The Trade Desk Names Seven Independent Agencies to Premier Partner Program

The Trade Desk named seven independent agencies to the second cohort of its Premier Partner Program on April 3: Strategus, Level Agency, Harmelin Media, Harvest Group, Collective Measures, Rise (a Quad agency), and Ocean Media, which operates under the Empower brand.

The program runs through Edge Academy, The Trade Desk's learning platform operating since 2013. Agencies earn Premier Partner status by enrolling learners across three role-specific tracks: Trader, Marketer, and Executive. Each track carries its own course curriculum, and organizations must secure formal certification for a minimum number of learners to qualify. The Trade Desk does not publicly disclose the precise threshold, though it frames the requirement as measuring operational readiness across seniority levels rather than a single technical benchmark.

That multi-track structure is the program's defining feature. By requiring certification from executives alongside traders and marketers, the credential signals that programmatic fluency has been distributed across a team, not siloed within a trading desk. The invite-only format amplifies that signal further.

For independent agencies competing against holding company networks, the practical case for participation is direct: The Trade Desk frames Premier Partner status as a gateway to preferential go-to-market support and early product access. In pitch and procurement contexts where scale is often the holding company advantage, a formally validated credential offers an alternative proof point.

The credential also sits within a recognizable playbook in adtech. Platforms across search and social have long used partner tiers to concentrate support and product access around agencies demonstrating active investment in platform proficiency. The Trade Desk's approach applies that model to programmatic, with the role-based segmentation adding specificity that generic partner tiers often lack.

The second cohort's announcement arrives at a moment when media supply chain transparency and agency competency are subjects of elevated client scrutiny. For the seven agencies now carrying the Premier Partner designation, the credential's value will be tested in whether that formal recognition translates into preferential access and measurable client confidence in the months ahead.