV360's consolidated approach, you can regain valuable time, optimize your budget and deliver a better experience to your audience.
Want to confidently lock in your DV360 inventory strategy for maximum impact? Let's connect. Our experienced media activation and consulting experts are ready to meet you where you are and help you maximize your impact.