Ad Tech

Module 1
Contents
• Introduction to Ad Tech
• Display Advertising
• Programmatic Advertising
• Ad Servers, Ad Network, Ad Exchange
• Demand Side and Supply Side
Platforms
• Advertising Campaigns and Media
Plans
• Creative Writing and Designing Ads
ADVERTISING TECHNOLOGY
Advertising technology (also written as AdTech, ad tech, ad technology) refers to the software
and tools used to create, run, manage, measure, and optimize digital advertising campaigns.

All parties involved in digital advertising—from brands and advertisers to ad agencies, technology
vendors, and publishers—use one or more pieces of advertising technology.

Purpose of Ad Tech
• Making decisions about which ads to display to a specific group of users based on the advertiser’s
targeting criteria.
• Delivering online media (ads) across different channels (web and in-app mobile) and devices
(smartphones, laptops, tablets, etc.).
• Optimizing campaign performance for advertisers and yield for publishers.
• Collecting data about users and creating audiences.
• Producing measurement and analytics reports.
• Billing and media-buying process management
PARTIES TO AD TECH
Advertisers The brands and companies that want to use digital platforms
to communicate about their products or services

Publishers
All parties that provide content space for advertising. Websites that are news,
general content, portals, third-party services, e-commerce, etc.

Intermediaries
Agencies and technology platforms that provide services to publishers and
advertisers are called intermediaries. They play the role of
networking/connecting, communicating, holding data, managing inventory
and price determination of advertising content.
DISPLAY ADVERTISING
Display advertising on websites or apps or social media through banners or other ad formats made
of text, images, flash, video, and audio. The main purpose of display advertising is to deliver
general advertisements and brand messages to site visitors.

POP UP DISPLAYS are small graphic INTERSTITIAL DISPLAYS are

displays that appear usually in a small advertisements that appear while a
window suddenly in the foreground of the chosen website or page is
visual interface. downloading.

Source: Internet Advertising Bureau, 2014

DISPLAY BANNERS

BANNERS are a form of advertising on the

www delivered by an ad server by
embedding an advertisement into a web page.
It is intended to attract traffic to a website by
linking to the website of the advertiser.
The tall shaped banners are called
Skyscraper Ads, which are suitable since
they do not obstruct the main content of the
webpage.
 PROGRAMMATIC ADVERTISING
PROGRAMMATIC ADVERTISING or ad buying, put simply, is the use of software to buy digital
advertising. Whereas the traditional method includes requests for proposals, tenders, quotes and human
negotiation, programmatic buying uses machines and algorithms to purchase display space.
Real-time bidding is a means by which advertising inventory is bought and sold on a per-impression
basis, via programmatic instantaneous auction, similar to financial markets.

Source: Digital Marketing Institute

 AD SERVERS
AD SERVER is a piece of advertising technology that is
used by publishers, advertisers, ad agencies and ad
networks to manage and run online advertising
campaigns. It holds the data and the creatives.
Ad servers are responsible for making instantaneous
decisions about what ads to show on a website, then
serving them.

TOP AD SERVER COMPANIES

AD NETWORK vs. AD EXCHANGE
Ad Network is a technology platform that serves as a broker between a group of publishers and a
group of advertisers. Ad networks aggregate inventory from multiple publishers and sell it as
packages to advertisers.
This is a closed private network that is specialized in certain type of inventory based on verticals
(auto, fashion, travel, etc.), or channels (mobile, video, native), or premium ad networks offering
inventory from top publisher brands.

Ad exchange is a dynamic technological platform that facilitates the buying and selling process of
available impressions between advertisers, who place their bids via DSPs, and publishers, who sell
their inventory via supply-side platforms (SSPs) or directly with the ad exchange.

Ad exchanges are often compared to marketplaces that are open and transparent. Ad exchanges
allow DSPs and SSPs to come together and conduct media transactions, sort of like an eBay for
ads.
AD NETWORK vs. AD EXCHANGE
DSP and SSP
 AD CAMPAIGN PLAN
Decide who the message should get to, what their
Identify Target Audience profile is and how would they decode the message.

Determine the response sought. What would the

Define Campaign Objectives marketer like members of the audience to do after they
get the message?
Write the copy, or produce an appropriate visual. Select
Design Communication Message the source’s attributes. Decide what is the USP that
needs to be communicated.

Advertising Select Channels of Communication

Choose the channel that can reach the audience at a time
and place best suited for receiving the message.
Plan
Prepare Budget and Schedule Plan the work and allocate resources

Decide which newspaper, TV station or radio station the

Decide Media Mix audience uses and which ones fit the budget.

Collect feedback. For example, carry out market

Measure Results research to find out how successful the message was.
MEDIA CHANNELS
Print
Radio

Television
Digital

Outdoor
Mailers
 MULTI-CHANNEL MEDIA
Mass Media Interactive Media
+ Mass coverage - + High selectivity
Low selectivity
+ High reach - + Reader controls exposure - High cost/contact
+ Sight, sound & motion Short message life
- High absolute cost + High information content - Poor image (junk mail)
+ High prestige Email, SMS
Television + Low cost per exposure
- High production costs + Opportunities for repeat - Clutter
- Clutter exposures
+ Attention getting

+ Local coverage + User selects info

+ Low cost - Audio only - SEO clutter
+ User highly involved
+ High frequency - Clutter - Web-snarl (crowded
+ Interactive relations
+ Flexible - Low attention getting + Direct selling potential access)
- Limited measurement
Radio + Low production costs - Fleeting message Internet marketing + Flexible message
tools
+ Well-segmented platform

+ High coverage - Low credibility

+ Low cost - Short life - Limited access due to
+ Short lead time - Clutter + Personal touch
+ Lead follow-up DND
+ Ads can be placed in - Low attention-getting - Language and accent
Print interest sections - Poor reproduction quality Voice, Call Centre + Interactive relation
issues
+ Reader controls exposure - Selective reader exposure + Direct selling potential
- Limited creativity,
+ Can be used for coupons robotic behaviour
PLANNING THE CAMPAIGN
Known as triple constraints of any project or
time bound activity. The shortage of time,
limitation of funds and pressure from customers
to deliver high quality are major challenges that
TIME effect a campaign.

By clearly defining and managing the scope,

SCOPE the campaign/project manager can overcome the
triple constraints. Finding a balance between the
sponsor, team and customer is a cross-
QUALITY COST functional skill. Defining what is out of scope
and change control are methods to manage the
scope.

Scheduling, Budgeting and Creative (Message & Media) Strategy are

tools used to manage the triple constraints of a marketing communication program or
campaign.
 MESSAGE DEVELOPMENT
MESSAGE
COPY / SCRIPT APPEAL
STRUCTURE

Message Design involves content Use of words or audio-visuals to start, Central idea of the message that must
(artwork) and context (socio- enhance or extend relationship with attract attention and influence the
cultural). Message can be Verbal customers or salesmanship in print feelings and psyche of the receiving
or Visual. audience

Bias: Messages can be 1-sided or 2- Attributes of a good script: Rational appeal in the message
sided refutation. 1 Headline 2 Opening 3 Credentials 4 activates the logical thinking of the
Offering 5 Benefits 6 Testimonials
Order of presentation maybe based audience and are best portrayed in
7 Value justification 8 Risk reversal 9
on primacy or recency. comparative ads.
Call to action 10 Urgency
Conclusion drawing: Message can Copies and scripts are drafted, edited, Emotional appeals evoke feelings
have an explicit meaning or proofread, clipped to fit the time and of fear, humour, sexuality or a
implicit deeper, hidden meaning. space of the medium. sense of morality and popularity.