There is a growing practice in the digital space called “programmatic advertising.” It’s all the rage and more companies are doing it everyday. But few people know exactly what it is. Much like the latest celebrity diets, people are subscribing to the practice of programmatic advertising but don’t entirely understand what it is or how it works. Unlike the latest celebrity diet though, programmatic advertising is here to stay and it will change the way we advertise online.
Simply put, programmatic advertising is the automation of ad buying. Now ads can be purchased in real time, the same way hotel reservations can be made online instead of going through a concierge or travel agent. The streamlined process increases efficiency and reduces the cost of ads.
This allows advertisers to focus on more specifically tailored audiences, instead of simply trying to reach as many people as possible for the least cost. Agency resources can then be directed to facilitating creativity and personalized interaction. Therefore, businesses can seamlessly integrate their message into their target audiences’ online behavior.
CRAFT embraced programmatic buying early, launching our own agency trading desk, CRAFT Levers. Now CRAFT bypasses traditional ad networks and directly accesses the inventory, data, transparency, and insights available through industry-leading Demand Side Platforms (DSPs), including Google’s Bid Manager, AOL’s AOP, BrightRoll, MediaMath, AdRoll, and others.
Buying directly has two key benefits; first, it increases transparency, knowing when and where our ads run reduces potential fraud; second, a greater percentage of the budget goes to actual ad placement and not ad network overhead, giving our clients more bang for their buck. Thus, CRAFT advertising specialists can use a larger percentage of our clients’ budgets to leverage more accurate real-time data to improve results, ensuring the right ads reach the right people, at the right time.
