Resistance is futile: Programmatic’s taking over branding, too

To get an accurate sense of how common this phenomenon really is, we asked over 250 executive marketers how programmatic fits into their current and future campaigns. It turns out that the rise of the branding machines is well on its way, and as the programmatic pace quickens, automated branding campaigns that make full use of programmatic’s data and distribution are going to change the game for digital marketers at all levels.

Take a look at five highlights from the study below, then download the full report here.

The inevitable: Marketers have gone programmatic

Marketers are reaching their consumers more efficiently, making less count for more by employing their resources more effectively and not wasting valuable media spend. Whether programmatic veterans or newbies, four in five respondents believe that the majority of digital media buying will be done programmatically in the near future.

Programmatic branding is the future

Programmatic branding has become the most popular objective for programmatic marketers (68 percent). Want some more numbers? To date, 64 percent have already used programmatic branding in their own campaigns, and 23 percent plan to do so soon. These numbers continue to rise as marketers get more comfortable with and fluent in programmatic for their campaigns.

Viewability rears its head

Marketers are homing in on which key success metrics and methods can help them better define their consumer engagement reach. What exactly does that entail? They love things like viewability, frequency and behavioral targeting. The ability to accurately track consumer engagement allows marketers to plan smarter and apply their dollars more strategically. No wonder use of programmatic metrics is on the rise.

Multi-channel surfing is in

Campaigns don’t end on desktop, especially when they’re branding-based. Marketers want to reach their consumers everywhere, so programmatic campaigns have to stretch across every platform. The real marketing pros see video, mobile and social solutions following close on the heels of desktop. Even channels that haven’t reached their adolescence, like programmatic TV, are growing into very attractive prospects for forward-thinking planners.

Multi-touch attribution is still low on the radar

Attribution has always been the million-dollar question for marketers. That doesn’t seem to have changed, and the numbers show that only 23 percent found it important when assessing their programmatic branding campaigns. However, with the rise of cross-device programmatic, it becomes even more crucial to determine which ads are really pulling consumers down the pipeline and translating to money in the bank.

Hungry for more? We’ve got more. Download the report here to learn how to survive (and, more importantly, how to thrive amidst) the push toward programmatic branding. The machines are coming. Be ready.