What Is Programmatic Video Advertising? How It Works + How to Use It

Programmatic video advertising is changing the way we see ads online. Ever watched a video ad that "coincidentally" matched what you were just searching for? That's no coincidence. It's most likely the result of this targeted video advertising.

Programmatic video ads are an automated, data-driven way of buying and placing video ads, which helps you target the right people, in the right place, at the right time. It's how you make campaigns work harder, faster, and better.

Now, how does it work, and how can you start using it in your own campaigns? We'll break it down in the next sections to help you get started.

Part 1. How Programmatic Video Ads Work

To fully understand "what is programmatic video advertising" and how it works, let's take a quick look at how video advertising is usually done.

With traditional video ads, buying ad space meant a lot of back-and-forth. Advertisers had to talk directly with publishers to buy ad space. It took a lot of time, negotiation, and paperwork. What's more, you couldn't always be sure your ads reached the right audience.

However, programmatic video ads change all of that. Instead of manual deals, the whole process is automated and happens in real time with the help of technology. This includes:

1. Ad Server: Chooses which ad to show on the publisher's site.
2. SSP (Supply Side Platform): Helps publishers sell space through real-time auctions.
3. DSP (Demand Side Platform): Lets advertisers bid for ad space that fits their audience.
4. Prebid: Runs the auction in the browser, picks the winning bid, and sends it to the ad server.

All of these work together, fast and automatically, to get ads in front of the right people without manual steps.

How Programmatic Video Ads Work

Part 2. Benefits of Programmatic Video Ads Over Traditional Advertising

As you've seen, programmatic video advertising offers big advantages compared to the old way of doing things:

• ✅ Precision targeting Reach exactly who you want, based on data like location, interests, or behavior.
• ✅ Real-time optimization You can adjust your campaign automatically as it runs and improve the performance on the go.
• ✅ Scalable reach Easily reach large audiences across different platforms and devices.
• ✅ Better ROI and less wasted spend Your budget goes further because ads are shown to people more likely to care.
• ✅ Works with YouTube and Google Ads Your ads can be easily integrated with platforms you're already using.

You can also refer to the table below to see a simple comparison between programmatic video ads and traditional advertising:

Are you interested in programmatic video advertising and have decided to give it a try now? In the next section, we'll guide you on how to create your video ad and pick the best programmatic platform to get your ads in front of the right audience.

Part 3. Create Your Own Video Ad & Choose the Right Programmatic Platform

Programmatic video ads are really just like any other video ads. The main difference is how they're delivered. These ads generally fall into two main categories:

• In-stream Ads: These ads play directly inside a video, either before, during, or after the main content (similar to pre-roll, mid-roll, or post-roll ads).
• Out-stream Ads: These ads show up outside of a video player, often placed within articles, social feeds, or other non-video content areas.

Even though they show up in different places, both types have one thing in common: they need great content to work. It doesn't matter if your ad pops up before a video or while someone's scrolling their feed. If your video isn't interesting or clear, people won't pay attention.

That's why your main focus should be on making content that's eye-catching and effective. The best tool to help you with creating programmatic video ads is Wondershare Filmora.

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Filmora gives you all the creative editing tools you need to turn your vision into reality and make high-quality videos that grab attention fast, such as:

• 300+ video templates: When you don't know where to start, just pick a template! You can choose from hundreds of pre-made templates to speed up the process and still get a polished result.
• Creative assets included: You'll get access to a big library of music, sound effects, stickers, transitions, and text effects. Everything you need to make your ad pop is already built in.
• Easy drag-and-drop editing: No complicated steps here. Just drag, drop, and arrange your clips and effects the way you want.
• Custom branding tools: Add your logo, brand colors, or watermark easily so your ad stays on-brand.
• Flexible export options: Export your video in different sizes and formats to fit where your programmatic ad will appear, whether it's on mobile, desktop, or social feeds.

With Filmora, you don't need to be a pro editor and spend much to make a great ad. It saves you time, gives you creative control, and helps you create a video that's ready to grab attention in any programmatic campaign.

