Traditional ad buying is inefficient, very inefficient, unlike a Programmatic Guaranteed buy which offers speed and convenience. And it's this fast and easy nature that's got media buyers and publishers stealing bashful glances at it from the across the trading desk.
Programmatic Guaranteed, or Automated Guaranteed as the IAB calls it, promises to eliminate the back-and-forth and allow direct media buys to be implemented with a more streamlined workflow.
By utilising much of the deal-booking, real-time, data-driven, decision-making and brand safety technology currently employed in RTB, advertisers are set to reap the rewards of faster execution and greater campaign performance. Publishers also stand to benefit significantly as they promote their inventory with greater efficiency and negotiate buys directly with lower overheads and less manual work.
In light of the IAB SVP of Technology and Ad Operations, Scott Cunningham’s article on the IAB’s LEAN approach, which highlights how we’ve all had a hand to play in the deterioration of user experience, and the often low perceived value of open auction inventory, we have to wonder whether Programmatic Guaranteed is set to become one of the bigger budget items on the savvy media planner’s mind? And if so, what does that mean for RTB?
As with most things in the world of programmatic advertising, it will come down to which tools advertisers and publishers choose to use and how they choose to use them. Even the biggest and best technology can not rescue a poorly planned campaign.
What is certain however, is that we can look forward to further refinement and greater functionality within DoubleClick’s Programmatic Guaranteed offering as more advertisers and publishers get to grips with the speed and scale of programmatic technology.
