COLOGNE — One of the next steps in the expansion of programmatic marketing will be with creative, says Bob Lord, Global CEO of AOL Platforms, in an interview with Beet.TV.

“The next evolution is figuring out how to test the best creative, plus placement,” he says. “Instead of four treatment or versions, [I want the creative agency] to give me 400 and let me test them through the machine. I can optimize the best creative for that unit. Let the machines optimize what’s working and my theory says the machines will tell us what the best creative is,” he explains.

With that scenario, brands and platforms can then apply data not only to the targeting, but to the creative as well, which can drive more efficiency. “Our ambition is to put data on one platform, and to monitor that data. We want to take in data from customers, from third parties, and use it to track the behaviors customers have and target appropriately. Programmatic is all about proper placement and serving ads that are relevant to who they are.”

According to a report on the European video marketplace conducted by AOL’s Adap.tv, 90% of European video buying agencies are using targeting in their video ad buys, and 89% of buyers use third-party data. The research also found that more than 75% of agencies buy online video from demand-side platforms, and programmatic buying comprises 57% of all European agency digital ad purchases, compared to 51% in the U.S.

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