Programmatic advertising platforms are tools that use AI, real-time bidding (RTB), and machine learning to match advertisers with the right audience in milliseconds, automating the ad-buying process. This article shares the top 10 best programmatic advertising platforms for agencies, along with the importance of using a reporting tool to consolidate multi-channel campaign results.
Like most things in marketing, ad buying has evolved.
While direct negotiations with media publishers still have value, agencies are juggling large-scale digital campaigns, multiple clients, and endless deliverables. And with increasing competition in the ad space (coupled with the rise of AI-driven optimizations) efficiency is more critical than ever.
That’s where programmatic advertising comes in—streamlining ad buying for smarter, data-driven decisions. These platforms use real-time bidding (RTB), AI, and machine learning to capture optimal ad placements, all in the blink of an eye.
With countless platforms available, though, choosing the right one can be overwhelming. Some prioritize premium inventory, while others specialize in cross-channel integrations or ecommerce retargeting.
Not sure where to start? This guide shares the ins and outs of programmatic advertising, including the top ten platforms for seamless data tracking. We’ll also explore the best way to consolidate this data alongside metrics from other marketing platforms.
Looking for best practices for your programmatic advertising? Read these so your agency runs its programmatic campaigns more smoothly, and ensure that they reach their intended audience for your clients.
In this guide, we discuss everything your agency needs to know about programmatic advertising, including targeting strategies and tracking your results.
Discover the benefits of programmatic video advertising for your clients, including the best platforms and how to report on programmatic video ad campaign success.
Oct 30, 2023
What Is Programmatic Advertising?
Programmatic advertising is the automated process of buying and selling digital ad space using AI-driven algorithms and real-time bidding (RTB).
These ads may appear across various formats, including display, video, social, mobile, and connected TV (CTV). Because of its large-scale reach, programmatic advertising is a powerful way to scale campaigns, increase engagement, and drive conversions.
What Are Programmatic Advertising Platforms?
Programmatic advertising platforms use AI, real-time bidding (RTB), and machine learning to match advertisers with the right audience in milliseconds.
Instead of traditional negotiations between advertisers and publishers, these tools do the work for you. They analyze user data, determine the best ad placements, and bid on impressions in real-time, ensuring ads reach the right audience at the perfect moment.
There are three main types of programmatic platforms–let’s explore them in more detail.
Demand-Side Platforms (DSPs)
Demand-Side Platforms (DSPs) are used to purchase ad inventory across websites, mobile apps, social media, and connected TV (CTV). These platforms give agencies control over audience targeting, budget allocation, and bidding strategies.
More specifically, it’s used for:
Broad Ad Exchange Access: Connects to multiple ad exchanges from a single platform.
Automated Bidding and Optimization: Improves return on ad spend (ROAS) while reducing wasted ad spend.
Cross-Channel Campaign Management: Runs display, video, and native ads from one interface.
Example: Consider a B2B marketing agency running LinkedIn Ads and Google Ads for a SaaS client. They may use a DSP to retarget visitors from paid search with programmatic display ads on relevant industry websites.
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A Supply-Side Platform (SSP) is a software platform that helps publishers manage, optimize, and sell their ad inventory programmatically.
It connects publishers to multiple Demand-Side Platforms (DSPs), enabling advertisers to bid on available ad space in real-time.
As a quick reference, SSPs are used for:
Automated Inventory Management: Streamlines the sale of ad space through programmatic auctions.
Revenue Maximization: Increases competition by auctioning ad placements to multiple buyers.
Ad Quality Control: Ensures brand-safe partnerships by filtering any formats with potential ad fraud.
Example: A well-known travel blog may use an SSP like Google Ad Manager to sell ad space to airlines and hotels. This leads to higher bids, increased competition, and more revenue for the publisher.
Ad Exchanges
An ad exchange is a digital marketplace where advertisers and publishers buy and sell ad inventory in real-time. It serves as a bridge between SSPs (used by publishers) and DSPs (used by advertisers).
Think of them as real-time auction houses–they create a competitive bidding environment where multiple advertisers bid on available ad space. This leads to maximum revenue for publishers while ensuring advertisers reach their target audience.
Here’s a breakdown of what ad exchanges are used for:
Real-Time Bidding (RTB): Facilitates instant auctions where multiple advertisers compete for each impression.
Marketplace Connectivity: Acts as a hub linking DSPs and SSPs, leading to seamless ad transactions.
Ad Inventory Liquidity: Ensures ad space is consistently filled by connecting publishers with a broad pool of advertisers.
Example: A sports news website may use an ad exchange to auction its ad space to multiple DSPs. This allows advertisers from different industries–such as athletic brands and streaming services–to place their bids.
How Does Programmatic Advertising Work?
As we’ve shared, programmatic advertising helps agencies maximize client budgets by delivering targeted ads in real-time.
Here’s a handy visual for more context, along with a detailed step-by-step of the process.
1️⃣ A Potential Customer Visits a Website or App: A prospective lead or customer—matching the client’s ideal audience—lands on a webpage, mobile app, or streaming platform with available ad space.
2️⃣ Brands & Advertisers Use Data To Inform Bidding: Agencies often use a data management platform (DMP) to analyze a client’s target audience. These insights are then fed into a demand-side platform (DSP), where bids are automatically placed based on audience relevance and campaign objectives.
3️⃣ An Ad Opportunity Becomes Available: The website or app’s supply-side platform (SSP) detects an open ad slot and sends a bid request to an ad exchange. This request includes user data such as demographics, location, browsing behavior, and interests, helping advertisers determine whether to bid on the impression.
4️⃣ The Ad Exchange Runs a Real-Time Auction: The ad exchange serves as the marketplace where DSPs and SSPs connect. Multiple advertisers submit bids in real-time, and the highest bidder wins the impression—a process that happens in less than 100 milliseconds.
5️⃣ The Ad is Served to the User: The winning advertiser’s ad instantly appears in the available slot—whether as a display banner, video ad, social media placement, or connected TV (CTV) spot—ensuring a cohesive user experience.
6️⃣ Performance Data is Collected & Optimized: As users click, view, or convert, engagement data is sent back to the DSP. This helps agencies refine targeting, adjust bidding strategies, and optimize future ad formats.
By automating the ad-buying process, programmatic advertising reduces wasted ad spend, improves targeting precision, and drives better results.
10 of the Best Programmatic Advertising Platforms
Choosing the right programmatic advertising software may seem daunting. Not to worry, though!
We’ve rounded up ten of the best programmatic platforms for streamlining ad buying, optimizing campaigns, and maximizing ROAS.
1. Google Display & Video 360 (DV360)
Google DV360 is a demand-side platform (DSP) that enables agencies to manage display, video, audio, and native advertising across multiple channels.
As part of Google’s advertising ecosystem, this platform seamlessly integrates with Google Analytics, YouTube, Google Ads, and third-party inventory sources. Because of this, there’s ripe potential to capture high-quality placements (like programmatic video ads) across Google’s Display Network and top-tier CTV publishers.
Video allows for a multi-touch and top to bottom client funnel interaction depending on its application and platform distribution method. It also drives more engagement, brand interaction, and shareability.
Need a broader, cross-platform view beyond the Google ecosystem? There’s a solution–stream this data into a Google DV360 dashboard and customize as needed.
Monitor ad impressions, ad revenue, and other key digital advertising metrics. Check out the Google DV360 integration in AgencyAnalytics–sign up for a free 14-day trial today.
2. StackAdapt
StackAdapt is a self-serve DSP focused on native, display, and video advertising. It’s used to craft high-engagement ad experiences that blend naturally with content, creating a non-disruptive user experience.
This platform excels in precise location-based targeting, making it ideal for brick-and-mortar businesses, national franchises, and region-specific campaigns. It also works well for branded content campaigns that rely on a narrative-driven approach rather than direct sales messaging.
If you manage other campaigns (e.g., on social media platforms), it’s a good idea to integrate StackAdapt data into a dynamic dashboard. Then, use this single interface to compare multi-channel metrics like click-through rate (CTR), conversions, and audience engagement.
3. AdRoll
AdRoll is a programmatic advertising platform built for ecommerce brands, specializing in retargeting, dynamic ads, and multi-channel campaign management.
With AI-driven automation and deep ecommerce integrations (e.g., Shopify, WooCommerce, BigCommerce), AdRoll is excellent for re-engaging high-intent shoppers and boosting conversions. It also supports cross-channel campaigns across display, video, social, and email for an all-around marketing strategy.
For a comprehensive overview of ecommerce performance, filter StackAdapt data into a visual dashboard. Then, use it to assess top-performing campaigns and revenue sources.
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4. Basis Standalone DSP
Basis Standalone DSP is designed for digital marketing advertisers who need full control over media buying. It offers transparent pricing, advanced automation, and AI-driven optimization, making it ideal for agencies with solid programmatic advertising experience.
Use this platform to access a wide range of ad networks without restrictions from walled gardens (e.g., a closed ecosystem like Google or Amazon). It’s also suited for end-to-end ad campaign management, which helps create a unified workflow.
If you’re running other complementary digital advertising campaigns (e.g., social media ads), filter data from Basis Standalone DSP into a live dashboard. This ensures better cross-channel insights, real-time optimization, and streamlined reporting.
5. The Trade Desk
The Trade Desk is a leading DSP known for its transparency, data-driven decision-making, and access to premium ad inventory across the open web.
