CTV Guide Category: Programmatic TV 101

Simple programmatic advertising meaning is that advertisers purchase ads through an online forum. Instead of traditional purchasing, brands, and providers come together inside a real-time bidding platform. Importantly, advertisers find programmatic media highly effective because it can be tailored to the viewer.

To better understand programmatic display advertising, imagine the user experience from the start. A consumer sits down to watch their favorite series on a Connected TV with Hulu installed. Perhaps the series features luxury vacation destinations all around the globe.

During a commercial break in the series, the watcher views a Connected TV commercial from a high-end hotel brand. The Connected TV commercial serves to bring attention to the available lodgings. That Connected TV commercial may spark interest in the viewer since travel is always on the brain due to the series’ content.

To reinforce this ad, programmatic display advertising allows a marketer to serve that user programmatic banner ads while he or she picks up the phone to do some internet searching. The viewer then remembers that brands Connected TV commercials because of the relation and clicks on the ad to the advertiser’s site.

Online advertising examples will include more than programmatic banner ads that may or may not be paired with Connected TV. Each advertiser must consider their budget, target audience, and advertising goals. A sale may not always be the end goal of an advertiser’s programmatic advertising campaign. The advertiser may be looking to build or spread awareness about themselves or an important issue to the public. Considering objectives will help marketers decide on the best medium to use.

Examples of programmatic advertising include TV, video, display, native, and audio ads. The most effective ads tell a compelling story that encourages viewers to act when shown in the media. Video programmatic advertising has seen a surge in popularity with ad spending increasing almost five times in the last five years.

The real-time bidding programmatic process isn’t as complicated as it sounds. Keep in mind that the programmatic meaning isn’t the same as the definition of real-time bidding. Real-time bidding is just one part of programmatic advertising. Real-time bidding or RTB marketing provides the chance to monetize advertising space. The advertising space can be held by publishers and reserved for select brands. Conversely, ad space may be sold in an open auction format with publishers utilizing RTB software to automate bids and sales.

Programmatic advertising software has truly been revolutionary within the industry. Before programmatic marketing programs, advertisers would buy ad space in bulk. Plus, there was less control over who was seeing impressions on a website. As an example, there was a challenge of narrowing the audience down by gender, age, and location.

With RTB software, advertisers can bid on the chance to show specific ads based on select data points. The RTB process is streamlined to simplify things for both the publisher and the advertiser. The following are the basic steps on how real-time bidding works as part of programmatic marketing:

• A consumer visits a webpage with the visit generating an impression. The impression is prepared for the auction automatically.
• Before leaving the website, a tracking cookie is linked to the consumer.
• Advertisers interested in the consumer’s profile will place bids. The advertiser with the highest bid gets to generate an impression to the consumer.

A common question could include, “What is digital advertising agency?” Digital advertising agencies were created to give specialized advice on digital marketing. Unlike traditional ad agencies, a digital marketing agency has evolved to meet the changing landscape of advertising online. These agencies will have more than general knowledge about the types of programmatic advertising available. They will be able to link brands with preferred programmatic advertising platforms that are most likely to meet their objectives.

Programmatic marketing platforms that an agency may recommend could include a demand-side platform or DSP. A DSP programmatic platform permits advertisers or agencies to bid on digital inventory. DSP programmatic advertising companies won’t offer just one type of media option. Examples of their ad inventory could include streaming services ads, banner ads, mobile video ads, and in-stream video ads. Along with DSP, marketers are often likely to hear the term SSP as part of programmatic advertising platforms. SSP stands for supply-side platforms and represents ad exchanges through publishers. SSPs are geared toward publishers, while DSPs are made for marketers.

With programmatic advertising Google and programmatic advertising via The Trade Desk ad spaces, among others, have built a strong foundation for all advertisers and sellers without forcing high budgets. Agencies can grow a brand exclusively through digital channels without the need to book traditional ad space on live television and radio broadcasts. Best of all, there are more meaningful interactions through programmatic advertising platforms. Digital agencies provide cost-effective solutions with real-time reporting capabilities. Instead of waiting to see how well impressions are performing weeks or months in the future, marketers can check the status quickly with the ability to also see what trends worked best for the advertiser over time. Campaign creation and adjustments can then be made to fine-tune the digital ads and improve performance.

Programmatic marketing companies can offer options that fall into programmatic direct or programmatic guaranteed categories. Programmatic direct makes up the highest percentage of ad spending holding onto approximately 58% of the market share. Essentially, programmatic direct is an agreement between a publisher and an advertiser. The agreement will be finalized through a programmatic bidding platform, and most of these exchanges will be made via an online auction.

If the ad is offered through an open auction, various buyers bid on the impression. However, programmatic direct can also include deals that occur through private auctions. Private auctions usually feature only a select number of buyers who have been invited by the publishers. Before joining the auction, a certain minimum price may have been agreed upon by all parties.

Programmatic guaranteed is a deal negotiated between the publisher and advertiser with set terms. Any inventory is reserved specifically for the advertiser without outside buyers being able to bid on the space. A minimum price is usually provided for a predetermined number of impressions.

The benefits of programmatic advertising are plentiful. Most advertisers turn to the format because of the precise targeting offered. Instead of displaying ads to those outside the preferred demographic, the media can be chosen based on the person’s location, income, age, gender, and hobbies.

