Programmatic Strategy for Publishers

Programmatic advertising continues to provide more opportunities to publishers in order to utilize the technology to advance their advertising sales strategy.Programmatic has changed how media is bought and sold.It is making digital media buying more fluid in the digital advertising ecosystem. But from publishers point of view Programmatic is not a full proof solution to their inventory. They are still confused on how and where to implement Programmatic in their servers.

Spot-buying via open RTB auction or tag based can be a profitable monetization solution for the remnant inventory. But most of the publishers are still confused when it comes to selling their premium inventory via PMP deals, Automated Guaranteed etc. They are not sure how much they should sell via deals. They are not sure how much inventory should be sold directly or monetized via third-party, supply-side platforms like PubMatic, Rubicon etc. Also publishers are confused if they should fragment their inventory into channels or not. If a publisher sells fraction of its inventory via third-party, supply-side platforms like PubMatic, Rubicon etc the buyer or advertiser gets a fraction of its inventory and makes it mind on the basis of the same. Lets suppose a publisher XYZ seels a fraction of inventory to any SSP and buyer or advertiser ZZZ buy it via some SSP and did not get desired ROI then it gives a negative effect to the overall inventory of the publisher. And the buyer may not consider the publisher XYZ's inventory in their future media plans.Also publisher lose cohesive control over the whole inventory if they sell it via distribution channels.Publishers need better alternatives.

I think the ideal solution will be one which gives publishers better allocation control over 100% of their inventory, allowing them to hand over last-minute placements to spot buys that haven’t been pre-allocated. Also the existing ad-servers like DFP etc have been made to handle the direct campaigns of publishers. Its the time to create a smart ad-server which can understand and handle the complex Programmatic algorithm. I think publisher need one-stop distribution channel. Google (DFP) becomes more appealing due to preliminary dynamic allocation tools between DFP and its programmatic platform, DoubleClick Bid Manager. Few other options can be AppNexus, with its Open AdStream acquisition, and OpenX. Rest of programmatic supply-side universe operates without having a dedicated order into the publisher’s ad server.The publisher needs to have one-stop monetization stacks. They can do it by having their own ad server. And most of the big publishers are already having their own in-house ad-servers. But those publishers which do not have their own ad-server can follow below mentioned steps in order to develop their Programmatic strategy.

• Understand the Programmatic Landscape:- Programmatic is often misused as a synonym with the open exchange, or real-time bidding. But it is not the case. Programmatic actually contains a wide range of solutions for both advertisers and publishers. The most widely used channel is the open exchange and private marketplace. The other is programmatic direct, a growing channel that offer buyers and sellers automation with guaranteed and non-guaranteed deals.Adding programmatic into sales strategy can expand the landscape of potential buyers for available inventory. Understanding each channel and the buyers it attracts gives publishers a better comprehension of the options available and how each can provide the most impact on yield.
• Adopting a holistic approach:- Publishers have been focused on selling direct inventory, sponsorships, packages etc. These silos are where publishers have created their revenue opportunities. Now,publishers have the emerging “indirect channel” element to fold in, which presents opportunities. So the publishers need to maintain a balance between the two channels in order to get better yield. Adopting a holistic approach will help publishers to get more advertising $$$. Publishes need to spend time in order to develop their programmatic strategy. Building the “just-right,” tailored programmatic strategy takes time. You have to play the “long” game — whether it’s incorporating direct, programmatic, or auction efforts take time.It’s a cultural and a philosophical shift.
• Define Yield:- To best optimize yield, programmatic should be looked at as a separate channel in the mix of an overall sales strategy. Paired with traditional channels like direct sales, selling inventory programmatically can have a huge impact on yield. But only if a publisher is correctly allocating inventory to these different channels. Despite long-standing practices, maximizing yield doesn't necessarily mean a publisher must give their entire inventory to one source.

To keep it short. If you are a publisher and not sure of all these jargon's. Then simply you should consult with some Programmatic consultant. Try to implement Programmatic into your ad-server stack. As you know that Programmatic is the future. To start with put it on lower priority and see the results (ecpm, fill rate, Brand sensitivity, discrepancy etc).  To start with your partner (SSP) will put you in their open RTB auctions. Once you are satisfied with same then you should try testing some premium  inventory with the SSP. So in order to sell you premium inventory via Programmatic. You should ask your partner (SSP) to bring some Private Marketplace (PMP) deals. PMP deals will lead you to better rates and brand control. Then you should also start trying Native Advertising, Programmatic Direct etc. In order to get better rates you can create your audience packages. Audience is being sold on higher rates. So in order to create you audience pool, you can either work with some Data Management Platform (DMP) like Bluekai, Akamai, KRUX etc.