An ad impression is a measure of the frequency with which an ad is seen. It is sometimes referred to as an “ad view.” Every time an ad is displayed on a webpage, it counts as one impression. The number of impressions an ad receives depends on the number of times a page is located and loaded. 200 milliseconds is the life span of a programmatic ad impression. Here is how it works:

In order to market what it is that your business has to offer, it’s not only helpful, but imperative, to identify your target market. If you have a small business, and want to stay competitive with the bigger guys, you must zero in on those who will most benefit from what you are providing. There are those who say that they are targeting whoever has an interest in their products. There are those who narrow it down slightly and say that they want to reach out to fathers, or college students, or homeowners.

The world of electronic media is continually changing, morphing into new, improved mediums for advertisers to peddle their goods. In this day and age, virtually every media platform has been permeated by programmatic ad buying, and amongst those taking notice are the brand marketers. Last year (2013) these marketers spent over $3 billion purchasing programmatic ads. What’s more astounding is that experts estimate that within the next three years, this number will soar to $8.

There are a lot of people tossing around the term “Programmatic” these days. