If industry insiders keep an eye on the dynamic changes evolving in their space, they’ll see that they have an opportunity to similarly transition their roles. New jobs and opportunities will be created as programmatic continues to gain momentum, as is the case when businesses outsource positions, for example.
Digital marketing staff need to remember that change is the norm, and learning as much as possible about programmatic is the best way for ad buyers to flourish and prosper in the programmatic ad buying ecosystem.
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IAB unveils standard API for ‘programmatic direct’ trading
It’s official — programmatic direct now has a standard API. The IAB has released OpenDirect 1.0 to the public, the first time it’s seen the light of day since Microsoft, AOL, Yahoo and Yieldex agreed to embrace programmatic direct and develop a standard API a little over a year ago.
The OpenDirect 1.0 specs are more than 100 pages long, but there are two things the IAB said should be considered. Firstly, the API takes an “advertiser first” approach — both advertisers and agencies need to receive credentials with publishers. Secondly, lines must have creative assigned to them in order to be booked, whether they’re the actual creative or placeholders.
The IAB says the standards will improve publishers’ workflow efficiencies. It also notes they’ll let buyers access more unique users, increase efficiency with one API integration across a number of publishers, and access media offerings that are unavailable through exchanges.
What are the biggest challenges for the programmatic advertising industry?
Most people are in agreement that programmatic advertising is the way of the future. That said, it still has its fair share of challenges, which need to be addressed if the industry is to ever live up to its potential.
New proxies for identification are needed to help the industry move beyond the cookie. They’ll have to be defined and leveraged outside of “walled gardens.” Publisher collaboration with marketers has to be improved, particularly when it comes to the availability of granular site-level data. Programmatic’s own hype is also perceived as a challenge — rushing into the space means results may vary. Take time to learn what works for your strategy.
Fraud is still a major concern. All industry players need to work together to effectively combat fraud. Lastly, a current lack of communication and understanding between buyers and sellers remains problematic. There’s still much work to be done, but once these challenges are addressed the industry will reach the next level of maturity.