Definition:
Programmatic buying or “real-time bidding” refers to the buying and selling of online ad impressions through real-time auctions that occur in the time it takes to load a web page. These auctions are usually facilitated by ad exchanges or bidding platforms.
Índice de contenidos
How programmatic purchasing works
As ad impressions are loaded into a user’s web browser, information about the page being viewed and the user is passed to an ad exchange, where the ad is auctioned. The winner loads on the website almost instantly, as the whole process takes only milliseconds to complete.
You can recognize if a user has previously been on a site looking at a specific pair of pants, for example, and therefore you can be prepared to pay more to the page you are interested in to put ads on it.
Calculation of prices in programmatic purchasing
The price of impressions is determined in real time based on what buyers are willing to pay, hence the name “real-time bidding”.
Frequently asked questions about Programmatic Buying
What is Programmatic Buying?
Programmatic Buying is the automated acquisition of digital advertising spaces through platforms, data and bidding rules. It allows impressions to be bought in real time or through private deals according to audience, context, budget and campaign objectives.
What is Programmatic Buying used for?
It is used to impact specific audiences with greater efficiency, control frequency, optimize investment and adapt messages according to available data. In digital marketing it helps scale display, video, audio or native campaigns with advanced segmentation and measurement.
What is the difference between Programmatic Buying and direct buying?
Direct buying is usually negotiated manually with a media outlet, with agreed prices, placements and conditions. Programmatic Buying automates part of the process and makes it possible to decide impression by impression whether it is worth bidding according to expected value.
What should a Programmatic Buying campaign take care of?
It should take care of inventory quality, brand safety, viewability, frequency, segmentation, consent, attribution and exclusions. It is also advisable to review where ads appear and whether optimization pursues useful metrics for the business.