What is Programmatic advertising?
Digital media is a core part of the majority of Paid Media solutions, and the programmatic approach is the most cost-effective way of blending tech, data and automation to get real life results. Programmatic simply refers to the automated buying and selling of ad placements in real time and is a buying route that we’re increasingly seeing the industry move towards, with everything from in-game & display to DOOH & CTV becoming programmatic options. It’s also not solely reserved for large budgets and we have run a broad range of programmatic campaigns from the thousands to the hundreds of thousands of pounds.
Despite its flexibility and effectiveness, programmatic – in particular display and video – is an area of Paid Media that can have a bad rap – and often with good reason. Too many agencies and media owners have been willing to pump out high volume, low quality ads and focus on misleading KPIs to over-report the success of campaigns. At The Nest, we’re focused on counteracting this by doing Programmatic the right way. We have built our approach on five key pillars.
Our Pillars of Programmatic
- Quality Inventory
- Innovative Creative
- Forward-thinking
- Holistic Measurement
- Test, Learn, Optimise
Quality Inventory (with Programmatic Buying)
Our approach is simple: secure high quality, brand safe media, and buy it programmatically so that we have complete visibility and control. We’re platform agnostic but select DSPs (demand-side platforms) that prioritise brand safety and that permit us to leverage deals with trusted quality publishers. Buying this programmatically in house, with our hands on the levers, gives us complete control over what we’re buying, and therefore who we’re funding.
Innovative Creative
We aim to push past standard creative wherever we can, working with our client, media, creative & tech partners to find innovative solutions that are a perfect fit for the brand. From awareness, and using high impact and interactive formats that drive higher levels of attention and ad recall, to action, utilising dynamic creative optimisation to deliver the right user with the right message at the right time, we believe in finding a bespoke solution for each brief.
Forward Thinking
We always have one eye on the future of Paid Media – and Programmatic buying is no different. From testing newly available channels and formats to planning ahead for cookie deprecation by leveraging cookie-less targeting options, we ensure that our clients are not just aware of what’s around the corner – they are ready for it.
Holistic Measurement
Taking a holistic view to measuring success is part of our wider approach to doing Paid Media the right way. The increasingly fragmented digital ecosystem makes it more and more difficult to get an accurate picture from one source, so we make sure to build a more complete image of results by looking at more than just on-site pixel conversion tracking. Wherever we can, we implement brand, search and footfall uplift studies as well as leveraging client data like website analytics, sales reports and competitor dashboards to make sure that we’re all working towards the same goal.
For us, a successful campaign is more than just in-platform results. We like to work as brand partners, striving for overall growth over time.
Test, Learn, Optimise
At The Nest, we never rest on our laurels when it comes to improving performance. We are continually looking to test & develop through the use of testing roadmaps, which guide our experiments across all channels for all the brands we work with.
For Programmatic media buying, we build realistic roadmaps based on the scale of the budget, the desired outcomes, and the timescales of campaigns. Experiments are agreed in advance and reported on regularly, with optimisations to activity and adjustments to future testing informed by the outcomes.
Is Programmatic right for you?
Programmatic can flex and scale across a broad range of budgets and has a role to play throughout the purchase funnel across an ever growing channel mix. Whether your requirement is a high impact, high budget brand campaign or an ongoing need for a results driving channel to form part of your performance marketing mix, we will have a solution for you.
Interested to hear more? Get in touch today.