To create ads that are specifically targeted to your audience, it is essential to understanding how programmatic advertising differs from conventional media buying strategies.
The term “programmatic advertising” has been popular in the marketing sector for a while. But what exactly does programmatic do? What distinguishes it from conventional display marketing, and how? Learn everything you need to know about programmatic advertising in the next few paragraphs.
Programmatic Advertising: What Is It?
Programmatic advertising uses automated technologies and algorithmic methodologies for media buying. Programmatic refers to the procedure for purchasing and selling advertisements in the advertising space.
The use of automation in programmatic advertising sets it apart from more conventional media buying strategies. To make sure that ads are served to the appropriate audience at the appropriate time and location, it examines a variety of user signals. Consider programmatic as the category’s umbrella, with many sorts of programmatic purchase falling under it.
What Sets Programmatic Ads Apart From Display Ads?
With Google’s advancements in automated and real-time bidding, it’s simple to mix up display and programmatic advertising.
The following is where programmatic and display differ most:
- Programmatic refers to the buying of advertisements.
- Ads’ presentation style is referred to as their display.
The capability to purchase advertisements across platforms is the second significant distinction between display and programmatic. When displaying advertisements within a single ad network, such as the Google Display Network, display advertising are more frequently used as a term.
On the other hand, programmatic advertising advances the use of display media. Programmatic uses a variety of platforms, including demand-side platforms (DSPs) and sell-side platforms (SSPs), which enable advertisers to purchase ad inventory over an open network of platforms.
Advertisers often have control over the following with programmatic and display:
- Audience.
- Bidding tactics.
- Budget.
- Assets and creativity.
- Placements.
Platforms for programmatic advertising
Over the years, automated technology has advanced significantly. Programmatic platforms come in a wide variety of formats.
There are three primary categories of platforms:
- Platform for selling. This platform, also referred to as a “supply-side platform,” enables publishers to instantly sell their ad impressions to advertisers. DSPs and ad exchanges are both included in this platform.
- Platform for demand. Through this platform, advertisers can buy ad space from several platforms at once.
- Ad exchangers. SSPs flow their ad inventory to DSPs in this manner. Ad prices fluctuate on an ad exchanger where DSPs are connected, depending on how competitive the inventory is.
Let’s look at some of the key participants in each area so you are familiar with the various platform kinds.
Sell-Side Marketplaces
The following is a complete list of SSPs for publishers:
- Ad Manager for Google.
- Publisher Services by Amazon.
- OpenX.
- AdMob by Google.
- Google Ad Tech.
- TripleLift.
- PubMatic.
- Media by Verizon.
- Xandr
- Index Exchange.
- Sovrn.
- Magnite.
- Media.net.
- Criteo.
Some of the top platforms to consider if you’re looking for a video SSP are:
- SpotX.
- Teads.
- AdColony (now DigitalTurbine).
Even though there are many more options for publishers, these are brands you may be familiar with but may not have connected to programmatic technology.
Platforms on the demand side
These business names might be recognizable and offer DSPs, just like SSPs.
Among the best DSPs are:
- Video & Display 360 (Google).
- Trading Desk
- Google DSP.
- LiveRamp.
- DSP for Adobe Advertising Cloud.
- StackAdapt.
- Amobee.
- Google Ad Tech.
- AdRoll.
- Basis (formerly Centro).
- RhythmOne.
- Choozle.
- BrightRoll.
The following are some of the bigger DSPs for connected TV and video:
- OneView
- TubeMogul (Roku)
- MediaMath
Furthermore, advertisers have access to a large number of DSPs. It’s crucial to pick a DSP that offers the capabilities and inventory you require. Self-serve advertising is provided by some DSPs, while self-serve and full-managed services are provided by others (likely to larger advertisers or agencies).
Exchangers of ads
Publishers can use some of the most well-known ad exchanges, such as:
- Xandr (Microsoft).
- Media by Verizon.
- OpenX.
- PubMatic.
- Search Engine Exchange.
- Index Trading.
- Magnite.
- Smaato.
Ad exchanges vary widely in quality.
Publishers should carefully consider their alternatives and select platforms that support their objectives.
The price of programmatic advertising
Simply said, the cost of programmatic advertising depends on your budget. We’re trying to dispel the widespread myth that small businesses can’t profit from programmatic technologies.
