Programmatic advertising continues to transform digital media buying, streamlining how businesses reach their audiences. By 2028, Statista projects that 8% of digital advertising revenue will stem from programmatic. Its technology-driven approach to buying and selling digital advertising space automates the process of placing ads on websites, apps, and other platforms, increasing efficiency, transparency, and control.
What is Programmatic Advertising?
Think of programmatic advertising as your personal digital matchmaking service for ads. It uses technology to seamlessly place your message on the right websites, apps, or platforms at the right time—like renting a dynamic digital billboard that pops up exactly where your ideal audience is. It’s smarter, faster (we’re talking milliseconds), and far more precise than traditional methods, making every advertising dollar work harder for you.
It’s important to understand that programmatic is not just a type of inventory; it’s a buying modality. This approach spans various media types, from display and video to Connected TV (CTV) and audio, providing advertisers with the flexibility to reach audiences across different platforms and devices.
Democratizing Premium Inventory
One of the most exciting aspects of programmatic advertising is its ability to level the playing field for small and local advertisers. Historically, advertising inventory like the Olympics or Netflix was accessible only to major brands. Programmatic has changed that by democratizing premium inventory and making it available to businesses of all sizes. Whether you’re targeting niche audiences or aiming for broader reach, programmatic offers opportunities that were previously out of reach.
A great example is the evolution of live sports advertising. For the first time, programmatic enables access to high-value live sports inventory for smaller advertisers, showcasing how the industry continues to adapt and innovate.
The Building Blocks of Programmatic Advertising
Programmatic advertising operates through several foundational mechanisms, including:
- Real-Time Bidding (RTB or Open RTB): RTB involves real-time media buying through an open auction. All advertisers can participate, meaning hundreds of buyers compete for the same ad slots. The final cost is determined by demand, with the ad placement awarded to the highest bidder.
- Private Marketplace (PMP): Similar to RTB, PMPs operate on an auction basis, but access is limited to select advertisers who receive invitations from publishers.
- Programmatic Guaranteed: This method bypasses auctions entirely, requiring direct communication between advertisers and publishers. Both parties agree on a fixed price and specific inventory, with an obligation to fulfill the agreement.
- Preferred Deals: A subset of programmatic direct, preferred deals allow advertisers to negotiate premium inventory without requiring a purchase commitment for pre-agreed ad space.
How Does Programmatic Advertising Work?
Programmatic advertising simplifies and automates the ad-buying process:
- Define Campaign Goals: Advertisers start by identifying their target audience, setting a budget, and creating ads tailored to their objectives.
- Use a Demand-Side Platform (DSP): A DSP enables advertisers to bid on ad inventory across multiple platforms in real-time. This process ensures efficient and precise audience targeting.
- Track and Optimize: Advertisers can monitor performance throughout the campaign, using insights to optimize results.
Programmatic advertising also provides transparency and insights into campaigns, offering data on ad placements, audience reach, and associated costs. Flexible spending ensures advertisers remain in control, allowing them to set maximum budgets and avoid unexpected expenses.
Programmatic Advertising Offers Several Advantages For Businesses:
- Increased Transparency and Control: Advertisers gain real-time visibility into ad performance, including where ads appear, audience details, and associated costs.
- Real-Time Measurement: Campaigns can be optimized continuously to enhance results.
- Greater Efficiency: Automation streamlines the media buying process, saving time and resources.
- Precise Targeting Capabilities: Reach specific audiences based on demographics, behaviors, and interests.
- Increased Audience Reach: Access a broad network of platforms and potential customers.
- Flexible Spending: Advertisers maintain control over budgets, ensuring costs remain within planned limits.
Vikram Somaya, VP of Global Operations and Audience, Thomson Reuters via DigiDay:
“I think programmatic buying in all its forms is necessary for the future of online advertising. It will underpin growth in all message formats.”
Creative Ad Formats in Programmatic Advertising
Programmatic advertising offers a range of creative formats, enabling advertisers to craft engaging campaigns tailored to their target audiences. These formats include:
Display Ads: Rich visuals like photos and videos are used to connect with audiences browsing the open web, encouraging specific actions.
Video Ads: These ads play before, during, or after streaming content or as users scroll through webpages, capturing attention with dynamic storytelling.