The Trade Desk allows granular audience segmentation–including lookalike modeling and behavioral targeting–without restrictions from walled gardens. It’s also ideal for managing data-heavy, performance-driven campaigns across multiple channels.
6. Amazon DSP
Amazon DSP provides exclusive access to Amazon’s first-party shopping data and ad inventory. Therefore, it’s an ideal choice if you manage campaigns that target high-intent shoppers based on purchase history.
It also supports ads on and off Amazon–including third-party sites and apps–while maintaining ad inventory quality in brand-safe environments.
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OneView by Roku is a CTV-focused DSP that provides access to Roku’s streaming ad inventory. It also has strong cross-device tracking to target specific audiences within this digital advertising space.
Because of its streamlined focus, this platform is an excellent choice for clients with CTV-focused campaigns, brand awareness goals, or a strong emphasis on video advertising.
8. Adobe Advertising DSP
Adobe Advertising DSP (previously part of Adobe Advertising Cloud) enables agencies to run programmatic campaigns across display, video, connected TV (CTV), and audio. It leverages Adobe Sensei’s AI-driven optimization to improve bidding efficiency and audience targeting.
This platform seamlessly integrates with Adobe Analytics. It offers deep insights to refine targeting while maintaining ad inventory quality across premium, brand-safe publishers.
Adobe Advertising DSP is ideal for full-service digital agencies that manage high-budget, data-driven campaigns with cross-channel coordination (e.g., full-scale efforts for luxury brand clients).
9. Xandr
Xandr (now part of Microsoft) is a highly advanced ad exchange and DSP that provides access to premium publisher inventory and exclusive private marketplace (PMP) deals.
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This platform specializes in private deals with top-tier publishers, ensuring impactful advertising across display, video, and native formats.
It also offers robust fraud detection tools, making it a strong choice for agencies handling high-budget campaigns that require top-tier placements.
10. MediaMath
MediaMath is a flexible DSP that enables agencies to customize bidding strategies with AI-powered optimization and real-time data processing.
This platform excels in privacy-compliant, first-party data solutions, making it a strong choice for agencies adapting to stricter data regulations.
Its algorithmic bidding and real-time optimization features also maximize efficiency across programmatic campaigns.
Bonus Platform: AgencyAnalytics
Programmatic advertising campaigns generate tons of data. Impressions, conversion rates, CPA, ROAS—you name it.
Having access to all these metrics is certainly valuable, but with multiple clients and platforms, data is scattered. To showcase holistic campaign performance, your agency needs a strategy to unify and interpret it effectively.
Still cross-referencing numbers, or relying on some clunky spreadsheet? It’s time for an upgrade! Remove the hassle of manual reporting–use AgencyAnalytics.
We tried many platforms in the past. AgencyAnalytics, hands down, provides the most value for the money. The setup was incredibly easy. Integrating platforms was a breeze, too. And the amount of integrations included–without microtransactions or account upgrades–has made working with them painless.
Data Consolidation: Consolidate data from 85+ platforms, including top programmatic advertising platforms like Google DV360, StackAdapt, and AdRoll.
Cross-Channel Insights: Integrate SEO, email, CRM, PPC, and social media analytics alongside programmatic data to provide a complete view of performance.
Campaign Visualization: Track performance with visual and interactive dashboards. Use the drag-and-drop editor to shift things around, include additional widgets, or remove what you don’t need.
White Labeled Reporting: Customize dashboards and reports with your agency’s branding. Reinforce your professionalism and create a consistent reporting experience.
AI-Powered Optimization: Use Ask AI to detect trends, uncover not-so-obvious wins, flag anomalies, and refine campaign strategies–all without manual data crunching.
Track digital programmatic data, access AI-driven insights, and speed up the reporting process. Check out the full range of features in AgencyAnalytics–sign up for a free 14-day trial today.
Utilize the Best Programmatic Ad Platform For You
Choosing the right programmatic advertising platform is the key to scaling ad performance and improving efficiency.
Whether your client needs an AI-driven DSP or an all-in-one programmatic solution, the platforms we’ve covered deliver results.
Remember, though: Running programmatic campaigns is only half the equation. Tracking performance, proving ROI, and optimizing strategy are just as critical–it’s the only way to truly assess what’s happening.
No need to juggle multiple reporting analytics tools; simply invest in one that does it all.
Use AgencyAnalytics to automate data retrieval, monitor KPIs, and showcase campaign success. Save time, reduce reporting headaches, and give clients a clear view of their programmatic ad performance—all in one place.
Ready to streamline your reporting process and make data-driven decisions? Try AgencyAnalytics today–it’s free for 14 days.
Written by
Faryal Khan
Faryal Khan is a multidisciplinary creative with 10+ years of experience in marketing and communications. Drawing on her background in statistics and psychology, she fuses storytelling with data to craft narratives that both inform and inspire.