Programmatic advertising tools will also free up marketers for more important duties. Purchasing through traditional agencies is a much longer process and typically involves long-term negotiations and contracts. Most programmatic advertising examples are known to be generated through automated processes where software programs rely on algorithms to make bidding and placement nearly instantaneous.

Internet advertising advantages and disadvantages should also always include looking at reporting capabilities. In most cases, publishers and agencies give access to real-time data. The reporting data permits advertisers to make critical decisions, such as campaign spending and targeting. Optimization doesn’t always have to be a manual process when using programmatic marketing but can be done in some cases to fix a few tweaks. This leads to another aspect considered in programmatic advertising–transparency. Only choose to work with transparent partners regarding their terms and conditions and how they manage your campaigns.

The future of programmatic advertising is projected to flourish through the next decade. Data collected by eMarketer predicts that programmatic spending will account for more than 86% of all digital ad spending nationwide. By 2022, that figure is expected to surpass 88% in the field.

The reason for the surge has a direct link to the increase in CTV households. CTV refers to televisions with the capacity to go online and access streaming content. CTV examples include smart televisions, Amazon Firesticks, Apple TVs, Roku devices, and gaming systems. These devices connect to streaming services such as Hulu, Discovery Plus, Peacock, and Prime Video. CTV is so popular that it has surpassed linear TV and will only grow from here.

An advertising agency’s website provides powerful insight into the tools offered by professionals in the industry. A preferred agency will give partners full support to make vital choices about their programmatic marketing strategies, which can be found in programmatic advertising case study materials to see what types of strides the programmatic media agency has achieved.

Best practices include selecting a programmatic marketing agency that believes in the importance of transparency, reporting, and relationships. Their programmatic advertising services should provide pertinent data including impressions, clicks, CPV, and CPMs, among others in real-time and the programmatic agency should allow customization options for the client. Retargeting is a tactic to be used by the agency. With retargeting, consumers who have previously shown interest in a brand will be served relevant ads.

Over the last decade, an incredible trend has happened in terms of how people consume content. Cord-cutting has become the new norm – meaning that people are no longer content to pay for expensive cable packages that include a wide range of channels they have no intention of watching. Instead, they’re embracing OTT or “over the top” services – things like HBO Max, Hulu and others that allow them to watch what they want when they want.

So what is programmatic advertising? The programmatic TV definition describes a process that uses technology to essentially automate the process of buying ads – even on traditional TV – with data as a guide. It lets advertisers set up traditional TV campaigns, only they’re being shown to specific consumers who are most likely to become their target customers in the first place.

Programmatic Connected TV has become incredibly popular over the last few years, thanks in large part to the presence of high-speed Internet connections in most homes across the country. Examples of these types of platforms include but are not limited to Apple TV, Roku, and other similar types of set-top boxes. Any type of content that is delivered over the Internet would be an example of OTT, and any device that can serve up that content – like the aforementioned examples – would be Connected TV.

The logical extension of this is the addressable TV definition, which allows advertisers to serve up different commercials to various households – even if they’re all watching the same program at the same time. So how does addressable TV work? In a word: data. The answer to “what is programmatic TV” can be summed up quite simply.

Using all of the data that has already been collected, an addressable TV measurement can be used to determine who would be an appropriate fit for certain ads. At that point, addressable TV programmatic technology can show different ads to different people – even if they’re both watching the same programs.

Programmatic linear TV creates a far more personal experience on behalf of users, which also makes for a far more relevant one as well. Addressable TV helps marketers reach the right people with the right message at exactly the right time – which ultimately helps them become paying customers easier than ever before. It also helps to increase the return on investment of an advertiser’s campaign, which in and of itself may be the most important benefit of all.

Addressable TV companies serve linear TV ads primarily through either set-top companies or via a video-on-demand inventory. Addressable TV examples would be any TV set that is A) connected to the Internet, and B) also allows the viewing of video-on-demand content.

But what about addressable TV vs OTT? Again, the main thing to understand is that addressable TV platforms help advertisers by allowing them to deliver specific ads to certain people based on factors like what they like, what they spend time watching, their demographics, and more. Addressable TV partners help create a win-win situation for everyone involved based on the technology that is on display.

Most people who are new to the world of modern-day marketing have several logical – and important – questions. What is Connected TV advertising? What are the differences between programmatic TV vs addressable TV? What about addressable TV vs linear TV or addressable TV vs Connected TV? Again, it all comes back to the addressable TV meaning and how it differs from those formats outlined above.

Addressable TV is a term referring to the actual underlying technology that allows marketers to show different people different types of ads based on their interests. Programmatic TV, on the other hand, is a process that allows marketers to essentially automate the process of buying ads on traditional TV using data as their guide. It offers superior targeting to that which was available in the past, thus getting more relevant content in front of the eyes of as many people as possible.

In terms of linear TV vs OTT, there are a few important distinctions to keep in mind. The biggest is the fact that linear TV offers no audience targeting to speak of. Maybe the biggest example of this is the ads shown during major national events like the Super Bowl. Because the event itself is being watched by an audience of tens of millions of people, ads really must be as general and non-specific as possible. You know that your ad will be shown in front of an enormous audience, but you also know that it will only be relevant to a small percentage of them. You just have to hope that the number of customers that the video-on-demand ad creates will be enough to justify the cost of the ad in the first place.

With OTT, on the other hand, data changes all of this. You know someone’s viewing habits. You know where they live. You know what they like and dislike. Based on all of that, you can create more compelling and relevant content and you can show it to more specific people than you would have been able to in the past. At that point, you don’t have to worry about getting your ad in front of the biggest audience – it’s the most appropriate audience that you’re after.

