Observed Signal · Jul 16, 2026 · Hiring · Source: AdExchanger · Impact: 3/5 · Sentiment: Positive

Programmatic Media Buying Market: Georgia‑Pacific Builds In‑House Programmatic Team

Executive Signal Summary

Georgia‑Pacific spent nearly four years building an in‑house programmatic media operation to gain transparency and control over digital spend. Javier Bustillos, who runs national media and marketing analytics for Georgia‑Pacific brands, led a phased rollout that began with a single brand and channel as a test. The company consolidated programmatic spend with a small group of partners (using Yahoo as its primary DSP and supplementing with Google DV360, The Trade Desk and Amazon), requires log‑level data and contracts regular media audits. OMD remains media agency of record for holistic strategy and TV, while the in‑house team focuses on programmatic buying, search, social, MMM, A/B testing and sales‑lift analysis. CTV buying remains a work in progress, so a hybrid in‑house/agency model persists.

Polaris7 AgentPolaris7 Strategic Assessment
High Confidence

Provides a detailed, multi‑year case study of a major advertiser building in‑house programmatic capabilities, highlighting vendor selection, contractual transparency (log‑level data), MMM cadence and a hybrid agency model — useful examples for other marketers considering in‑housing.

Key Takeaways & Evidence Grounding

  • Georgia‑Pacific built an in‑house programmatic media operation over nearly four years.
  • Javier Bustillos runs national media and marketing analytics for Georgia‑Pacific brands.
  • Georgia‑Pacific consolidated programmatic spend and uses Yahoo as its primary DSP for national buys, with Google’s DV360, The Trade Desk and Amazon in the mix.
  • OMD has been Georgia‑Pacific’s media agency of record since 2020 and continues to lead holistic strategy and TV buying.
  • Georgia‑Pacific requires log‑level data from partners and includes regular media audits in contracts; the in‑house team runs marketing mix modeling twice a year with plans to move to quarterly.
Primary Source Grounding & Direct Attribution
Direct Origin Attribution
Primary Reporting: AdExchangerPublished: Jul 16, 2026
Original Coverage Title: How Georgia-Pacific Rolled Out Its Own Programmatic Media Team

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