What is Direct Buying Essentials?

Direct Buying Essentials is a certification course from Basis Technologies focused on direct buying, negotiation, programmatic. A free course on guaranteed direct buys, direct-versus-programmatic strategy, best practices and negotiating tactics.

Is Direct Buying Essentials free?

Yes. It is listed here as free.

What level is Direct Buying Essentials for?

It is best treated as a beginner resource. The prerequisites above describe the background that will make it easiest to use.

How long does Direct Buying Essentials take?

Plan for 45 min. For reference resources, use it as needed rather than reading everything in one sitting.

What will I learn from Direct Buying Essentials?

The main outcomes are the practical skills and concepts listed in the What You’ll Learn section above.

Beginner
Certification Course
Free

Direct Buying Essentials

by Basis Technologies

A free course on guaranteed direct buys, direct-versus-programmatic strategy, best practices and negotiating tactics.

Time to Complete: 45 min
Level: Beginner
Certificate: Yes

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Overview

Direct Buying Essentials is particularly relevant to Billboard Guide because OOH buyers constantly move between direct deals and programmatic transactions. The 45-minute self-paced Basis course explains the benefits of guaranteed direct buying, the differences between direct and programmatic transactions, how both can work together in a campaign and best practices for direct buying—including negotiating tactics. Although the examples are not limited to billboards, the commercial concepts transfer directly to OOH procurement.

What You'll Learn

Understand the benefits of a guaranteed direct buy
Compare direct and programmatic transaction paths
Decide when a direct buy makes strategic sense
Use direct and programmatic buys together
Apply direct-buying best practices
Understand basic media negotiation tactics

Highlights

One of the few free structured courses that explicitly includes negotiation
45-minute self-paced format
Free badge/certification
Highly relevant to traditional OOH buying

Who It's For

Best For

Advertisers negotiating media directly
OOH planners
Procurement teams
Programmatic buyers who also handle guaranteed placements

Prerequisites

Basic media-buying knowledge is helpful

Topics Covered

Direct Buying
Negotiation
Programmatic
Buying

How to Use This Resource

Direct Buying Essentials is best used as a certification course rather than as a live rate card. Treat the examples and frameworks as a way to ask better questions before a proposal, then verify inventory, pricing, dates and specifications with the seller or platform.

The strongest planning value is in Direct Buying, Negotiation, Programmatic, and Buying. Those topics connect directly to how outdoor media is bought: the screen or panel still has to match the audience journey, the creative has to be readable in context, and any measurement claim should be tied to a stated methodology.

Because this resource is provided by Basis Technologies, read it with the provider context in mind. Vendor education can be useful, but it should be balanced against independent market checks and competing quote paths.

Apply It to a Billboard Plan

Write down the campaign decision this resource should support before opening it.
Capture the terms, metrics or workflow steps that affect a live OOH brief.
Translate the lesson into one buying question for a media owner, agency or platform.
Use a calculator, size guide or market guide to test the idea against real campaign constraints.

At a Glance

Topic: Direct Buying
Level: Beginner
Format: Certification Course
Cost: Free
Duration: 45 min
Provider: Basis Technologies
Hands-on: Yes — structured lessons/exercises
Certificate: Yes
Added: 2026-08-04
Updated: 2026-08-04

Frequently Asked

What is Direct Buying Essentials?: Direct Buying Essentials is a certification course from Basis Technologies focused on direct buying, negotiation, programmatic. A free course on guaranteed direct buys, direct-versus-programmatic strategy, best practices and negotiating tactics.
Is Direct Buying Essentials free?: Yes. It is listed here as free.
What level is Direct Buying Essentials for?: It is best treated as a beginner resource. The prerequisites above describe the background that will make it easiest to use.
How long does Direct Buying Essentials take?: Plan for 45 min. For reference resources, use it as needed rather than reading everything in one sitting.
What will I learn from Direct Buying Essentials?: The main outcomes are the practical skills and concepts listed in the What You’ll Learn section above.

Sources & Methodology

Direct Buying EssentialsCredly / Basis Technologies - vendor certification

Pricing figures on this site are illustrative planning estimates, not quotes: rates vary by operator, market, availability, timing, and campaign requirements, so confirm current terms directly with the media owner before committing budget. This page was last reviewed on Aug 4, 2026. Report a correction.