This is related to linear TV vs Connected TV, albeit in a slightly different way. To continue with the Super Bowl example, everyone knows when that particular football game is taking place. If they choose not to watch it or if they get up and leave the room during the commercials, you’ve essentially wasted your money in terms of that particular person. With Connected TV, Connected TV partners are enhancing a targeted space and experience where people are watching content on their own terms. You know that they’re invested in whatever they’re watching because this is a specific choice that they’re making. Based on that, you also know exactly what type of ad to serve them – which creates a better and more relevant experience on behalf of all involved.

The biggest example of the challenges that linear TV is facing has to do with programmatic TV, addressable TV, and similar concepts. The latter simply allows far more freedom than the former – and once consumers have had a taste of that freedom, it’s very difficult to get them to go back to anything else.

Traditional television is a dying breed – and this is one trend that shows absolutely no signs of slowing down anytime soon. Therefore, advertisers who want to reach a new generation of audience members – and future generations, for that matter – will need to embrace things like programmatic CTV with open arms.

Programmatic CTV brings with it a host of different benefits, all at the same time. It offers superior audience targeting that would have been unthinkable even as recently as a decade ago. If you want to make sure that your ad is shown only in front of women of a certain age with a college education in a specific geographic region, you now have the power to do so. You don’t have to worry about wasting money showing an ad to people who were never going to become a customer in the first place.

Analytics is also a big part of what addressable TV providers have to offer. The more you continue to collect and learn about your target audience, the more you can improve your campaigns. So you can take something that was already working and make it even more effective in the future based on this level of insight. Addressable TV growth is also very impressive, particularly as the cord-cutting revolution continues to take hold around the world.

These addressable TV providers and channels all work together to create a unique, seamless experience for the consumer – one that is built on their specific terms. This is something that non linear TV simply cannot provide – which is why it’s also fallen out of favor with most people over the last few years. But to get the full benefit of this tech-based revolution, advertisers and brands need to consider working with experts to get the most out of their programmatic advertising campaigns. At that point, there’s no limit to what they’ll be able to accomplish.

Programmatic TV helps brands develop relationships with their customers. Programmatic TV services are a tech-based, automated way to buy and serve ads to viewers using more data-driven insights. This includes the types of ads that people see on the Internet, on mobile devices like smartphones and tablets, on Connected TV devices, and more.

Gaining a better understanding of this topic requires you to learn more about several related concepts. One of the most natural questions to ask is “what is OTT?” Short for “over the top,” OTT is a term used to describe content that is delivered not via a traditional cable connection, but the Internet. This can be in the form of a computer, or the form of a set-top box, such as an Apple TV or Roku.

What is CTV? Short for Connected TV, CTV refers to any device connected to a television that supports the aforementioned OTT programming. In addition to a streaming box like the Apple TV or Roku, this can also include certain types of gaming consoles like a PlayStation or Xbox, as well as “smart” televisions themselves. Therefore, the answer to the question “what is Connected TV?” is just any device that will stream OTT content.

In terms of OTT vs TV, the former brings with it a wide range of different benefits – chief among them being the fact that you get to watch what you want, when you want, with no exceptions. Indeed, this is one of the major advantages in the war between linear TV vs Connected TV. With linear TV, if you want to watch a program you have to be home at the specific moment that it airs (unless you DVR it, of course), but with Connected TV, you will have this content on hand regularly.

From a marketing perspective, this type of addressable TV vs OTT also creates clear benefits. With addressable TV, a marketer can define their audience based on actionable, real-time data. They can then use that insight to serve different ads to specific audiences that make sense given the context of whatever someone is watching. This creates more personalized and relevant experiences, thus increasing the chances that someone will make a purchase moving forward.

All of this transitions into a related concept – the idea of programmatic TV vs addressable TV. People tend to refer to these programmatic advertising ideas interchangeably, but in truth, they are two separate ideas.

The addressable TV definition, as stated, involves the ability for an advertiser to define their audience based on first, second, and even third-party data services. The programmatic TV definition involves the use of automation to take that data and use it to buy and deliver ads that run against relevant television programs. However, addressable TV is a subset of programmatic TV and that’s why it is so successful for advertisers.

From that perspective, one plays into the other – especially in terms of benefits – but they’re not talking about quite the same thing. Regardless, programmatic advertising is by far the growing channel at the moment – a trend that shows no real signs of slowing down anytime soon.

The biggest form of programmatic TV is Connected TV. The Connected TV definition, as mentioned, includes any device that either connects to or is embedded within a TV to deliver streaming content over an Internet connection as opposed to traditional cable or satellite providers.

Someone can own an Apple TV and watch current programming without having a cable subscription – that’s the main difference between Connected TV vs linear TV. Having said that, not all streaming content falls under the umbrella of Connected TV by default. Something like YouTube definitely wouldn’t be considered Connected TV, for example, because its content is user generated and submitted, and there is no uniform format or quality. Instead, you would be talking about channels like HBO Max, Hulu, or even Apple TV+. In the discussion of Connected TV vs OTT, it’s always important to make this distinction.

At this point, the question must be asked – what is CTV advertising and how does Connected TV advertising work?

Using data collected from real users, CTV advertising brings marketers several distinct advantages, all at the same time. Chief among these is the superior targeting capabilities that they unlock. The more you know about who someone is and what they like to watch, the easier it is to serve them with more relevant (and thus more persuasive) advertising.

