Uncover The Truth Behind These 5 Programmatic Myths
The programmatic advertising ecosystem can be a confusing place – full of so many acronyms, vendors and platforms that it can be hard to know who (and what) you can trust.
At Unruly we often find ourselves guiding partners and friends through similar questions about measurement, targeting and inventory. So we thought we’d group up five of the biggest commonly-held myths about programmatic, in order to address concerns and get to the bottom of what’s really going on. Enjoy!
1. Programmatic campaigns use low quality, remnant inventory.
“It’s all rubbish inventory nobody really wants”. This used to be true, but not any more. The idea that programmatic campaigns use low quality, remnant inventory dates from the early days of digital. Things are very different today.
Unruly reality check: “The truth is, the quality of inventory is reflective of the quality of your partner,” says Paul Gubbins, Programmatic Lead, Unruly. “Unruly works with premium media at scale, delivering 82% of UnrulyX views across comScore 1000 sites, and we’ve got direct relationships with the world’s biggest publishers thanks to News Corp and our network of premium sites globally. Initiatives like The Verified Marketplace, which offers unique inventory from The Times, The Sun, Telegraph and The Guardian, are changing the way clients work and access premium audiences.”
2. I have to deal with robots rather than people.
“I don’t know who I’m dealing with”. The programmatic video landscape can feel crowded and complex, it can be hard to keep track of the partners and individuals you work with. It’s hard to get real-time assistance and can feel like you’re dealing with robots rather than people.
Unruly reality check: According to Hilary Goldsmith, Unruly’s SVP Global Ad Operations, it really doesn’t have to be this way: “All you need is a partner you trust, like Unruly. We’re connected with all leading DSPs, 91% of the Ad Age 100 and top-flight publishers. We pride ourselves on being responsive and attentive, we’ll answer all your campaign queries within 24 hours, and give you transparency and the room to optimise based on what is working and what is not.”
3. No-one pays attention to where or even if, your programmatic views are actually happening.
“You can’t guarantee the quality of the views”. How can you be sure that your campaigns are getting genuine views with the right audience? And can brand safety really be guaranteed?
Reality check: Jess King, Senior Product Manager, UnrulyX Shield, can provide reassurance: “The key to this lies with in-house brand safety teams, rigorous third-party verification and carefully crafted marketplaces. We live and breathe trust. That’s why we’re so proud of UnrulyX Shield, our relationship with bodies such as DTSG, TAG and MOAT – and our high-quality PMPs which guarantee safety at scale.”
4. RTB is only good for getting reach for mediocre content
“I need more sophisticated targeting”. RTB is often seen as a catch-all solution to video distribution – a wide net with limited targeting opportunities. It enables you to reach a large audience, but with little sophistication.
Unruly reality check: “Targeting is so much more sophisticated than it used to be,” explains Ian Forrester, Global SVP Insight & Solutions, Unruly. “Optimised private marketplaces and smarter targeting solutions like Unruly’s KPI-based and emotional PMPs harness programmatic scale and make it work hard for your campaign, providing uplifts in brand metrics like favourability and purchase intent.”
5. Impressions are all that matter
“I just care about reach!” Programmatic video provides massive scale with ease, which is why many traders and brands often focus solely on inputs such as CPMs and simple outputs like views and impressions.
Unruly reality check: Jason Trout, Unruly’s Managing Director EMEA, spells out the truth: “Just because a campaign was delivered programmatically doesn’t mean the analysis has to be robotic. We encourage our customers to think more holistically – what were the brand outcomes? My advice is to go bigger with your KPIs, distribute an emotional campaign to the people that matter and reap the rewards!”
Now that you know the truth about programmatic, get in touch with Unruly to learn more about how we can help you deliver intelligent, brand safe campaigns across premium media at scale.
