Programmatic Advertising Platforms

The programmatic advertising definition refers to the use of automation to buy and sell digital ad space. In a more traditional marketing approach, human employees are needed to negotiate with publishers, marketers and similar outlets. With the programmatic advertising meaning, this is no longer necessary as it uses modern technology to streamline the process across the board.

According to one recent study, spending on programmatic advertising hit an enormous $129 billion in 2020 alone. Not only that, but that number is expected to grow to an incredible $150 billion by as soon as the end of the year.

Essentially, programmatic advertising companies help make it easier for brands to reach the audiences that they’re trying to communicate with. Programmatic advertising platforms bring with them several distinct benefits, chief among them being the fact that they save an incredible amount of time. Thanks to tech-based advantages like better targeting, advertisers can get highly relevant, personal ads in front of website visitors without exception. The more relevant the ads are, the lower the cost of acquisition will be – which in and of itself is one of the most important benefits of all.

Another one of the benefits of programmatic advertising comes by way of the real-time optimization that it allows for. Internet users are generating an enormous amount of data at all times – all of which can be used to improve and optimize campaigns across the board. If an advertiser always knows what their conversion rate is, they understand which of their efforts are working – and more importantly, which ones aren’t. This means that they can make changes immediately for a far greater return on investment. Variations of ads can also be adjusted dynamically to help make sure that ads that aren’t performing well aren’t being displayed for too long.

Programmatic advertising platforms use demand-side platforms, otherwise known as a DSP company for short, to allow marketers to run automated online campaigns with predefined advertisement values. This is also commonly referred to as a process called real-time bidding.

Each DSP programmatic company will come with its network of ad exchanges. These allow communication with SSPs, which itself is how a connection with a publisher is made.

For the sake of example, say that an advertiser was trying to reach a very precise target audience like CEOs at high-level companies. Based on this niche, the advertiser would know that there are certain publishers that they were not likely to visit. In a DSP’s programmatic advertising platforms list, one could single out those niche audiences and target those sites where those ideal customers are most likely to be spending their time. That allows them to narrow in on their targeting capablities, thus increasing their return on investment across the board because they are serving their ads to the right audience. That’s just one of the many examples of programmatic advertising and its benefits.

This is also one of the reasons why it’s so important to pay attention to the top DSPs by market share. Doing so gives an advertiser insight into the most effective way to reach a more precise audience in the most cost-effective way possible.

A programmatic advertising platforms list that are involved within the real-time bidding include:

• DSPs
• SSPs
• Ad Exchanges
• DMPs

Programmatic DSP platforms can offer integration with a lot of the existing marketing systems and customer relationship management platforms that advertisers are already using. Hubspot and Salesforce are programmatic advertising examples that bring everything together into one easy-to-use CRM interface that can be used in an advertisers ad campaign. This allows marketers to show people ads automatically based on the personal data that is already contained within those marketing systems. Different ads are shown to customers based on exactly where they are in the marketing funnel at any given moment.

These types of programmatic advertising are a great way to save a lot of time by freeing up internal resources through automation. The system handles much of the process on its own, freeing up the valuable time of human employees to focus on those tasks that truly need their attention.

To provide good DSP examples, two of the largest programmatic advertisers on the market are The Trade Desk and Google DSP. Each brings its own unique approach to the topic.

The Google programmatic platform aims to make “interruptive ad experiences” a thing of the past. The Google Ad Manager allows marketers to deliver immersive ad experiences that follow people across any device or platform that they happen to be using. It allows advertisers to deliver Google ads that match their existing site’s look, feel and even function – all by way of customizable native ads that feel like they’re part of a larger experience. Programmatic advertising Google is a viable way to bring both the scale and impact of data-driven, programmatic advertising to every format.

Keynes Digital recommends another DSP who has very granular programmatic advertising tools–The Trade Desk. The Trade Desk is a media buying platform that was designed with the open Internet in mind. But more importantly, it lets marketers reach people all over the world, from anywhere in the world. This is as opposed to the “walled garden” approach, like Googles, that people were formerly forced to contend with.

As opposed to those walled gardens, an open Internet lets you leverage real-time, actionable and analytical data to grow an audience from anywhere. More than that, marketers can also do so by leveraging a wide range of different formats to their advantage. That includes not only videos and websites but also mobile applications, podcasts and even streaming television platforms. It allows for the possibility of comparing performance both openly and objectively, allowing advertisers to see exactly what is working about a campaign – and more importantly, what isn’t.

All of this comes together to form a perfect storm in the best possible way. Brands can launch smarter campaigns and organically grow their audience, all by way of custom solutions that reach the people they’re trying to speak to more effectively than ever before. They can plan, execute and even measure their digital campaigns via an intuitive, easy-to-use all-in-one platform. They can also leverage the power of first-party data to their advantage, allowing them to capitalize on certain trends and patterns that likely would have otherwise gone undiscovered.

The Trade Desk also offers customizable APIs that can make it easier than ever to build on certain growth goals.

At Keynes Digital, we pride ourselves on being partners with The Trade Desk and follow their direction of a safe, open Internet – not only in terms of the current best practices of programmatic advertising but also with regards to where the entire industry is headed.

According to one recent study, while it’s safe to say that programmatic advertising is popular, it hasn’t hit its peak quite yet. It is anticipated to account for an enormous 86% of all digital advertising spending in the United States alone by the end of 2021. That means that it is about to overtake both television and radio spending – a trend that shows absolutely no signs of slowing down anytime soon.

New ad formats will also soon appear, taking user experiences to the next level. Augmented reality and virtual reality will open the door for new ways to connect with people on real, meaningful levels.

In the end, the future of programmatic display advertising is a bright one, indeed. Several technological advancements are poised to make it more effective than ever. The blockchain, for example, is a viable way to eliminate ad fraud by creating a clear record of who is purchasing ads, where they’re being displayed and ultimately who is seeing them. This is also a way to make programmatic advertising not only more transparent on behalf of marketers but to protect the data privacy of the people viewing the ads as well.

All told, it is and will remain a viable way to create more personal, relevant experiences on behalf of users – which in turn helps brands create intimate and more effective connections with these same people. It generates a higher return on investment than other forms of advertising and it allows marketers to reach people where they are, on their own terms. That last point in and of itself may very well be the most important benefit of all.