Nicolás Hernán Méndez Flores

Demand Account Manager

Interview

Nicolás Méndez has recently received the Rookie Silver award at the Tech & Programmatic Skills Awards. He started his career working in the finance department of a digital advertising company and, after some years learning about programmatic buying, now works in the Tappx Demand Team.

Question: How did you get into the programmatic industry?

Answer: I started working for a digital advertising company in the finance team, but gradually learning about programmatic buying, after 4 years I decided to leave that area and turn to digital advertising, specifically programmatic buying. And so, later I had the opportunity to join an advertising agency as a Program Analyst and took my first steps in the industry.

Q: What is the best part of being an Account Manager?

A: I think it’s ideal for those who not only enjoy working in a team, but also love having the space to work alone and being able to organize their time, do extensive analysis, and gather multiple insights to achieve the best results from accounts that are basically your responsibility.

Q: Could you list some tips to become a good AM? What are the essential skills needed in your job?

A: For me it is essential to have good analytical and reasoning skills. Since on many occasions you may find yourself with scarce data and you must be able to get the most out of it to identify the reasons for the increases or decreases and how to improve them according to the interest of your partners. Therefore, I think you should enjoy spending a lot of time looking at and comparing different data. In addition to having the ability to explain it and work on it together with a partner.

Q: Tell us about a recent reliable client relationship, success story, or goal you’re proud of.

A: With my experience in the industry and the trust of my team, I have recently had the opportunity to give training on Programmatic to the company’s employees, thus allowing them to have a slightly more integrated vision of the business, its operation and the different players that make up the industry. It was something new and a great pride for me to be able to share my knowledge and learning, and at the same time see my own growth.

Q: How do you organize your day? What tools do you use and which of them are your favorite ones?

A: I always start the day by looking at the previous day’s revenues and trend. I try to organize myself by reviewing the most important negative trends and Excel pivot tables are the usual ones. Then I continue with my priorities for the day or week. I use Google Calendar and Notes to organize myself, as well as Skype and Slack for conversations.

Q: What do you expect from the future of the industry? What needs to be improved?

A: I hope they continue what seems to be going: a more transparent industry. We are experiencing constant changes, I think CTV is one of the formats that will grow a lot with the upcoming news from streaming companies and the massive consumption they generate, as well as native ads that will help impact users who are really looking for brands. But it is also surprising that traditionally the big brands have sought web traffic and today, the growth in the consumption of mobile apps has meant that many brands are adding this inventory to their media plans. And Digital Out of Home is another of the formats that I think will continue to grow and is managing to automate a very traditional type of advertising through programmatic.

Q: Do you have any idea how many emails you send per day?

A: Between 5 and 15, depends on the day.

Q: What is the app you use the most in your daily life?

A: Always Twitter.

Q: What is the first thing you do when you get home and disconnect from work?

A: Probably lie on the couch, spend some time on my phone and then watch a series if I stay home.

Q: What would you do if you won the lottery?

A: Build a hostel on a beautiful beach to dedicate myself to receiving and meeting new people in the place where I would be happy, and if possible, with my family and friends. I do not ask too much…