So-called “programmatic” technologies are revolutionizing the trading and targeting of online ads. But what about the content of those ads?
Many ad-tech vendors, who have spent the last few years touting programmatic’s numerical capabilities, are now battling over its next wave – the chance to use programmatic in the actual construction of ads themselves.
“When you think about programmatic advertising … it’s being leveraged for scale, efficiencies, audience, workflow automation,” notes Eric Franchi, co-founder of ad-tech vendor Undertone, in this video interview with Beet.TV. “Creative is not mentioned in that conversation.
“It’s a fantastic opportunity. We’re bringing some of our large, proprietary high-impact ad formats in to programmatic (to) develop really interesting, multivariate creative messages based on the different audiences.
“As an industry, we’re a long way from it. Over the next year or so, it should be transformational.”
Though, when it started, Undertone primarily offered display advertising network, Franchi says it has “pivoted” to build and offer a range of high-impact and engaging video, banner and interactive ad formats, including mobile formats that take advantage of phone sensors and games.
Its ad units can connect up with personalized ads on the wider web so that, for example, if a customer has previously used a build-your-own-vehicle car ad tool, an ad the same color car can be deployed to the user later on Facebook.
In December, Israeli marketing tech company Perion Networks acquired Undertone for $180m in cash.