Additionally, CTV advertising brings with it objectively measurable results. Unlike traditional linear TV advertising where you’re never really sure if someone watched an ad or got up and left the room until it was over, you know exactly how much of a piece of content someone watched. This allows you to see which of your ads are having the intended impact and, more importantly, which ones aren’t. It’s an incredible chance to optimize a media buying budget and it’s one that you’re not going to get through other means.

CTV advertising exposes brands to an audience that is still growing all the time. Hundreds of millions of people use CTV devices all over the world and the pandemic has proven that this shows no signs of slowing down anytime soon.

All told, there is a wide range of Connected TV advertising platforms to choose from depending on your needs. Just a few include but are certainly not limited to ones like:

• Hulu
• HBO Max
• Peacock

Two of the biggest player in the place are undoubtedly Hulu – the former being an example of Connected TV channels, while the latter is one of the Connected TV examples of a larger service provider.

One of the most important things to understand, however, is that no two Connected TV companies are created in quite the same way. The advertising requirements for a platform like HBO Max can be different from Hulu, for example. They each have their ad formatting requirements, length specifications, and more – making it sometimes confusing for a business to know which type of ad will perform best on which Connected TV platforms. However, a golden rule of the industry follows Hulu specs, as they require the best quality for their platform and therefore all platforms.

This is a large part of the reason why it’s always recommended to partner with a Connected TV media agency as opposed to trying to do everything yourself. Full-service experts and agencies that specialize in Connected TV advertising will be able to work hard to understand your specific brand message – at which point they’ll be able to get it out to the widest possible audience. Connected TV advertising companies know what types of content perform best on which platform, allowing them to leverage the full power of their expertise to your advantage. They’ll show you a Connected TV advertising example for every use case so that you can make the most informed decisions possible regarding where you’re spending your important advertising dollars.

When did television come out? Even though the concept of TV dates back to the late 19th and early 20th centuries, television as we know it began after World War II when it officially usurped the radio as the most popular form of entertainment in most households. It’s truly staggering to think about how things have changed since that time – and CTV advertising examples are a significant part of that evolution.

According to one recent study, about 42 million homes in the United States alone watched television content via some type of streaming device in 2020. That may seem impressive, but it’s nothing compared to the 204 million people who are expected to embrace CTV by as soon as 2022. Based on those connected TV advertising statistics, it should come as a surprise to nobody that about 60% of digital buyers are expected to move more and more of their traditional TV budget into the world of connected TV by the end of the year.

Regardless of which way you look at it, the benefits of CTV advertising are as plentiful as they are important. In addition to superior targeting and more actionable insight, they also give marketers access to an audience that is getting bigger all the time. Connected TV advertising trends are changing all the time, yes, but one thing remains the same. This is the type of opportunity to connect with an audience in an organic, meaningful way that perhaps only comes along once in a generation – and it’s an opportunity that most brands simply cannot afford to pass up. Luckily, thanks to CTV advertising companies, you don’t have to.

One of the biggest benefits that a programmatic tool brings with it has to do with the almost incredible level of data that advertisers have access to when it comes to their target audience. Programmatic TV buying involves the process of using technology to digitally purchase ad spots on TV in a far more effective way – all armed with the insight needed to better understand a target audience, who they are, and what they want to hear.

Programmatic TV buying allows advertisers to set up and serve traditional TV campaigns to very specific consumers, or their niche audiences to be exact. This is all using the insights needed to optimize their targeting abilities across the board. In other words, it’s simply a more effective way to get a precise message in front of the right target audience – thus increasing the chances that those people will become paying customers before you know it.

As stated, the programmatic TV definition involves an automated, data-driven way to buy and deliver ads that will ultimately run alongside TV content. But what is programmatic advertising? This is an opportunity for marketers to serve up ads across not only the Internet via desktop and laptop computers but also on mobile devices, Connected TVs, and more. Linear televisions, as well as set-top boxes, would also fall under this category.

It’s important to touch on a related concept – CTV advertising. First, what is Connected TV? CTV is a sub-category of video on demand and it is very close to OTT, also known as over-the-top. However, Connected TV examples would be those devices that are used to display the content – it’s not a term referring to the content itself.

So while Hulu or Peacock would be Connected TV examples of the type of premium content that we’re talking about, the devices used to deliver that content would fall under the CTV umbrella. CTV channels include but are not limited to those devices like the Apple TV, gaming consoles like the Microsoft Xbox, or even apps that are built right into a smart TV’s onboard platform. Connected TV examples, by device, also include being able to watch this premium content on mobile, tablet, and desktop.

Connected TV advertising statistics go a long way toward proving just how effective this type of technology truly is. According to one recent study, people who view content on CTV devices are 42% more likely to buy a product when compared to someone who saw the same ad on traditional television. This is because the ad experiences themselves are far more personal and organic, thus making them far more effective as well.

Connected TV platforms bring with them a host of different advantages that cannot be ignored. Chief among these has to do with the versatility in terms of where, when, and even what types of ads can be shown to certain viewers.

When most people ask “how does Connected TV advertising work?” they’re still thinking about traditional 30-second ads that simply play during a show’s commercial break. One Connected TV advertising example of an innovative ad format would be an in-stream video ad – one that is typically between 15 to 30 seconds long and that cannot be skipped. These usually play intermittently throughout a program that someone is watching.