Connected TV (CTV): Designed for internet-connected televisions, CTV ads reach cord-cutters via devices such as Roku, Apple TV, Chromecast, Amazon Fire TV, and Smart TVs.
Native Advertising: This content-driven approach integrates blogs, articles, or downloads into user experiences, driving engagement through the conversion funnel.
Mobile Advertising: Ads optimized for smartphones and tablets ensure your brand reaches consumers on their most-used devices.
Audio Ads: Platforms like Spotify, Triton, and TargetSpot enable programmatic audio campaigns that deliver messages seamlessly during music streaming or podcast sessions.
Digital Out of Home (DOOH): DOOH advertising places ads on digital screens in physical locations, such as transit hubs, gyms, or coffee shops. It targets audiences based on location, demographics, and movement patterns, creating impactful campaigns while remaining non-intrusive.
These diverse ad formats allow advertisers to meet their audiences wherever they are—online, on their favorite devices, or in the physical world. Whether through immersive video, strategic native placements, or location-based DOOH campaigns, programmatic advertising provides the flexibility and precision to deliver relevant messages across multiple channels, driving engagement and measurable results.
The Role of Data in Programmatic Advertising
Data drives the precision of programmatic campaigns. Platforms like The Trade Desk leverage first-party data, or seeds, to optimize campaigns by identifying core customer groups. These seeds guide relevance and performance by connecting with complementary third-party data, ensuring advertisers find the right audiences faster. This synergy between first-party and third-party data enhances targeting while maintaining efficiency and driving impactful results.
Breaking Free from Walled Gardens with The Trade Desk + Choozle
As programmatic advertising continues to evolve, so does the conversation around Walled Gardens—platforms like Google and Facebook that operate within closed ecosystems. While these giants offer extensive reach within their networks, they limit advertisers’ control over their campaigns. Transparency, cross-channel performance measurement, and access to diverse inventory often fall short in these environments, creating inefficiencies and data silos.
The Open Internet Advantage
Choozle, in partnership with The Trade Desk, champions a different approach by embracing the Open Internet. This strategy allows advertisers to break free from the constraints of walled gardens, accessing premium ad inventory across a wide range of websites, apps, and streaming platforms. By leveraging this open ecosystem, advertisers gain:
- Enhanced Transparency: Full visibility into performance metrics, ad placements, and cross-platform engagement.
- Greater Control: Advertisers can manage campaign frequency, optimize budgets, and target high-value audiences without the restrictions of a single network.
- Data Integration: A holistic view of campaign performance that unifies data across channels.
- Comprehensive Campaign Execution: Advertisers can create omnichannel campaigns spanning Connected TV, mobile, audio, and more; reach audiences across diverse touchpoints; maximize ROI with transparent reporting and actionable insights; and collaborate with publishers to develop impactful and measurable campaigns.
This transparent, data-driven strategy redefines how advertisers engage with their audiences, enabling innovation and driving performance without the limitations of walled gardens.
Managed Services
Our team will manage your programmatic campaigns from start to finish, ensuring real-time optimizations, pacing management, and strategic recommendations tailored to your goals. With managed services, you gain access to expert insights on advanced targeting, cross-channel optimization, maximizing reach, driving efficiency, and more.
We’ll also provide comprehensive information on how we operate within your ad account(s), ensuring transparency, ownership, and ease of transition. This includes special ad category approvals and a deep dive into our processes, giving you confidence and clarity throughout the campaign life cycle.
Self-Service
For those who prefer hands-on control, our self-service option gives you the tools to manage your programmatic campaigns directly. Use our platform to set up, optimize, and track your campaigns in real-time, maintaining full oversight and flexibility to adapt your strategy as needed.
Programmatic Advertising: A Powerful Tool
Programmatic advertising is a powerful tool that continues to revolutionize the digital marketing landscape. Its ability to automate processes, democratize premium inventory, and integrate advanced data strategies sets it apart as a game-changer for businesses of all sizes. With platforms like The Trade Desk championing the open internet and prioritizing advertiser control, the possibilities for targeted, efficient, and impactful campaigns are endless.
As we move into 2025, programmatic advertising remains the future of digital marketing—ensuring businesses can reach their audiences with precision and purpose while staying ahead of the competition.
Are you ready to take your advertising strategy to the next level?
