Arena

Programmatic Ads

Programmatic Advertising

If you see an ad while you’re reading a recipe on a blog or while viewing a clip on your local news site, you’re likely seeing a programmatic ad. “Programmatic advertising” literally means the automated buying and selling of digital advertising space, but this definition could cover pretty much any digital ad buying. Most of the time, a “programmatic ad” refers to all non-social or search inventory across the web, apps, and digital devices; this means if you see an ad outside of a “walled garden” of Facebook, Google, or another social networking site, that’s a programmatic ad. The buyer sets targeting and usually uses inventory sources that cover a wide range of sellers/publishers. This type of ad buying happens via demand-side platforms (DSP) like The Trade Desk, Google DV360, Centro, OneView, or Adobe.

Skill Level Needed to Buy Ads

Expert Touch Needed

Typically Managed By

Ad Agencies

Resources

Who Is It For

Anyone who is looking to expand their reach by running campaigns to their audience across the web in addition to reaching them on social platforms.

Use Cases

A campaign with a small digital budget might use programmatic ads to drive name ID by running static display ads to potential voters across the web.
A campaign with a mid-sized digital budget might use programmatic ads to run static and video ads with donation CTAs to potential donors across the web.
A campaign with a large digital budget might use programmatic ads to reach voters in their district or area in premium OTT/CTV inventory.

Strengths

Expands reach beyond the walled gardens of social media platforms to the rest of the digital world
Most DSPs have built in Data Management Platforms (DMPs), giving advertisers access to a wide variety of third-party targeting segments
High level of campaign customization (choosing which devices, apps, sites, and platforms to run on) and optimization levers (bid cap, frequency cap, placement, sites, etc.)
Most DSPs also allow you to access a wide range of inventory, from basic display and online video to audio and OTT/CTV inventory
Buying inventory programmatically is normally more cost-efficient and has broader reach than buying via a direct deal

Drawbacks

Complex buying method with numerous levers and variables requires an expert touch
Can be difficult to understand what types of inputs go into third-party data segments or how reliable they are at identifying your audience
Often have to use a third-party data connector like Liveramp to target custom lists
Running across the web opens the door for fraud, requiring brand safety solutions and attention to results
Reach and frequency can be harder to cleanly track across different publishers and devices

US Political Ad Policies

Because this category covers many different vendors and publishers, there’s no single political ad policy we can list here. These publishers will usually have some sort of attestation form that you will need to fill out with information on your candidate or organization. They will also likely require there to be disclaimers within your ad creative, and they usually require disclaimers to be consistent with FEC regulations.

Publishers may occasionally have additional restrictions for political advertisers; some may refuse to run electoral ads for c4s or PACs but may be more lenient on advocacy ads for c3s. It is best to make sure to ask about political ad policies when evaluating potential advertising partners.

Common Goals

Acquisition, including both fundraising and list building
Awareness
Persuasion
Mobilization

Available Creative Formats

Static Graphics
Videos (6s, 15s, 30s)
Gifs
Native Ads (ie: News Articles)
Audio
Custom Creative Options

Average Costs

Typical pricing model: CPM
Display: $6-12+ CPM
Online Video: $12-24+ CPM
Audio: $20-30+ CPM
OTT/CTV: $25-45+ CPM

Notable Targeting Capablities

Demographic targeting
Geotargeting
Behavioral targeting
Contextual targeting
Retargeting
Custom list audience
Lookalike audience

The Digital Ads Playbook is produced by ACRONYM+ and powered by Arena.

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Arena

Arena

Programmatic Ads

Skill Level Needed to Buy Ads

Typically Managed By

Resources

Who Is It For

Use Cases

Strengths

Drawbacks

US Political Ad Policies

Common Goals

Available Creative Formats

Average Costs

Notable Targeting Capablities

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