How to Pick the Best Programmatic Advertising Platform for Your Business

What is Programmatic Advertising?

Programmatic advertising is a way of using marketing automation technology to facilitate large-scale digital advertising. It is not a particular type of advertising (like video ads, display ads, or text ads). It is a process for how ad inventory is bought and sold in the digital advertising space.

The benefits of programmatic advertising apply to brands and publishers alike. For publishers, programmatic help them sell ad space to advertisers worldwide, thereby maximising revenue from their digital properties. For advertisers, programmatic allows them to implement a large-scale, data-driven ad campaign in real-time. Instead of being limited to specific platforms like Bing Ads, Instagram Ads, or Facebook Ads, they can access multiple publishers and ad networks.

If you are new to programmatic, we strongly suggest reading Programmatic Advertising: A Complete Guide for B2B Marketers. Programmatic is a complex topic, and this article will only cover a specific part—programmatic advertising platforms.

What is a Programmatic Advertising Platform?

The term ‘programmatic advertising platform’ broadly encompasses three major feature sets that all work together to make this approach to optimising advertising possible. These features sets are known as:

Ad exchanges

An ad exchange is an online marketplace that advertisers and publishers use for buying and selling ads. Some ad exchanges are open to all advertisers and publishers. There are also private marketplaces (PMPs) which are only available to select publishers and buyers.

Additionally, there are ad networks like the Google and Facebook ad networks. These networks buy inventory from publishers and then sell it to advertisers as an intermediary—almost like subletting a flat.

Demand side platform

As its name implies, a demand-side platform (DSP) operates on the demand side of the programmatic advertising equation. It provides automated, centralised media buy from publishers, ad exchanges, ad networks, and direct integrations.

DSPs allow advertisers to target audiences based on user demographics, browsing behaviour, shopping patterns, etc. Ads are placed in digital spaces that help brands reach the right audiences at the right time (and for the right price). The main components of a DSP include real-time bidding (RTB), an ad server, campaign tracking and reporting, user profiling, budget management, and integration capabilities.

Supply-side platforms

A supply-side platform (SSP) is programmatic software publishers (aka suppliers) use for selling ad space on their websites, apps, and other digital properties. By connecting publishers with multiple ad exchanges and demand side platforms at once, SSPs help publishers maximise the price of their ad space. SSPs include features like analytics reports, ad inventory management tools, and header bidding technology (allowing publishers to simultaneously request bids from multiple demand sources).

Top 10 Programmatic Ad Platforms

There are a lot of programmatic advertising platforms out there. Some vendors offer only operate on the demand OR supply side, while others offer integrated solutions. Some platforms have a particular focus, such as video advertising, while others take an omnichannel approach. To help familiarise you with the field, here are some of the major players and top programmatic platforms currently on the market.

Platform Quick Reference: 

Platform	DSP	SSP	Ad Exchange
Adobe Advertising Cloud	✓
AdRoll	✓
Choozle	✓
Criteo	✓	✓
Google Marketing Platform: Ad Exchange	✓	✓	✓
MediaMath	✓
PubMatic		✓
SmartyAds: Ad Exchange	✓	✓	✓
The Trade Desk	✓
Xandr	✓	✓

Adobe Advertising Cloud

Adobe is a media giant, so it’s no surprise the company runs one of the largest, most popular programmatic platforms out there. Adobe Advertising Cloud includes a DSP and a cross-channel ad server. The platform offers advanced targeting options and is integrated with other Adobe products such as Adobe Analytics.

Adobe Advertising Cloud supports display, video, mobile apps, TV, audio, native ads, digital out-of-home (DOOH), and more. Additionally, Adobe provides a wide range of useful capabilities including A/B testing, cross-channel management and advanced measurement.

AdRoll

Powered by 15-plus years of data collection, AdRoll is a demand-side platform focusing on eCommerce. AdRoll provides solid audience targeting, including contextual, lookalike, demographic, and interest-based campaigns. It allows brands to quickly launch display ads, social media ads, and email marketing ads.

While it is a bit light on advanced features (for example, no A/B testing), it is quick to set up and use. It also offers high-quality ad templates to help advertisers get started immediately. AdRoll’s easy interface and relatively simple campaign structure make it a solid choice for beginners.

Choozle

Choozle is a DPS that supports programmatic advertising campaigns across display, video, connected TV, mobile, audio, DOOH, and other mediums. Choozle offers a single, easy-to-use interface and is known for its strong customer support. For example, they include onboarding and training specialists to help clients set up and get going with campaigns.

Choozle provides numerous targeting capabilities and some useful built-in data tools. However, advanced features and analytics are somewhat limited compared to other options. Similar to AdRoll, it can be a good beginning platform for brands new to the programmatic world.

Criteo

Founded in 2005, Paris-based Criteo provides solid data-driven solutions for advertisers and publishers alike with their DSP and SSP platforms. Focused on CPC and CPM-based campaigns, they leverage their extensive data resources to help marketers and media owners drive outcomes.

Criteo is known for its ability to support a wide range of ad types. It operates across ads across desktop, mobile, in-app, web mobile, and CTV ecosystems. They offer advanced features such as AI-powered dynamic audience targeting, real-time reporting, shopper graphs, and creative optimisation tools.

Google Marketing Platform

Among the first companies to pioneer programmatic search engine advertising, Google offers a complete programmatic advertising ecosystem. Advertising solutions include their DSP (Display and Video 360), an SSP (Google Ads Manager), and their ad exchange (Google AdX).

