Programmatic Advertising Software: Best Overview

Do you use an electric kettle or still boil water over the fire to make a cup of tea? Well, most likely it's an ergonomic kettle that stands in your kitchen. It automatically turns off once the water starts to boil and even indicates the temperatures, so the choice is obvious. Marketing field players also choose automation over traditional sales techniques, when it comes to targeting solutions. So, let's take a closer look at programmatic advertising software and its hidden benefits.

Time to Get Started!

Before we analyze upscale adtech software, let's revise the basics of programmatic advertising technology.

What is the dream of any marketing specialist? Well, most likely it's a cost-effective ad campaign automatically launched via multiple sales channels that target potential buyers. So, with programmatic marketing tools, advertisers can finally make all their dreams come true.

Empowered by sophisticated AI algorithms and data-driven insights, programmatic advertising technology makes it possible to buy relevant ad inventory in a blink of an eye. Now, instead of negotiating with different webmasters and app owners, advertisers can simply set the parameters of the targeted audience, quote the price, and automatically showcase their products and services in the most catchy ad spots.

Types of Programmatic Advertising

When coming across the notion of programmatic advertising, the first thing that probably pops into your mind is real-time bidding technology (RTB). To some extent, such an analogy is fair, but in reality, programmatic is a larger concept. It encompasses four different types of digital advertising, so, let's together analyze them.

Open Auctions (RTB)

Have you ever participated in any auction or observed auction scenes in a movie? Well, when it comes to RTB advertising technology, the basic principles remain the same. In RTB, we also have auction participants (advertisers and ad space owners) that employ programmatic platforms to buy and sell ad inventory and an automated auctioneer (ad exchange) that processes bid requests. Since anyone can leverage RTB to bid on available ad space, the technology is also called Open Auction.

Private Auctions

According to some experts, the global RTB market size is predicted to increase up to $27 billion by 2024. And although Open Auctions are growing in popularity, it's not the only programmatic technology. Thus, have a look at Private Auctions, a.k.a. Private Marketplaces (PMP). Characterized by premium inventory packages and enhanced transparency, these auctions are accessed by invitation.

Preferred Deals

When an advertiser acquires ad inventory from an ad publisher at a fixed price, it means a Preferred Deal occurs. A Preferred Deal gives a media buyer a unique opportunity to access premium ad space before it goes to an Open Auction. However, the ad inventory prices there are higher than at the auctions.

Programmatic Guaranteed

This is a non-auction-based media buying process. Since an advertiser and a publisher interact directly and negotiate the price, such programmatic ad campaigns resemble traditional ones. Still, the crucial difference consists in the hands-off approach. Also, programmatic direct campaigns offer advertisers more transparency and effective ad spend control.

Programmatic Ad Platforms You Need to Know

Whatever type of programmatic buying will you choose for ad campaign optimization, an advanced programmatic advertising platform is a must. So, a detailed description of major automated platforms awaits you below.

SSP

A supply-side platform (SSP) is an advanced marketing tool employed by ad publishers (webmasters and ad space owners). It allows them to automatically send the information on available ad spots to an ad exchange. What's more, the ability to analyze ad inventory and offer advertisers the most relevant ad placements makes the SSP a valuable marketing assistant.

DSP

A demand-side platform (DSP) is a powerful adtech solution created for advertisers. How does it work? Well, advertisers set the targeting parameters and ad campaign budget and send this information to the DSP. Bid requests made by SSPs also get to the DSP. If these requests match the predefined parameters, the DSP sends a bid response to an ad exchange to take part in the auction.

Ad Exchange

If you want to execute programmatic ad campaigns and significantly increase user engagement, an ad exchange is a must. Like an auctioneer, this advanced platform manages the interaction of DSPs and SSPs. By processing bid requests and responses, ad exchanges help publishers and advertisers manage ad campaigns effectively. Also, it supports various ad formats, which enhances audience targeting.

Ad Server

This platform unlocks multiple benefits for all digital marketing players, that's why both publishers and advertisers have their ad servers. Thus, a sell-side ad server helps publishers manage the advertising content appearing on their platforms. A buy-side ad server, on the other hand, enables marketers to monitor metrics (ad views and clicks) and get statistics. And, as you may guess, like the other programmatic platforms, an ad server is an automated solution.

DMP

For those who want to store and process first-, second-, and third-party audience data from multiple sales channels, a data management platform (DMP) can become a perfect solution. By carrying out such functions, this powerful marketing tool allows businesses to understand their clients better, which enhances programmatic ad campaigns.

CDP

To create a perfect targeting strategy and reach the right audience, a company should stick to the KYC rule. At this point, a unified customer profile, shared across SSPs and DSPs, can become a real life-saver. By collecting and processing first-party data, a customer data platform (CDP) creates such a profile, which helps advertisers streamline programmatic campaigns.

Top Platforms to Streamline Ad Campaigns

Have you heard that US advertisers are predicted to spend more than $140 billion on programmatic advertising by 2023? Most likely, they will leverage top-notch programmatic ad platforms to boost ad campaigns. So, let's pinpoint these platforms!

Google Ad Manager (Google AdX)

Since this platform supports multiple ad networks, it becomes a perfect marketing tool for ad publishers interested in significant direct sales. Functioning as an SSP and an ad exchange, Google Ad Manager helps ad space owners gain granular insights and create valuable reports.

OpenX

OpenX is another top-notch ad exchange. Like Google Ad Manager, it also functions as an SSP, which makes it an irreplaceable tool for website owners. The platform unites multiple device types and supports various ad formats (banner, video, audio, native, etc.), so it's definitely worth trying.

Display & Video 360

Proactive advertisers and marketing specialists may choose DV360. It's an advanced demand-side platform that offers end-to-end programmatic campaign management features and optimized targeting strategies. On top of that, it aims to deliver faster insights, improved collaboration, and better results.

Bloomreach Engagement

Hunting for a robust customer data platform? Try Bloomreach Engagement then. By leveraging AI-driven algorithms and best Data Science practices, this CDP helps businesses boost omnichannel ad campaigns and enhance granular targeting. To cut it short, it’s a silver bullet for those who want to launch effective personalized campaigns in real-time.

MediaMath

The marketing agencies and PR agents striving to take full control over their advertising strategies are likely to employ such a multifunctional data management platform as MediaMath. MediaMath is the adtech solution known for its modernized programmatic ecosystem and flexibility.

Farewell Takeaways

Programmatic advertising technology is popular not only with advertisers and publishers but also with bots and fraudsters. These digital criminals manipulate ad traffic and substitute impressions to steal ad money. Reliable software providers do the utmost to tackle ad frauds and constantly upgrade their platforms. So if you choose to go programmatic, make sure your software vendor keeps everything under control.

Haven’t found the required platform? Don’t trust the security of ready-made solutions? Keep in mind that you can always build your own programmatic advertising platform from scratch. Just turn to adtech software specialists.

Please, contact our specialists to learn more about programmatic advertising platforms. Qulix Systems is an expert in various adtech solutions, ready to offer you quality, reliability, and security.