ProgrammaticOmnichannelWhen looking at various channels such as desktop, mobile, advanced TV, in-game advertising, audio, digital out-of-home (DOOH) or social media, a different degree of maturity and usage can be noticed: while the desktop and mobile channels are almost completely developed for programmatic advertising, and the value for Advanced TV is by now around 50%, the other channels are less programmatic so far. Overall, however, programmatic, and data-based purchasing has established itself on all channels. Therefore, it can be assumed that the development of programmatic omnichannel campaigns will increase in the future.

Since end users are diverse nowadays, communication with them should be diverse, too. Not to mention that omnichannel holds potential for many brands and represents an ideal approach, in combination with agile media purchasing based on transparent attribution logic. Certainly, corporate shifts are required to create optimal conditions.

Forrester defines omnichannel programmatic as ‘the practice of digitally sequencing advertising across channels, which is connected, relevant, and consistent with the customer’s stage in their life cycle. Hence, a prerequisite for programmatic omnichannel is that a company’s strategic goals and the target groups to be reached must be formulated in their full diversity, not to mention communicated transparently. It goes without saying that valid company data and their qualitative and quantitative measurability are of relevance here. Experience shows that omnichannel offers efficiency potential for advertisers, especially when digital channels are included.

Even the earlier global study of 2,000 B2B buyers and sellers conducted by Forrester Consulting on behalf of Accenture Interactive and SAP hybris found that business buyers’ expectations for personalization regardless of channel, device, or stage in the journey are rapidly evolving, influenced by their experiences as consumers. More than half of buyers said that they would like suppliers to offer personalized recommendations across interactions to call it a truly seamless omnichannel experience.

According to the study, programmatic for their omnichannel campaign will help marketers to overcome the following challenges:

1. Creating connected brand experience across channels

Bridging the gap between customer interaction and their persona for better customer experience is possible through AdTech like data management platforms (DMPs), and onboarding of vendors, as they will help in identifying the customer across channels and throughout their buying journey.

2. Real-time ad campaign delivery


DMPs and demand-side platforms (DSPs) are critical in collecting data from various touchpoints programmatically. This kind of data highlights not only the customer intent, but also their location, behavior, content consumption, and history. Having this kind of data at hand, helps marketers to optimize interaction with customers, moving them towards the next stage of their journey, and ultimately towards a purchase.

3. Making inventory for ad delivery

Programmatic advertising had helped increase the adoption of APIs digitally across media to deliver an authentic brand experience to the right audience at the right moment. It also helps marketers understand and measure customer behavior across their journey by connecting all the touchpoints.

Certainly, the limits and possibilities of omnichannel can be examined from different point of views: (1) from the investment perspective, the distribution of budgets should be watched and controlled the more connected the channels are (2) for the mere consideration of sales; however, a platform that bundles the various expenses and periods in an overview via an interface is sufficient.

Econometric modeling is considered a reliable method for holistic success measurement of programmatic omnichannel, since in contrast to online attribution, media success is not viewed at the level of individual people, but as an aggregate.

By Daniela La Marca