Companion banner ads are also great to pair with a Connected TV ad. This enhances target consumer engagement while they may be scrolling through the web. The benefit here is they include the ability to click directly to a brand landing page, allowing them to instantly learn more about whatever product or service they’ve recently been exposed to on TV.

Home screen ads are also common on Connected TV devices like the Roku or Amazon Fire Stick. They could be a full-motion video or an image and typically include some type of specific Call-To-Action. As Connected TV advertising companies grow it’s beneficial to look at the services provided. If interested in incorporating this into your marketing strategy with a full-service Connected TV advertising company, contact Keynes to get a consultation.

Again, in terms of Connected TV vs OTT, these are similar concepts but are not quite the same thing. People tend to use the terms interchangeably, but that isn’t quite accurate. OTT refers to any content that is delivered not through traditional channels, but via the Internet. Connected TV, more often than not, is the hardware used to gain access to that content.

So if you wanted to watch a new movie on Hulu, that would be an example of premium OTT content. However, you need some way to do that – which is why you would use a Roku or Apple TV, or even mobile, desktop, or tablet. The most important matter is to know the difference between premium OTT content and OTT content released on Youtube. These are nowhere close to the same.

Linear TV advertising is a modern-day term to refer to what was previously called “traditional television.” Programmatic linear TV is certainly possible, but it isn’t quite as effective as the means outlined above.

By the very nature of linear TV meaning, viewers don’t necessarily have as much control as they might like. If they want to watch a particular program, they have to be home at a set date and time to do so. They could always DVR it, sure – but there is also a fair chance they might miss it if it doesn’t line up with their schedule. Likewise, when it comes to linear TV advertising, they could always get up and walk out of the room during a commercial break and the advertisers themselves would have absolutely no way of knowing that this happened.

Therefore, the question of Connected TV vs linear TV typically sees the former as the victor. Marketers get more freedom and flexibility in terms of how and where their ads can display, and users get a more personal (and therefore more relevant) advertising experience.

Addressable TV, on the other hand, is a type of technology that lets marketers offer up different commercials to different homes – even if they’re watching the same television show or network. The addressable TV definition allows advertisers to make sure that they’re always getting the right message in front of the right person at exactly the right time, regardless of which Connected TV channels they’re watching.

Based on the vast amounts of data that are being collected, you don’t just know who viewers are or where they live – you know precise demographic information about them. Therefore, you also know that one person may respond positively to an ad while another person might not – this despite the fact they’re watching the same show at roughly the same time. Therefore, this is why addressable TV vs linear TV always sees addressable TV come out ahead. You can always show the right ad to the right person in a way that guarantees maximum effectiveness moving forward.

In terms of addressable TV vs OTT, again they’re two different sides of the same coin. Addressable TV refers to the tech-based strategy of displaying ads, while OTT still refers to any content that is delivered in an on-demand fashion over the Internet.

So what are the different smart TV platforms? There is a wide range of options to choose from depending on your needs. Television manufacturers like Samsung and LG have their own app stores built-in, for example, that allow people to view content from premium channels. Connected TV advertising platforms regularly take advantage of these and similar innovations.

Regardless of how you look at it, television advertising companies are transforming TV – for the better and for all time. Viewers aren’t necessarily against advertising – it’s just that they don’t like ads that are irrelevant and that have little to do with their day-to-day lives. Therefore, it’s important to turn to technology to get more specific – and more personal – with your messaging.

The building blocks of this were laid in the OTT revolution from the outset. People want to watch what they want when they want, and on any device that they want. Advertising is certainly no exception to this. By embracing the best that programmatic advertising platforms have to offer, it creates a legitimate win-win situation for all involved – which may very well be the most important benefit of all.

As programmatic advertising made its rapid evolution, advertising agencies have had to adjust their marketing strategies to these digital streams. Programmatic TV is now an integral part of that marketing strategy.

Programmatic TV advertising streamlines the process of bidding and securing ad space. Instead of making direct purchases, the process is automated, allowing companies to skip over negotiating any pricing and making the process seamlessly quick and effective. With machine learning, advertisers purchase ads in real time with pricing that reflects the current value. Agencies may complete the process of programmatic advertising on a variety of media channels. With programmatic TV marketing, tech solutions automate ad choices. At the core, programmatic TV permits digital ads to run against television content appearing on web-connected devices, such as desktops, tablets, smartphones, and smart television sets.

Programmatic CTV & OTT

To better understand programmatic TV advertising solutions, there are many channels for advertisers to consider. First, let’s start with the most effective method of programmatic advertising: CTV vs OTT. These are two channels that work as one. CTV stands for connected television, while OTT is an acronym for over the top. CTV refers to devices, both smart televisions and televisions, that use streaming methods to display content via the internet. OTT refers to the platforms the content is displayed on via the internet without a set-top box or satellite dish. The type of TV content provider would determine the main differences between OTT vs CTV. A couple of OTT examples include HBO and Hulu, while a few CTV examples include Roku, Amazon Fire Stick, and Xbox.

Programmatic CTV and OTT strategies are usually the same. Advertisers can use the same ads because users will stream most OTT content through a CTV device. The only difference is that OTT advertisers gear the content toward those who don’t have a CTV in their homes. With CTV ads, the displays usually appear before, during, or after a movie or television show. Advertisers will highly target ads on CTVs based on key demographics, user behaviors, and locations.