It is incredibly easy for publishers and advertisers to get set up with Google. However, Google is more of a generalists advertising solution. It isn’t necessarily the best option for B2B brands trying to reach potential customers in niche industries.

MediaMath

Operating since 2007, the MediaMath DSP is well known for its end-to-end campaign management and omnichannel ad campaigns. This tech giant offers a modernised data ecosystem with extensive integration options and strong customer support. Furthermore, MediaMath is keeping ahead of third-party cookie deprecation with a flexible design capable of supporting many emerging ID systems. The platform is also known for its brand protection measures, employing strong privacy, fraud controls, and placement verification throughout the programmatic buying process.

PubMatic

While it started as an SSP for publishers, PubMatic has expanded its scope and now offers a host of tools for advertisers. Platform features include access to a private ad marketplace, powerful real-time analytics, advanced targeting options, and protection against fraudulent activity. Supported ad formats include OTT, CTV, video, display, addressable, native, mobile, and more.

SmartyAds

The SmartyAds DSP is another leading full-stack programmatic advertising solution. With an integrated DSP, SSP, and ad exchange, it has all the essential functionalities for managing successful programmatic ad campaigns. It also includes brand safety features, advanced targeting and tracking tools, and supports real-time bidding, direct bidding, and private marketplace deals. SmartyAds supports a wide array of ad formats, including rich media, native, display mobile, video, banner, and CTV.

The Trade Desk

The Trade Desk DSP provides an array of features such as advanced targeting options, data management, reporting, and API integration. Supported ad formats include CTV, native (native video), display mobile, social media ads, and programmatic audio. Like MediaMath, The Trade Desk has designed its platform to function in a cookieless world. It has also recently introduced direct-to-publisher capabilities, which simplify the programmatic process by removing the need for an SSP.

Xandr

Owned by Microsoft, Xandr offer DSP, SSP, and marketplace solutions for programmatic advertisers and publishers. Xandr Invest, their DSP offering, is geared towards CTV and digital video buying. It comes with numerous campaign optimisation features, advanced targeting tools, and fraud protection. Meanwhile, the global reach of Xandr’s marketplace enables advertisers to connect with publishers and data providers across all formats and devices.

Which Programmatic Advertising Platform Should You Choose?

Choosing a programmatic advertising platform can be quite a challenge. B2B marketing teams must evaluate and balance the different tools and capabilities offered by various platforms and ad exchanges. And the list of options is huge.

The platforms we covered above represent only some potential solutions. There are countless other programmatic vendors on the market, many of which offer specialised services for specific industry needs.

So, how do you evaluate and choose the right programmatic advertising platforms for your brand? Here are some important factors to consider:

Interface and support

Is the platform interface easy to use? Does it have all the basic capabilities your team needs to implement a programmatic advertising strategy? Can it integrate with other sales and marketing automation tools you use?

You should also be sure that the vendor’s technical support is helpful, efficient, and friendly. Do they provide additional resources and training to help you make the most of your programmatic advertising campaigns? 

Inventory options

You want platforms that support a range of ad formats, including native, display, mobile ads, video, rich media, social media, etc. The more ad formatsyour programmatic ecosystem can support, the more opportunities you have to reach and engage your audience across their customer journey.

Cross-platform and cross-device capabilities

The modern purchase journey now takes place across multiple devices—mobile, laptop, PC, smartwatches, CTV, etc. Any programmatic advertising platform you consider should have the AI, machine learning, and advanced attribution capabilities necessary to run cross-platform and cross-device campaigns. 

Fraud protection and brand safety features

Any programmatic platform you use should contain safety features to protect your brand. For example, ways to filter out fraudulent traffic sources to ensure ad impressions and landing page visits are by real people, not bots. Or ways to blacklist certain digital properties (for example, fake news websites) to help prevent negative brand association. Anti-fraud and brand safety controls are essential for running effective programmatic campaigns.

Targeting, transparency and reporting

Targeting can make or break your campaigns. With the shift away from third-party cookies, your platforms must be compatible with first-party data and emerging ad-targeting solutions. Also, make sure you choose a vendor with a solid reputation of transparency.

The platform should clearly show where your ads are running, so you can understand what you are getting for your money. Reporting should be generated on-demand and be customisable to deliver precise results regarding your ad conversion rates and campaign KPIs.

Data collection and privacy

You want to select platforms that comply with international and local privacy regulations for user data protection. For example, a US-based vendor that uses third-party cookies for targeting could be restricted in the European market.

Determine where you will be running campaigns—the EU? China? Globally? Then ask the vendor if it operates in those areas, whether it is compliant with local regulations, and how they ensure compliance.

It is also important to recognise that a full-scale programmatic approach might not be the right strategy for every business.

In some situations, a different advertising method will achieve your goals more efficiently than a programmatic approach. For example, you do not have a sufficient advertising budget to support a large-scale programmatic campaign. Or you want to retain a high level of control over your campaigns by only working with specific publishers.

Programmatic is a valuable tool, but it is not a magic cure-all. Make sure it is a strategy that makes sense for your business.

Even if you can not support a full-scale programmatic strategy, you still have options to use programmatic elements to improve your campaigns. For example, Google Performance Max is an option for a more programmatic way to manage your regular Google PPC campaigns. It uses machine learning to optimise placements, creative etc. and may be a better use of your budget than a full programmatic strategy.

Your B2B Advertising Partner

When it comes to programmatic advertising it is important to take the time to educate yourself and carefully research options. Please reach out if you have any questions on whether programmatic advertising is right for your brand. Our experienced marketing team will be happy to help you design and implement the best B2B advertising strategies for your business needs.