← Back to glossary
Advertising Platforms & Infrastructure
4 min read
Programmatic advertising is the automated buying and selling of ad inventory through software and real-time auctions, rather than manual insertion orders and negotiations. It is the machinery that lets a single impression be targeted, priced and bought in the blink of an eye.
Inventory is offered. Publishers make impressions available via SSPs.
Buyers bid. Advertisers bid through DSPs against their targeting.
The auction clears. An exchange matches the winning bid to the slot.
The ad serves. It all happens in real time as the page loads.
Open auction. Anyone can bid on available impressions.
Private marketplace. Invited buyers access select inventory.
Programmatic guaranteed. Fixed deals executed through the pipes.
Preferred deals. Negotiated rates with first look.
Scale and speed. It automates buying across the whole web.
Precision. Data targets each impression individually.
Efficiency. It removes manual negotiation for most inventory.
Complex supply chain. Many intermediaries take fees.
Transparency. Spend and placements can be opaque.
Fraud and quality. Automation attracts invalid traffic.
Brand safety. Guardrails are needed across vast inventory.
Keep exploring
Browse all 61 advertising terms
→
OpenAds connects your assistant to every major ad platform, so you can plan, launch and optimise campaigns in plain language — approving the moves that matter.
Explore OpenAds