Demystifying Programmatic Advertising: A Guide for Marketers

Are you eager to harness the potential of programmatic advertising? As a paid media agency dedicated to helping brands launch and enhance their marketing strategies, we recently spoke with Demi, a Paid Media Account Manager at Passion Digital, for our latest episode in the Imagine Better video series.

In this episode, Demi shares practical advice for both launching and optimising programmatic advertising campaigns. Whether you are a beginner or seeking to elevate your current campaigns, this episode offers valuable insights.

Here, we summarise the key points from our conversation and you can watch the full interview at the end of this post.

What is programmatic advertising?

Programmatic advertising involves the automated buying and selling of ad space across websites and apps. Unlike traditional methods, it leverages sophisticated platforms to target specific demographics, interests and online behaviours. This ensures your ads reach the right people at the right time.

Many programmatic platforms are available to automate this process. At Passion Digital, we partner with StackAdapt, a platform that excels in identifying optimal ad placements, negotiating prices in real time and consolidating performance data into a single hub.

The decision to integrate programmatic ads into your marketing strategy depends on your industry and campaign goals. Here are some scenarios where programmatic advertising could be beneficial:

• Targeting specific audiences: Programmatic advertising allows for precise targeting of demographics, interests and online behaviours, making it a powerful tool if you know your ideal client profile
• Complementing traditional paid media: It can enhance your existing paid search and social media activities, enabling rapid campaign scaling while maintaining performance optimisation
• Data-driven marketing: If you are comfortable using data and analytics to inform decisions, programmatic advertising’s reliance on data for ad targeting can be advantageous

Getting started with programmatic advertising

To start, clearly define your goals and objectives. Are you focusing on brand awareness, lead generation, or another goal? Additionally, understand your target audience in detail.

Top Tip: The more specific you are with demographics and interests, the better your campaign performance will be.

The next critical step is securing a Demand Side Platform (DSP) for buying ad inventory programmatically. We recommend StackAdapt for its reliability and user-friendliness.

Managing programmatic campaigns can be complex and time-consuming. We suggest partnering with a specialist agency to streamline the process.

Once you have your DSP, gather all your creative assets and build out your campaigns. Programmatic advertising offers flexibility with ad formats, including static images, videos, GIFs and interactive formats, providing ample opportunity for creativity.

Top Tip: Programmatic advertising is not a set-and-forget platform. Continuously monitor your campaigns, track key metrics (impressions, conversions, clicks, CPA) and use the data to identify top-performing assets.

Utilising programmatic advertising across different verticals

Programmatic advertising can be tailored to various industries and target audiences. Here are some examples:

• E-commerce: Target consumers who are actively in-market or retarget users who visited your site but did not purchase. Dynamic ads can showcase product recommendations based on browsing behaviour
• Travel: Segment activities by destinations and target users researching specific locations or viewing travel blogs. Promote last-minute deals to capture spontaneous travellers
• Automotive: Showcase tactical offers to browsing audiences and retarget website visitors who haven’t converted. Ensure ads are placed on relevant sites where your target audience is likely to visit

Considerations before embarking on programmatic advertising

• Data quality and technical ability: Access to high-quality data is essential for optimisation. Ensure you can correctly analyse this data to inform future decisions
• Time commitment: Allocate sufficient time for setup and ongoing performance monitoring
• Cost: Programmatic advertising requires a substantial budget. Factor in additional costs such as platform fees
• Platform choice: Choose a reputable DSP to avoid issues like click fraud. Research thoroughly to find a trusted partner 

The future of programmatic advertising

The digital landscape is rapidly evolving. Key trends to watch include:

• Deprecation of third-party cookies: This will change audience targeting and require new measurement capabilities
• AI integration: AI can enhance ad creatives by refining messaging, tone and brand consistency, allowing advertisers more time to focus on other campaign areas

Dive Deeper: Programmatic advertising interview with Demi Newlands

For more insights, watch the full conversation with Demi in our Imagine Better series. This interview brings theory to life with practical examples and expert advice. Watch the full interview and discover the power of programmatic advertising.

By incorporating programmatic advertising into your paid media strategy alongside search and social, you can create a seamless user journey that builds brand awareness, generates leads and drives conversions.

Our approach to display advertising is based on strategic insights, creative excellence and relentless optimisation to ensure maximum impact. Want to learn more or get started with your programmatic strategy? Get in touch with us today to discuss your goals and develop your programmatic advertising strategy.