Cost-per-thousand-impressions (CPM) is the common pricing model for programmatic advertising.
CPMs often fall between $0.50 and $2.00.
CPMs, however, might be considerably higher depending on things like:
- Whichever DSP you select.
- Your intended market.
- This shows how fiercely competitive things are.
The more specialized your audience, the higher CPM you will pay, is a good generalization for programmatic ad costs. Therefore, whether you’re a large marketer spending millions of dollars or a tiny company just getting started, programmatic can probably fit into your advertising budget.
What Advantages Do Programmatic Ads Offer?
Including programmatic advertising in your marketing plan has several advantages.
Among the top advantages are:
- A broad audience base.
- Cost-effective and effective awareness.
- Data and analysis in real-time.
- Use of both first- and third-party data
- Chances for cross-device promotional tactics.
Reach of a Large Audience
The capacity to expand and scale is arguably programmatic advertising’s biggest advantage. Due to the large amount of cross-platform content available, programmatic is the ideal option to purchase advertising inventory.
Effective and Economical Awareness
Related to the aforementioned advantage of increasing reach, programmatic advertising is one of the most affordable forms of advertising available right now. We previously talked about programmatic CPM averages of $0.50–$2.00. Your marketing expenditures can go a long way, even on a tight budget, to reach your target market and raise awareness of your good or service.
Analyze Data In Real Time
Advertisers benefit from seeing data very immediately because programmatic systems depend on real-time bidding. Why is this important? With real-time data, you can pivot and make decisions more quickly. Additionally, it shifts your mindset from being reactive to being proactive.
Utilizing Data from First and Third Parties
The types of data segments that are available to advertisers is another advantage of programmatic advertising. For instance, using real-time bidding signals, advertisers can safely upload owned first-party data and target those individuals.
To take it a step further, if marketers don’t have access to first-party data, DSPs have a large number of third-party segments they might choose to target. By developing audiences of their own consumers who look like them, advertisers can transform first-party data into a different type of third-party data. Finding new consumers who are comparable to your current ones is made possible by this route.
Cross-Device Marketing Plan
It’s vital to remember that programmatic advertising is frequently regarded as a method for raising awareness. As a result, businesses that only consider last-click performance frequently fail to realize the full potential of programmatic advertising. In a cross-device campaign, how does programmatic fit in?
The goal is to employ programmatic advertising to catch users’ early awareness. After their first encounter with a brand, users are likely to decide against buying a product or service. You can remarket to users on other platforms once their interest has been aroused based on how they responded to or engaged with the initial advertisement.
Determine the success of your programmatic strategy by fusing that data from the initial encounter through the final purchase.
Programmatic Advertising Types
Different kinds of programmatic advertising exist. These must not be confused with the actual programmatic platforms. It doesn’t matter what kind of programmatic advertising a marketer uses—they all involve buying ad inventory.
The four most prevalent kinds are:
- Instantaneous bidding. All advertisers are eligible to participate in this sort of bidding, which involves real-time ad auctions.
- A discreet market. Publishers engage in this bidding when they have contracts with a select group of advertisers. As a result of the highly sought-after ad space, these websites frequently charge exorbitant prices.
- Favored deals. a less popular form of programmatic marketing. Before going on the open or private market, advertisers select ad spaces. Another name for this is “spot buying.”
- Programmatically assured. A preferred deal-like arrangement without auction bidding A fixed pricing for ad inventory is agreed upon between the publisher and advertiser.
Example of Programmatic Advertising
A programmatic ad can be of any size or shape. The appeal of programmatic advertising is that you may customize the content for your chosen target market.
For instance:
Amanda Foundation
Animal hospitals and shelter rescues in the Los Angeles region are provided by The Amanda Foundation, a nonprofit organization.
It developed a programme to aid animals in need of a home at shelters in their last moments. In order to target certain animal images to its audience, it specifically used programmatic indications including geography, demographics, and browsing behaviour.
Users who expressed interest in huge dogs would receive a banner ad featuring giant canines rather than smaller pets. As you can see, messages and graphics were modified according on the user’s actions and preferences.
Wrapping Up
If you’re just getting started, develop a new plan that incorporates programmatic using the fundamentals and advantages of programmatic advertising as a guide. Your programming success will depend heavily on your ability to comprehend the features and capabilities of each platform.
