Programmatic trends taking centre stage in 2018

With the digital marketing sphere in constant search of growth, the programmatic sector is in the hot seat in 2018. Expect these three developments to make some serious noise in the industry.

A transparent view ahead

Brand safety is an ever-growing priority for marketers, and after an eventful 2017, transparency, data sharing and clear ROIs should be on every programmatic player’s to-do list. One way brands are making safety a priority of their own is by connecting more directly with their audience, shifting the role of programmatic agencies from controllers to collaborators.

For those looking to stake out a strong position in the market, adapting to these changing dynamics is key. Whether that means implementing blockchain or being more open with data assets, the walls that once stood firmly between clients and programmatic partners are crumbling.

Content’s new home

According to eMarketer, 56 million consumers in the US have cut the cord on their traditional cable services. TV series and streaming services are still booming, these individuals are simply transitioning to new methods of consuming content, whether it be on mobiles, tablets, or even gaming consoles.

The same study cites an expected 4.3 percent increase in time spent on digital devices in 2018. These stats are obviously intertwined. Programmatic providers will need to be agile between devices if they hope to tap into the same consumers who religiously used TVs for years. In fact, distinguishing between different channels and devices is becoming altogether arbitrary. Adapting to an omnichannel ecosystem is the new norm.

Headway in Asia

In many Asian markets, programmatic is just starting to find its legs, but developments over the last year point to a region primed to go full tilt on the programmatic front. China saw unprecedented growth over 2017, and connected TV ad spending alone is set to balloon to US$1.93 billion by 2020.

Japan is warming up to programmatic as well, with Campaign Asia-Pacific’s very first Programmatic Summit held in Tokyo last year in partnership with The Trade Desk. Topics covered on the day included unlocking the full potential of video advertising in Japan, highlighting the established market in America, bringing programmatic to Asian markets, and understanding consumer behavior, values and priorities through programmatic.

Meanwhile, in developing markets like Indonesia, we’re seeing a snowball effect, with an estimated 125 percent of growth year over year to a healthy $244 million by 2019.