• by Ray Schultz , Columnist, January 15, 2024

The year 2023 was by no means an easy one for programmatic advertisers. “The programmatic ecosystem faced notable challenges, making it one of the slowest years on our records,” according to 2024 Publisher Trends, a study by Assertive Yield.

Take these trends: 

• Cookie Deprecation — The impending deprecation of cookies by Google Chrome, starting with a 1% user reduction in Q1 2024, left uncertainties about alternative data sources. 
• Supply and Demand Path Optimization — In the realm of supply path optimization and traffic shaping, some supply-side platforms (SSPs) like GumGum, Magnite, Sharethrough, and Pubmatic inspire publishers to embrace operations prioritizing cleaner, more sustainable traffic. This momentum is intensifying as advertisers increasingly pursue green campaigns, solidifying the industry’s dedication to achieving ad net zero goals.
• First Party Data — At the same time, “there’s an increasing emphasis on harnessing first-party data in new, innovative ways, especially using lookalike modeling, while also refining partnerships for enhanced efficiency and improved personalization,” the study says. Bloomberg exemplifies this shift, having severed ties with the programmatic open marketplace and content recommendation platform Taboola last April, moving towards an audience-first approach.  

On the positive side, the “global programmatic advertising market is expected to have an annual compound growth rate of 12.5% from 2023 until 2030,” the study notes. 

The report continues that a “key trend among SSPs (Supply Side Platforms) and DSPs (Demand Side Platforms) is the shift towards more cost-effective and efficient operations. An example would be TradeDesk’s Open Path initiative." 

It adds, "these shifts in strategy came into sharper focus following Yahoo’s decision to exit its SSP division and Microsoft’s pivot towards eliminating Xandr as an SSP, emphasizing first-party ad tech."

Of total ad revenue distribution by channel in North America, 66.07% was prebid, 17.40% Adx + Open Bidding and 16.53% APS.

Meanwhile, here are privacy first solutions being fielded by publishers in 2024: 

• Email Hashing
• First-party Data and Publisher Cohorts 
• Universal IDs 
• Seller-Defined Audiences (SDA)
• Contextual Targeting 
• Google’s Privacy Sandbox