Programmatic advertising
Programmatic advertising uses automated systems to buy, sell and manage advertising space
What it means, how it is used and where it comes up, with its related concepts.
What it is and how it works
It can operate through auctions or other agreements. It allows audience and context criteria to be applied, but requires quality control, transparency and measurement. Automation does not remove the risks of fraud, unsuitable placements or poor-quality data.
Topics
Variants and linked concepts
- RTB. RTB is the purchase of impressions through real-time auctions. It is one programmatic method, not a synonym for all programmatic advertising.
Frequently asked questions about Programmatic advertising
What information should you ask a programmatic advertising provider for?
Ask for an explanation of where the campaign may appear, which intermediaries take part, what each one contributes and how the investment is split between their services and media buying. Clarify how viewability, invalid activity and results are measured, as well as inventory exclusions. Aggregated reports should allow relevant incidents to be investigated. A promise of automation does not replace transparency. The evaluation needs to relate the quality of delivery to the campaign's objective, without reducing the whole comparison to a single metric.