It’s the future of digital marketing; a fundamental shift in how media is bought and how advertisers engage with consumers; a game-changer for marketers everywhere.
Judging just by the sheer quantity of exclamation points used to describe it, Programatic Advertising must be a powerful new marketing innovation.
Right?
All aboard! The Hype Train is leaving the station.
No matter how you slice it, Programatic Advertising is just a more efficient way to buy display ads – you know, those annoying brand messages that get more accidental clicks than genuine interest.
Without a doubt, Programatic is the most efficient way to get banner ads in front of your target audiences, but that doesn’t change the fact that those same individuals see these ads as a nuisance.
In fact, eye tracking research has shown that, not only do people ignore ads online, but they actively avoid even glancing at content that unconsciously seems like it might be an ad.
Basically, banner ads repel eyeballs, and that’s probably not the effect you want your brand to have, no matter how cheap and efficient it was.
If you look closely at the exclamation mark-filled articles and case studies, you’ll notice that, with rare exception, it’s the publishers and marketing agencies who are excited and what they’re excited about is the money they can get brands to spend on it.
What they’re not talking about is how well it helps brands connect with customers and increase sales; because it doesn’t.
Besides, even if Programatic Advertising did have some marginal benefit, you would be much better off spending those same marketing dollars creating the content and experiences that your customers are actively seeking out and sharing.