programmatic buying

The term covers a wide range of technologies that have begun automating the buying, placement and optimization of advertising, replacing human-based methods like phone calls, faxes and in-person meetings. Through programmatic technologies, advertisers can buy ads the way they pick up something on Amazon or bid on eBay.

Programmatic simply means automated. A lot of people confuse it with buying ads through computer-run auctions (known as real-time bidding) but that’s just one way to buy ads programmatically. At its core, programmatic buying is any ad buy that gets processed through machines.

Programmatic can actually save money. Through automation, the transactions become more efficient, cutting out complex ad-operation tasks. At the same time, it can involve myriad tech vendors that enable certain types of targeting or verification, and they all collect tolls along the way.