When left to their own devices, brands choose the programmatic path for their online video placements. Sixty percent of online video ad buys placed directly by brands are now done programmatically, according to a survey released today by Adap.TV, AOL’s video advertising platform. Only 38% of agencies and 44% of ad networks do so, said the 350 media and marketing executives polled.
At the same time, brands employ the technique in only 23% of premium video slots purchased from publishers, while agencies make more than a third of their premium buys in that fashion. The conclusion put forth in Adap.TV’s “2014 State of the Video Industry” report is that “brands may have discovered that standard video performs just as well as premium inventory when purchased programmatically.”
Publishers are increasingly making it easier for brands to go their own way. More than half of them (51%) told Adap.TV that they were making their premium video inventory available in programmatic environments this year versus only a third that did so last year. More publishers, too, are operating private video ad marketplaces this year—32% as opposed to 20% in 2013.
This is the fifth consecutive year that marketers said they’d increase their video spending, according to the report, and they’ll fund it by shifting funds primarily from display, broadcast TV, and cable. The number of agencies saying they’ll divert funds from TV is up by 76% over last year, and those saying cable TV will pay increased by 40%.
