Programmatic Media Buying Platforms – Pros and Cons

Programmatic-Media

If you own a media buying company then you will know the amount of time and effort required to manually build and launch campaigns, especially if you manage a large portfolio that needs to be served across a range of publishers, devices, and formats.

This is why many advertisers have turned to media buying platforms that can provide a programmatic approach to speed up and simplify the entire process, including monitoring the results of campaigns and optimizing ones that are launched in the future.

However, are these platforms too good to be true? And are some better than others? In this article, we will discuss the limitations of such a platform and what to look out for to ensure you select the perfect media buying platform for your needs. If your business is looking for a programmatic solution, your choice is a demand-side platform. This software helps manage all your media buying campaigns and monitor their performance in one place. In the case of large companies, it is advisable to use a white-label solution. The benefits of a white-label DSP are more extensive, especially when it comes to saving money on CPMs, as you don’t pay any fee to the provider. 

Selecting the Ideal Media Buying Platform – The Pros

A programmatic media buying platform helps people move away from tedious processes such as; human negotiation, manual insertion orders, and requests for proposals. Replacing these manual processes with an automated, algorithmic system built for speed and efficiency. In simple terms, it uses purpose-built software to purchase ad inventory based on your preferences, an example of this is the Bidmind platform which will be discussed later.

This demand-side software aggregates display advertising inventories that can be bid for in real-time based on set criteria. Campaigns can be improved by dedicated account managers if the user wishes to take advantage of a managed service. Once live, the campaigns can be measured and automatically optimized for improved performance using a range of available metrics to monitor results. 

The bidding system works by matching available ad space to your desired criteria, using metrics such as demographic, viewing behaviors, device type, and the time of day. This creates a streamlined service that requires very little human intervention, with smart algorithms accurately matching inventories to your exact wants and needs.

The highly efficient nature of these platforms is why many leading organizations across the world trust their advertising campaigns to the purpose-built algorithms which are developing and improving each day to keep up with changing trends. 

This results in an unrivaled return on investment, based on the engagement of ad campaigns and the man-hours which are saved.

Avoiding Ineffective Media Buying Platforms – The Cons

However, not all platforms can deliver the necessary results, and this is why it is important to conduct thorough research before committing to a media buying platform that will manage your important ad campaigns. 

Due to the lack of human control, you must ensure the media buying platform you use is based on the very best algorithms available, or else the results may not be what you had hoped. Some platforms fail to deliver and can be guilty of inappropriate ad matching, significantly impacting the effectiveness of campaigns and reducing your return on investment. 

It is also essential to use a platform that is complete with high-quality security and fraud protection, so campaigns are not skewed by bots and crawlers, acting as human viewers. This lack of protection would result in you paying for impressions that aren’t actually impressions at all!

Thirdly, make sure the platform you choose provides enough information, so you can successfully manage campaigns and optimize them accordingly.

Therefore, the three key factors to look for in a media buying platform are:

  • High-quality algorithms which use advanced targeting so only relevant ad inventories are matched.
  • Fraud protection and top security protocols to avoid money being wasted on non-human impressions.
  • Effective campaign measurement based on accurate metrics and analytics. 

Is There a Platform That Avoids These Limitations?

BidMind is an advanced media buying platform that ticks all of the boxes, from accurate ad matching based on constantly adapting algorithms, unbeatable fraud protection and security, and valuable analytics for optimization purposes. In addition, BidMind also offers a managed service that enables experienced account managers to optimize campaigns for you, ensuring maximum efficiency. 

The views expressed in this article are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views or policies of The World Financial Review.