Buying
Programmatic Advertising
Programmatic advertising is the automated buying, selling and optimization of digital advertising using software, data and machine-readable transaction rules instead of relying only on manual media negotiations.
It allows advertisers and publishers to make impression-level decisions at scale while applying targeting, pricing, pacing, quality and measurement controls consistently.
How it works
- Inventory and demand are represented through software platforms.
- Decision systems evaluate audience, context, price and policy signals.
- Transactions may use open auctions, private marketplaces or programmatic guaranteed deals.
- Delivery and outcome data feed reporting and optimization.
Also known as
programmatic media buyingautomated advertising
Frequently asked questions
Does programmatic always mean real-time bidding?
No. RTB is one programmatic transaction method; programmatic also includes private marketplace and guaranteed deal structures.
Can programmatic buying work without third-party cookies?
Yes. Contextual signals, first-party data, publisher data and privacy-preserving identity approaches can all support programmatic decisions.