Programmatic Display & Native

Programmatic display advertising and programmatic native advertising are also effective programmatic channels for advertisers to market on. Programmatic display advertising refers to the advertiser’s option to purchase display ads in an automated fashion using insights to determine the cost. Display ads will have the appearance of a typical marketing message. In comparison, programmatic native ads will mimic curated editorial content. Native ads have a high click rate and will have a disclaimer that states the ad is sponsored.

Programmatic Audio & Video

Other key programmatic channels for marketing purposes include programmatic audio and programmatic video. Both methods work similarly to display advertising. Programmatic audio ads appear on audio channels such as podcasts and music streaming sites. Programmatic video ads can be placed within both games and uploaded video streams. And instead of bidding on stationed display ads, the advertiser is automating the process of securing video ad space on various video platforms. With programmatic videos, the ads can be displayed as interactive videos or integrated game ads.

To answer, “what is CTV advertising?”, or better asked, “what is Connected TV advertising?”, we must first answer the CTV meaning. As mentioned above, CTV stands for connected television. A CTV is a device powered through the internet to stream digital content, where user data is then collected. These devices then allow advertisers to access different types of media to better connect with audiences.

A Connected TV may or may not need extra hardware to get online, such as a smart television set from companies like LG, Samsung, and Sony. It also extends to televisions hooked up to a streaming device, for example, a Roku, Amazon Fire Stick, or Apple TV. The content on CTV is beyond what’s provided through standard cable and satellite TV providers.

Connected TV advertising is the method advertisers serve their ad campaigns to connect with their audiences more effectively. These campaigns feature non-skippable 15 to 30-second ads. With CTV ads, advertisers have access to essential metrics, including view completion rates. The goal is to reach potential prospective or retargeted households who have “cut the cord” and no longer rely on traditional television programming. To give some perspective, 80% of US households have at least one CTV/OTT device, and only growing from here. Without CTV advertising, it would be problematic for advertisers to reach their viewers through television.

As CTV and OTT are slightly different, the programmatic advertising world considers them as one because they are dependent on one another. CTV displays ad campaigns to users on OTT streaming platforms. For example, a smart TV or CTV device serves an ad to a user watching content on an OTT platform, like Hulu, HBO, Disney Plus, and Peacock.

Let’s get more into detail on the OTT meaning, or over the top. It translates to advertisers’ ability to market directly to those who view online, CTV media. The phrase is called over the top because advertisers can bypass traditional means to get their ads seen by viewers. OTT advertising platforms don’t limit advertisers in the same way as conventional network advertising which would need to abide by broadcast schedules.

Precise CTV targeting will occur through OTT advertising. There is less wasted viewership since the advertiser has more control over the target demographic that views the content. Unlike generic ads, advertisers share the most relevant content possible through OTT channels.

OTT Platforms

Although OTT meaning was initially reserved for services like Netflix, there are currently dozens of alternative streaming services that allow an advertiser to serve ad campaigns. OTT marketing also allows niche ads based on the type of streaming service. For example, agencies with advertisements that appear on ESPN+ would design them to appeal to fans of sports. These ads, including all programmatic advertising channels, allow for more specific targeting based on a user’s behavior, demographics, and location. For instance, advertisers create specific ads for sports fans, but more OTT specific would be 15 to 30-second video ads for male users interested in hockey located in Philadelphia.

The following are examples of OTT applications utilized for advertising purposes:

• Hulu
• Peacock
• Disney Plus
• ESPN Plus
• Bravo
• FOX
• NBC
• ABC
• Amazon
• E!

The preceding is not inclusive of all OTT advertising platforms. Every year, more and more streaming services are launching to provide additional content to users globally.

The key benefit of OTT advertising is increasing market reach. Consider the following: more than 60% of young adults use online streaming services as the primary way to watch television. As more streaming options come onto the market, the number of users will continue to grow at a dramatic pace.

The Trade Desk is a trusted partner of Keynes Digital. It has become a must-have Demand Side Platform (DSP) for many advertisers in the programmatic space. They’re shaping the focus of real-time ad bidding by bringing together agencies, aggregators, and advertisers on a single platform. Unlike competitors, the Trade Desk provides detailed bid capabilities to confirm that users can better control auctions.

The Trade Desk specializes in programmatic advertising and is one of our preferred DSP partners. We record metrics from multiple sources to gauge campaign success. The number of metrics is endless. More precision controls given to users ensure that ads remain high-performing while remaining within any predetermined budget.

The CTV landscape is constantly changing. Keynes looks for partners adamant about staying on top of trends within the industry. Our preferred DSP continuously optimizes CTV measurements for advertisers to develop new and relevant CTV media and metrics. Their industry expertise is in CTV ads in notable geographic areas worldwide, including North America, Europe, and the Asia Pacific.

We partner with the best DSPs to help run the strongest ad campaigns through all programmatic advertising channels. For example, audio advertising on music streaming services and podcasts has experienced significant growth in the past five years. The Trade Desk has developed beneficial partnerships with the top names in the industry, such as Pandora, Spotify, and Soundcloud. Audio advertising, CTV/OTT, display and native, and video options are also provided on the all-inclusive Trade Desk DSP.

Keynes partners with the best companies within the advertising space to produce the best return for our clients.

An advertising agency is an independent service that caters to planning, creating, displaying, and managing brand advertising campaigns. A TV ad agency holds the expertise to build a brand or rebrand your existing business with avant-garde tactics and strategies.

