Programmatic advertising

The use of automated technology and processes to buy and sell digital advertising inventory. Common forms include open auction, private marketplace, programmatic guaranteed, programmatic display, video or audio and programmatic DOOH where available. Availability varies by market, supplier and campaign date.

Programmatic advertising can be considered when a brief needs automation, audience or contextual targeting, flexible buying and access to distributed digital inventory. It should still be compared against alternative channels rather than treated as an automatic choice.

Planning normally considers buying route, data, supply path, inventory quality, bidding, frequency, brand safety, verification, consent and fees. The appropriate mix depends on the objective, audience, geography, campaign period, budget and creative.

There is no single fixed price for programmatic advertising. Cost can change with geography, inventory quality, format, demand, campaign dates, duration, production, buying method and the scale of the schedule.

Targeting options depend on the medium and supplier. For programmatic advertising, planners should be explicit about whether targeting is geographic, contextual, audience-based, intent-based, behavioural or a combination, and what data supports it.

IAB UK describes programmatic as a major way digital display advertising is bought and sold; the underlying supply chain and measurement should be made transparent.

Before booking, confirm the campaign objective, target audience, geography, dates, creative format, budget, delivery basis, measurement method, production requirements and what would cause the recommendation to change.

PMA can assess whether programmatic advertising fits the brief, compare it with other media, investigate current inventory and buying conditions, build it into a wider schedule and coordinate the practical steps required to launch.