DV360: how do you buy advertising space?

In our previous blog about DV360 you have learned what it actually is and how it can elevate your marketing efforts. In this article we dive in a bit more about the different buying types of DV360.  After reading this blog you will know exactly which deals are out there and how the deals work in practice.

From real-time bidding to inventory to programmatic

There are many places where you can buy ad space — also known as inventory. This can be done, for example, via the Google Display Network (GDN), a network to which almost all websites of the internet are connected. You determine how you want to advertise, what budget you have available, and what bids and inventory are automatically arranged for you. This way of automating is called real-time bidding. In that sense, the GDN is quite limited: you have little insight into your bids and how the algorithms work.

As you could read in the first blog, DV360 is so powerful because the tool offers access to inventory outside the GDN. But this does mean that you must first access that inventory. You have to first agree on a programmatic deal with publishers. Programmatic buying offers you flexibility because you can choose which publisher you want to work with and on what basis.

The four forms of programmatic buying

1. Open auction: similar to the GDN, since this inventory can be accessed directly from DV360 for all advertisers who want to bid. Bids are weighed in real-time by DV360;
2. Private Marketplace (PMP): the inventory is only accessible to advertisers who have been given access by the publisher;
3. Preferred deal: a specific deal for the advertiser; inventory is released when pre-agreed conditions — between publisher and advertiser — are met. The inventory is not guaranteed;
4. Programmatic Guaranteed: agreements about budgets, duration, etc. are made in advance. The inventory is guaranteed and mutual agreements must be met. Making appointments used to be an intensive job, but programmatic allows this to be handled faster and automatically.

Important: the deals you enter into with a publisher are based on the number of impressions you want to generate; a so-called CPM (cost-per-mille) floor price determines what amount your minimum bids must be to have a chance of winning impressions. If you agree, you will gain access to the inventory.

What we can do for you

Making a deal alone is not enough; in addition to managing and planning campaigns, there are often special requirements for the content that you have to deliver, and it is important that you know how to interpret the results of campaigns. In addition, you do not just get access to DV360, and contact with publishers is often intensive. All in all, this is quite a task package that you probably don’t want to be involved in.

Of course we can support you with all these tasks. We can advise you on the inventory that best suits your brand; explain results clearly and understandable; and make sure your creatives are spot-on. This way you can focus on tasks that are important to you, but also be present on the most wanted places on the internet.

What you need to know

While this blog is technical in nature, it’s good to know what’s going on behind the scenes. This way you can also weigh the final results better. The following points are the most important to remember:

• Real-time bidding provides automatic bidding on inventory;
• The Google Display Network offers limited insight into bids and how the algorithms win inventory for you;
• DV360 also offers options for real-time open auction bidding;
• The added value of DV360 mainly lies in making agreements in advance — programmatic deals — with publishers about inventory. This gives you more control over targeting and pricing;
• Deals are made based on a bid for CPM. Many publishers have a certain CPM floor price; this is the minimum bid you have to enter to have a chance at the inventory.

  You should now know what programmatic deals are and why they are used. You also know what the added value is of DV360 compared to the GDN. If you have any questions about this topic, you can always contact us — we’d love to tell you more!