Traditionally, brands and businesses hired these marketing agencies to promote their products or services through electronic and print media.

Here’s how this phenomenal industry grew up into a marketing empire.

The evolutionary history of advertising agencies dates back to the 18th century. William Taylor took a step ahead and put forward the concept of an advertising agency, following a continental recognition within no time.

Later, media outlets hired representatives to sell advertising spaces to various brands and businesses. That led to the current modernized concepts of an advertising agency: writing, planning, creating, direction, motive-driven TVCs, and so on.

Traditional advertising agencies were only responsible for displaying ads and selling potential spots. With the development of television graphics and a drift toward colored mutants, top marketing agencies continue to advent new strategies to gather a consistent Viewership.

It was the time when ad agencies partnered with brands to create engaging and creativity-driven commercials. Instead of just posting ads for brands, agencies started recognizing the need to hit the grandeur of the audience. For this purpose, more channels were invited on board with various experimental TV ads.

In the era of social media campaigns and Connected TV, advertising has stormed marketing concepts. Nowadays, a digital marketing agency is your prime partner in designing and running ad campaigns, collecting success stats, looking for new and creative ideas, and many more.

Traditional advertising agencies would only help you advertise through a niche market. Today, a digital marketing agency ensures a multi-sectoral approach and utilizes every possible source.

CTV advertising, online ad posting, premium social media ads, email marketing, and whatnot are all services of a digital marketing agency.

Gone were the days when brand builders would wait months to boost their sales after an advertisement campaign. Nowadays, through realities metrics calculation, brands can find the pitching spots to launch their campaign and gain a groundbreaking victory each time.

Digital Advertising is a Necessity

Are you a business owner or considering having your startup soon? Well, you’ll face a hefty amount of competitors. To stand out from the crowd and make your brand a people’s choice, you need the services of an expert digital marketing agency.

• Make your brand name and log a trustworthy symbol for consumers.
• Refines your brand’s manifesto and organize the whole campaign around it.
• Help you build community through various media outlets such as social media platforms, CTV devices, OTT, etc.
• Gives your brand and businesses a unique identity and recognition in a particular market.
• Digital advertising generously helps you grow and expand your business while tackling different digital media hubs.
• Working with digital advertising is a win-win deal for you. It identifies and overcomes barriers that are hindering your business growth.

Digital Marketing with Keynes

Keynes Digital is your full-service audience and performance-focused programmatic advertising partner. We deliver trackable results for brands and agencies across connected TV and digital platforms.

We host a diverse clientele through our programmatic advertising campaigns and performance-driven strategical management.

• We send weekly reports on post-campaign analytics from various media outlets and connected TV.
• Our firm’s top-notch optimization and custom-tailored advertising campaigns are winning great views for renowned brands.
• We’re offering an AI-based audience analysis to help you design your future advertising perspectives and hit all the potential spots.

Hence, experts at Keynes serve you at their best anytime and anywhere. We are a top agency of the most trusted CTV and programmatic partners.

Today’s tech era has brought forth numerous portals or platforms for brands and businesses to reach where it was impossible otherwise.

From news to entertainment, everything has become global because of the universal outreach possessed by digital media. Posting something on TV today doesn’t mean it would revolve around a fixed number of residents. Today, there are no boundaries to outreach.

Hence, it’s rightly quoted as “visibility brings credibility.” As your brand’s identity spreads through people’s screens and live streaming services, it becomes easier to build a credible household name.

Moreover, people follow idols from the entertainment industry. A brand endorsement during their favorite shows or films would be a powerful marketing investment.

The power of TV advertising has made global brands what they’re today. Some have become household names and have been trusted by consumers for years.

• The chances of successful interaction with the target audience are higher, as most people spend time watching TV daily.
• TVs are everywhere today. 96% of US homes have at least one TV–conventional or a CTV.
• TV is an intermediary source for you to leap into online advertising outlets.
• Advertisers, brand owners, and TV programmers collaborate to pursue consistent consumer engagement. Hence, it builds a trustworthy interaction between the brand and the potential consumers.
• The freedom to experiment with various video ad formats builds audience interest. Every top marketing agency is trying to put forth the most creative branding strategies and its products.

Some tried and tested TV advertising examples are:

• Nike: Do It
• Apple: Fumble
• Amazon Alexa
• Adidas Originals: End Plastic Waste
• Cheetos: It wasn’t me!
• Old Spice: The Man Your Man Could Smell Like

In traditional network television advertising, advertisers talked to advertising sales reps and negotiated an agreement by which ads would be shown on a specific show at a specific time at an agreed-upon price. It was a human process and it took days, weeks, or months.

This process is unproductive for today’s technological advertising world of OTT and connected TV. It’s expensive, time-consuming, and inefficient if it doesn’t provide enough information about how successful an advertising campaign is. That’s why connected TV advertising is bought and sold through an automatic bidding process with access to online information. That process is called programmatic advertising.

OTT, or over-the-top television, is any kind of streamed digital content delivered over the internet and viewed on a computer. OTT can be enjoyed on a smartphone, tablet, or laptop, and be seen on a television set that’s capable of interpreting and displaying that digital content. Smart TVs have an internal computer that enables them to display OTT, and viewers can make almost any set OTT compatible by adding an OTT device such as Roku or an Amazon Fire Stick.

The difference between connected TV vs OTT is that OTT refers to all this content, no matter how it’s viewed, while connected TV refers only to viewing the content on a television screen.

