How programmatic is changing the way advertisers do business

In terms of ad execution, what is ‘programmatic guaranteed’ and how does it benefit advertisers?

Programmatic guaranteed (PG) is a media selling and buying execution that gives advertisers and publishers the opportunity to revisit the value of ‘premium’ inventory in a programmatic environment, offering with it buying efficiency and full transparency for both parties.

In effect, PG directly connects advertisers to publishers and allows direct media buys to take place programmatically, thereby giving advertisers a full view of where their ads are being displayed, and to which audience.

This execution guarantees access to brand safe inventory and allows for an overlay of data so that relevant audiences can be reached.

This not only creates an ecosystem where brands are getting the best out of media buys, but crucial buyer-seller relationships are maintained and fostered.

The appetite for PG among brands and agencies is pushing the adoption of this media execution among South African publishers. Publishers who add PG direct to their offering will be futureproofing their sales and offering tremendous value to advertisers.

Audio streaming has become increasingly popular. What can advertisers do to leverage this channel effectively?

With programmatic targeting and attribution, advertisers are now able to execute audio ads in pre-roll, mid-roll and post-roll formats.

The traceability of audio’s impact is a real game changer for advertisers. The interest is growing amongst publishers too, who are seeing a large number of their audience consuming their content online, not only via digital live stream but also as on-demand or ‘catch-up’ content.

When implementing programmatic advertising, is there a risk of advertisers becoming too data-centric in their approach?

Data is more than central to the eco-system, data is its lifeblood. If both publishers and advertisers are able to make sense of their data and have the means and expertise to effectively apply it within the ecosystem, all with the big picture in mind, a data-centric approach should be encouraged.

A holistic approach to data is crucial. To avoid analysis paralysis, advertisers and publishers need to maintain a consistently firm grip on their data, as weekly or monthly reporting is no longer sufficient.

Within the context of programmatic advertising, this is especially important as more budget is being pushed to always-on campaign models.