Creating a Video for Programmatic Advertising with Filmora

When making a video for programmatic ads, there are some important tips to keep in mind:

1. Keep it short and sweet: Aim for 15-30 seconds to hold attention without losing viewers.
2. Hook viewers in the first few seconds: Don't let your audience skip your ad. Start with something eye-catching or surprising to stop the scroll.
3. Use clear branding: Show your logo, colors, or tagline early so people remember your brand.
4. Add captions or text overlays: Many people watch without sound, so make sure your message still gets across.
5. End with a strong call-to-action (CTA): Tell viewers exactly what you want them to do next, like "Shop now" or "Learn more."

Making the video ad content itself is pretty straightforward with Filmora. You can do it on either the desktop or the mobile app. For this guide, we'll be using the desktop version, since it offers a wider workspace and access to more advanced editing tools.

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Step 1. Start a New Project and Set the Aspect Ratio

First, you can start making a project in Filmora and set the video aspect ratio you are aiming for.

• If you are going to run your ad on mobile platforms (like social media ads), choose a vertical format (9:16).
• For programmatic advertising on YouTube, a horizontal (16:9) ratio works best.

Step 2. Choose a Video Template or Start from Scratch

Next, choosing a video ad template gives you a quick head start. You can also start from scratch by importing your own media or selecting clips from Filmora's Stock Media.

Note: In each video template, you can see the video length and how many media files you need to add.

Step 3. Add Branding with the Influencer Kit (Optional)

To give some motion to your branding and make it eye-catching, Filmora offers an Influence Kit. You can find this on the Media > Influence Kit. Then, select Brand Transmission and Logo Reveal.

Here, you'll find several templates that you can choose from to apply some animations to your brand. You can customize it with your own logo and text.

Step 4. Add Captions for Your Programmatic Video Ad

To add captions, you can head to the Titles > AI Captions. You'll see three ways to add captions in Filmora:

• Speech-to-Text (automatically transcribes audio)
• AI Video Translation (translates captions into other languages)
• Dynamic Caption (animated text styles)

Pick the option that fits your ad best, then adjust the style and position to match your video's look.

Step 5. Enhance Your Ad with Text, Stickers, Music, and More

Make your video more engaging by adding text overlays (for the CTAs), stickers, sound effects, and music. You can easily drag and drop these elements from the toolbar into your timeline. Then, customize them in the property panel.

Choose the Right Programmatic Platform for Your Ads

Once your video is ready, the next step is choosing the right programmatic platform. Here are a few popular options to consider:

• Google Ads and YouTube (via DV360 or Google Ads Display campaigns)
• Facebook and Instagram
• Connected TV and OTT platforms (e.g. Hulu, Roku)
• Programmatic ad networks and exchanges ((e.g., OpenX, PubMatic)

Part 4. How to Run Programmatic Video Ads

Let's take YouTube as an example to show how to run programmatic video ads, since this platform is one of the biggest places for video advertising. YouTube ads can be managed through Google Ads or Google Display & Video 360 (DV360), both of which support programmatic buying.

First, you'll need a Google Ads or DV360 account to access YouTube's programmatic ad inventory. After that, you can follow the steps below on how to run programmatic advertising on YouTube:

1. Choose your campaign goal

Pick what you want to achieve. Is it the views, traffic, leads, or sales? This helps YouTube optimize your ad delivery.

2. Select a video campaign type

Choose "Video" as your campaign type. You can pick different ad formats like skippable in-stream ads, non-skippable in-stream ads, bumper ads, or outstream ads, depending on your goal.

3. Set your budget and bids

Set your daily or total campaign budget. Google Ads will automatically manage your bids to maximize results within your budget.

4. Define your audience and targeting

Use YouTube's targeting tools to narrow down who should see your ad. You can target by demographics, interests, keywords, placements (specific channels or videos), and even remarketing audiences.

5. Upload your video ad

Upload the video you made in Filmora to YouTube. Add your headline, description, and the display URL to complete your ad setup.

Once everything's set, publish your campaign. Keep an eye on performance in Google Ads or DV360, and adjust targeting or bids as needed to improve results.

Conclusion

Given the convenience of programmatic video ads, more brands are using them to reach the right audience faster and more effectively. With automated buying, smarter targeting, and real-time optimization, you can get better results without the manual hassle.

But remember, even the most advanced ad system won't work without great content. That's why creating eye-catching, high-quality video ads is also important. With tools like Filmora, you can easily bring out your ideas and make ads that stand out in any programmatic campaign.