Skill Level Needed to Buy Ads
Expert Touch Needed
Digital Ads Playbook
Programmatic Ads
In Depth Assessment
If you see an ad while you’re reading a recipe on a blog or while viewing a clip on your local news site, you’re likely seeing a programmatic ad. “Programmatic advertising” literally means the automated buying and selling of digital advertising space, but this definition could cover pretty much any digital ad buying. Most of the time, a “programmatic ad” refers to all non-social or search inventory across the web, apps, and digital devices; this means if you see an ad outside of a “walled garden” of Facebook, Google, or another social networking site, that’s a programmatic ad. The buyer sets targeting and usually uses inventory sources that cover a wide range of sellers/publishers. This type of ad buying happens via demand-side platforms (DSP) like The Trade Desk, Google DV360, Centro, DataXu, or Adobe.
Anyone who is looking to expand their reach by running campaigns to their audience across the web in addition to reaching them on social platforms.
- A campaign with a small digital budget might use programmatic ads to drive name ID by running static display ads to potential voters across the web.
- A campaign with a mid-sized digital budget might use programmatic ads to pick up some affordable OTT/CTV inventory to reach voters in their district or area.
- A campaign with a large digital budget might use programmatic ads to sell campaign merchandise to potential supporters.
- Expands reach beyond the walled gardens of social media platforms to the rest of the digital world
- Most DSPs have built in Data Management Platforms (DMPs), giving advertisers access to a wide variety of third-party targeting segments
- High level of campaign customization (choosing which devices, apps, sites, and platforms to run on) and optimization levers (bid cap, frequency cap, placement, sites, etc.)
- Most DSPs also allow you to access a wide range of inventory, from basic display and online video to audio & OTT and CTV inventory
- Buying inventory programmatically is normally more cost-efficient than buying via a direct deal
- Complex buying method with numerous levers and variables requires an expert touch
- Can be difficult to understand what types of inputs go into third-party data segments or how reliable they are at identifying your audience
- Often have to use a third-party data connector like Liveramp to target custom lists
- Running across the web opens the door for fraud, requiring brand safety solutions and attention to results
- Reach and frequency can be harder to cleanly track across different publishers and devices
- Because this category covers many different vendors and publishers, there’s no single political ad policy we can list here. These publishers will usually have some sort of attestation form that you will need to fill out with information on your candidate or organization. They will also likely require there to be disclaimers within your ad creative, and they usually require disclaimers to be consistent with FEC regulations.
- Publishers may occasionally have additional restrictions for political advertisers; some may refuse to run electoral ads for c4s or PACs but may be more lenient on advocacy ads for c3s. It is best to make sure to ask about political ad policies when evaluating potential advertising partners.
- Acquisition, including both fundraising and list building
- Awareness
- Persuasion
- Mobilization
Typical pricing model: CPM
Display: $6-12+ CPM
Online Video: $12-24+ CPM
Audio: $20-30+ CPM
OTT/CTV: $25-45+ CPM
Quick Facts
Programmatic Ads
Typically Managed By
Ad Agencies
Notable Targeting Capabilities
- Demographic targeting
- Geotargeting
- Behavioral targeting
- Contextual targeting
- Retargeting
- Custom list audience
- Lookalike audience
Available Creative Formats
- Static Graphics
- Videos (6s, 15s, 30s)
- Gifs
- Native Ads (ie: News Articles)
- Audio
- Custom Creative Options