Cannes 2015: Yoyi Digital talks up 'Programmatic Plus'

Programmatic buying has disrupted China’s digital advertising landscape, and is becoming one of the most influential methods for marketers to build their brand and drive performance, Zhou said.

With increasing fragmentation, advertisers now demand a unified programmatic platform covering PC, mobile, social, video, digital TV and more that can reach right audiences through the right screen at the right time.

The evolution of China’s programmatic buying scene is now shaped by the Chinese government's 'Internet Plus' national strategy. "It is unknown in Europe and the US, but in China, everyone is talking about it," he said.

For the first time since 1990, China's GDP growth dropped to 7.4 per cent. As the economy slows down, the government is using the ‘Internet Plus’ strategy to revitalise it. That means everything from encouraging everyone to be a tech entrepreneur to facilitating the coming together of offline industries through the internet.

"So 'Programmatic Plus' is very similar to 'Internet Plus', where programmatic buying is not just on online channels anymore, but on print, television and outdoor. Especially in China's US$100 billion TV industry, programmatic TV is the next-big-thing opportunity," he said.