Programmatic advertising has a proven track record of assisting marketers in connecting with potential customers at every stage of the buying process, significantly quickening conversion and increasing revenue. Other advantages are reduced ad costs, superior optimization, improved ad administration, and so on.
The finest platform to work with for this endeavor should be the first consideration if you plan to invest in programmatic advertising. Making the appropriate programmatic platform choice will enable you to control your advertising spending effectively.
Let’s begin by delving into programmatic advertising platforms, but first, let’s take a quick look into what programmatic advertising exactly is.
What are Programmatic Advertising Platforms?
The statistics speak for themselves.
In 2021, U.S. marketers spent $167 billion on programmatic advertising platforms, as reported by Statista. Projections from Technavio indicate that worldwide spending on programmatic advertising is expected to reach $314 billion by 2026.
Now, why is programmatic advertising becoming the go-to choice for advertisers in their display campaigns, and what exactly does it entail?
Programmatic advertising goes beyond automated buying and selling of online ad space. It operates through ad exchanges, facilitating transactions between advertisers looking to buy space and publishers offering digital real estate. Leveraging algorithmic software, programmatic streamlines the sale and placement of digital ad impressions on ad exchange platforms, all within a fraction of a second.
Furthermore, programmatic integrates traffic data and precise targeting techniques to deliver impressions with greater accuracy and efficiency, and at a larger scale. This translates to improved return on investment (ROI) for both advertisers and publishers.
What are Programmatic Advertising Platforms?
Publishers can use programmatic advertising systems to manage their ad inventory. The ad space that an online or offline publisher must sell on their website, mobile app, video, and other platforms is known as ad inventory or advertising inventory.
Programmatic advertising platforms are designed to automate the process of buying or selling digital ad spaces. This buying and selling happens within the programmatic ecosystem where programmatic ad platforms operate through ad servers. These servers are interconnected within the programmatic ecosystem to allow quick and efficient ad serving and media trading.
Advantages of Programmatic Advertising Platforms
- Immense reach
- Comprehensive targeting
- Improved efficiency
- Increased flexibility and scalable
Although there are several advantages, scaling is the most important benefit of using programmatic advertising platforms. You may instantly access millions of publishers worldwide through the top programmatic advertising networks, enabling you to reach your target audience wherever they are.
This is one of the reasons that 76 percent of marketing professionals use programmatic advertising platforms to some degree. Manually contacting every site would take an eternity, but programmatic advertising allows you to do it instantly.
The ability to instantly reach a highly focused audience is one of the most crucial features of programmatic ad networks because not every publishing site caters to your desired audience. These platforms broadcast advertisements on a massive scale, gathering tonnes of data that is then used to boost the effectiveness of the ads.
When you use a programmatic ad platform, you can specify particular restrictions for where and to whom you show advertising. This is a significant benefit.
According to a survey, 73% of marketers consider audience targeting as the most effective programmatic advertising strategy.
Also Read: The What, Why, and How of 360 Degree Customer View: A Complete Guide
Top 5 Programmatic Advertising Platforms
All this information about programmatic advertising platforms brings us to the next big question: Which is the best programmatic advertising platform?
Here are our top 5 programmatic advertising platforms:
BidMind
BidMind is an omnichannel programmatic advertising platform delivering ads across CTV, DOOH, digital audio, in-app, and web channels. It offers fully transparent and ads.txt/sellers.json/schain compliant supply using advanced features like media planner, first- and third-party audiences, geofencing, and 24/7 reporting. BidMind helps brands and agencies launch data-driven campaigns and offers a suite of industry-leading targeting capabilities. The platform is available as a self-serve, managed service, and as a white-label solution for agencies and advertisers ready to become tech vendors.
BidMind provides a comprehensive range of services including white-label, self-serve, and managed services. Their approach is truly omnichannel and is bolstered by a specialized media planning tool. To ensure precise targeting, BidMind utilizes various strategies such as digital channels, platforms, location & geofencing, content type, and dayparting. You’ll also have the ability to upload first-party audience data and tap into a vast selection of over 100,000 tailored third-party audience segments for pinpoint targeting.
Also, their robust antifraud measures, backed by Pixalate and Double Verify, create a secure advertising environment. Access to detailed reporting is available 24/7 for your convenience.
Simpli.fi
Simpli.fi is a localized programmatic platform and is also among the top-rated programmatic platforms. It allows advertisers to buy ad inventory on multiple real-time bidding ad exchanges. It is truly all-in-one omnichannel advertising that gives advertisers access to mobile, social, TV, display, direct mail, and video channels.
Advertisers can import their CRM data for better audience targeting and also sort their audiences based on the device or OS they use, their browser, geographic location, etc. As its name suggests, Simpli.fi simplifies the process of buying and selling digital ad space with its all-in-one software features.
MediaMath
MediaMath is yet another omnichannel programmatic advertising platform that provides advertisers with an end-to-end campaign management system. It also happens to be the earliest and oldest Demand-Side Platform (DSP) in the industry. As it is an omnichannel DSP it successfully takes care of omnichannel advertising campaigns such as display, mobile, audio, video, native, and most importantly Digital Out of Home (DOOH) ads.
So far MediaMath successfully helped many advertisers in running omnichannel campaigns on multiple digital spaces. It also helps advertisers achieve better supply-path optimization and algorithm decision-making by utilizing ML and predictive modeling, Brain Insights, and Optimization.
PubMatic
Be it brands or publishers, PubMatic has solutions for both. It allows advertisers to use its real-time analytics feature and optimize their ad campaigns. It has a private marketplace where advertisers can access a high-quality ad inventory. PubMatic uses real-time bidding advertising technology which helps publishers generate the highest yield on every impression.
On this platform, advertisers also get a media buyer console which significantly helps in planning and managing programmatic direct campaigns across different ad formats and desktops and mobile devices as well. PubMatic also has a fraud-free program that refunds a credit amount in case the software detects ad fraud.
Adroll
Adroll single-handedly helps advertisers to grow any type of ad offerings online. It is a simple, easy-to-use platform and has some top-notch ad templates. Adroll helps brands to grow their reach through display, video, social, native ads, and more.
Its audience targeting capabilities include demographic, interest-based, lookalike, and CRM targeting. Its user-friendly interface can launch campaigns very easily making it the best programmatic advertising platform for beginners.
More than 15 years of data gathered from working with more than 120,000 brands fuel AdRoll. High-quality ad templates are provided to get you started right away, and it’s quick and simple to set up and use.
AdRoll’s effective audience targeting, with choices for contextual, lookalike, demographic, and interest-based campaigns, is one of its primary advantages.
Summing It Up
Programmatic advertising platforms have become essential in modern advertising, streamlining the process of buying and optimizing digital ad campaigns for greater effectiveness. Serving as a link between publishers and advertisers, these platforms provide the necessary resources for running campaigns efficiently. With precise targeting capabilities, programmatic advertising is a versatile choice for businesses of all sizes.
The trend is expected to persist with the emergence of new platforms and technologies enhancing campaign management. To select the right platform, businesses should assess their specific needs, and preferred ad types, and conduct thorough research. The mentioned platforms are popular choices, offering significant assistance in establishing a stronger brand presence in the market.