Programmatic advertising creates an arena for advertisers and ad publishers to bid on ad spots on websites, podcasts, and OTT and connected TV content. The advertisers and publishers won’t negotiate directly with one another. There is a process, driven by AI algorithms, that matches bids with inventory that publishers have available to sell.

Programmatic Advertising – Real-Time Bidding

There are several flavors of programmatic advertising, but about 90% of such advertising is done through Real-Time Bidding (RTB). In RTB, ads are sold through real-time auctions. They’re fast. The typical online ad sale is made in about 100 milliseconds.

There are several components in an RTB auction.

• The Supply Side Platform (SSP) is a publisher’s tool. It is where ad suppliers organize the ads they have for sale.
• The Demand Side Platform (DSP) is an advertiser’s tool. It’s where the marketers enter the ads they want to have placed.
• The Ad Exchange can be thought of as a trading floor. It’s where ads from the DSP and inventory from the SSP are matched and advertising is sold.
• The Data Management Platform (DMP) is a repository of information about the potential audience that advertisers can use to target their ad campaigns.

For example, a network partner of Keynes, The Trade Desk, is a fast-growing DSP. DSPs, such as The Trade Desk, programmatic advertising is made available to marketers. Like many DSPs, TTD integrates with a DMP to provide advertisers with audience data. The Trade Desk provides advertisers with a portal into the programmatic advertising marketplace.

Before answering the question, “what is CTV advertising”, let’s ask, “what is connected TV”. As noted above, the CTV definition is specific to that subset of OTT content that’s viewed on a television set.

To understand CTV advertising, you must understand what is CTV and what people watch on it. Its offerings are from OTT providers, such as Netflix and Amazon Prime. Such content consists of movies, episodes of TV series, and proprietary shows. The ads are designed to fit the new way of TV viewing. The short 15 to 30 seconds appear before or during the TV show or movie is being viewed. People also watch this material on laptops, tablets, and smartphones. On those devices, ads can be skippable. However, CTV meaning is the OTT content playing on a television set, and these ads on CTV are non-skippable.

More and more people are fleeing cable and opting for connected TV. For marketers, this creates both a need and an opportunity. They need to take their advertising to where the growing audience is and they have the opportunity to market to this audience more effectively than ever before. There are things a marketer can do with CTV advertising that simply can’t be done with old TV ads.

CTV advertising allows deciphering a targeted audience and displaying a campaign’s message based on demographic factors, such as age, zip code, and individual tastes and interests. It shows who viewed the advertising, along with the demographic details of that targeted audience. Rather than paying a flat fee and sending network TV ads to an audience that may or may not be best for the advertiser, with CTV ads the advertiser pays per impression. The advertiser is charged based on how many people watch the message.

What does The Trade Desk do? As noted above, The Trade Desk is a demand-side platform or DSP. The advertiser is the demander in the programmatic advertising supply-and-demand equation. Like Keynes, the DSP Trade Desk gives marketers a central platform to set up campaigns on connected TV via a programmatic strategy, such as real-time bidding.

The Trade Desk takes the request to the Ad Exchange and makes a real-time automated agreement with an inventory supplier working through a supply-side platform (SSP).

While CTV growth is a driver of the marketplace The Trade Desk participates in, the reach of this sort of advertising extends beyond connected TV and even beyond OTT. Every kind of internet advertising can be bought and sold on the Ad Exchange. This includes contextual ads to internet users based on what pages are browsed and what queries are entered. For example, an advertiser can target potential customers searching for their product but have not yet purchased.

While The Trade Desk is the fastest growing demand-side platform, there are The Trade Desk competitors that offer similar services. Like The Trade Desk, they typically have an integrated data management platform (DMP), so an advertiser can have demographic information at their fingertips as they decide how to target their messages. The most popular and successful of these alternatives include Google Marketing Platform, Verizon Media DSP, Basis, and StackAdapt.

The Trade Desk enables many types of online advertising. For their biggest advertisers, connected TV advertising is one of these. The Trade Desk exploits all of the capabilities of programmatic advertising in its support of connected TV ad campaigns.

With The Trade Desk, an advertiser places ads on CTV platforms and controls how often these messages appear. The advertiser can integrate audience data into their specifications and get measurements about the campaign, including conversions.

Since its founding in 2009, The Trade Desk has been a leader in the adtech world and a key player in the introduction and popularization of RTB. In the online advertising world, The Trade Desk pricing is based on total advertising spend for the marketer, a typical practice in the industry.

The Trade Desk realizes that the new universe of programmatic advertising is complex and that individuals and companies may need a leg up in understanding it. Their Edge Academy was built to make digital advertising education available to everyone.

The Edge Academy is of value both to companies that want to improve their online advertising and to individuals who seek to broaden their knowledge and advance their careers. The Edge Academy web page, headed by the familiar The Trade Desk logo, offers three certification courses to help individuals better understand digital marketing. A user uses The Trade Desk login and gets hands-on experience with their DSP. The Edge Academy promotes adtech education for current or career-needed individuals and students considering a future in digital marketing. The Edge Academy focuses on the importance of advertising practice.

Additionally, The Trade Desk showcases its DSP’s success stories with top brands, such as Anheuser-Busch, Niagara Water, and Magnum Ice Cream. The Trade Desk blog, in addition to its case studies, contributes information about trends in programmatic advertising and interviews with key players in the adtech world.