5 tips for marketers on programmatic trading from Forrester and SpotXchange

Consumers in Southeast Asia are increasingly turning to online video for information and entertainment and this has paved the way for the growth of programmatic trading for online video.
As reported by marketing-interactive.com SpotXchange commissioned Forrester Consulting to conduct a study – The State of Online Video Programmatic and Real-Time Bidding in Australia and Southeast Asia – and the findings confirm that programmatic video and real time bidding (RTB) is on a growth trajectory in Southeast Asia.
According to Forrester Consulting, 26% of online video ads representing between 21-40% of the Southeast Asian marketplace were traded programmatically. However, the percentage of online video impressions conducted through programmatic trading was higher in Southeast Asia with 30% of online video impressions conducted through programmatic trading, representing 21-40% of the marketplace.
But even with the rapid growth expected this year for programmatic buying and selling of online video ads, writes Matthieu Von der Muhl, managing director, Asia Pacific of SpotXchange, there is still some confusion around what it really means for the industry. Marketers generally rely on their media buying agencies to provide recommendations and manage campaigns around a specific budget. However, understanding the dynamic nature of programmatic trading means marketers can achieve more effective targeting, efficiency and maximise their budget spend.
One of the key advantages of using a programmatic trading platform is that it allows marketers to select impressions based on demographic, behaviour price and location. This includes getting access to premium online platforms at a lower CPM.
Here are five tips for marketers looking to use programmatic trading for online video:
Multi-screen capabilities
Consumers in Asia are increasingly consuming content across multiple devices, whether it’s a smartphone, tablet or PC. The competition for screen time has meant there will be a growing focus on multi-platform technologies that enables marketers to reach their audience in a way that they want to be reached. Programmatic trading allows marketers to access online video inventory for different screens, enabling their brands to connect with audiences anywhere.
Efficiency and variety
Programmatic buying allows marketers easy access to a range of inventory. Working on a set budget, marketers can buy insertions according to the results the campaign wants to achieve. Instead of liaising with different publishers to build a media campaign, programmatic trading offers a range of inventory. This includes premium inventory that may be overlooked in the traditional approach of media planning.
Data driven decisions
The traditional relationship of media buying has evolved with automated systems. The data and insights provided through automated systems like programmatic trading means media agencies can now take a more strategic role in providing marketers real-time data to make more informed decisions on their campaign spend.
Demand transparency: 
Both marketers and publishers can now reap the benefits of a marketplace that is built on demand and supply mechanics, similar to how investors and companies operate on a stock exchange. Transparency gives everyone the ability to segment their inventory or campaigns based on content verticals, geography or audience demographics. Ask your technology vendor how their ads are being served and how are they increasing the level of control and transparency in the ecosystem. Advertisers should think about whether they have impression-by-impression granularity into the inventory of their campaign, how much are they willing to pay for each impression and which impressions performed best against their campaign goals.
Brand protection
Fraudulent trading behaviour is gaining greater attention in the programmatic trading industry. Behaviour such as click fraud and online video advertisements being served in “unsafe” places such as illegal downloading or pornographic websites are a significant concerns for marketers. Besides potentially being exposed to an artificial increase in clicks, advertisers may find their ads being displayed in sites they do not wish to be associated with. Marketers need to ask if an ecosystem has the right tools to offer brand protection and fraud detection. Find out if your provider has a blacklist that protects brands from getting their video advertisements served on “unsafe” websites.
The rapid pace at which the video market has grown in Asia has resulted in many new technology players emerging and redefining the rules on programmatic trading. While it seems complex to marketers who are heavily involved in delivering an effective online video brand campaign, understanding the advantages of programmatic trading can open new opportunities for brands to reach audiences.
For the full report go to marketing-interactive.com 

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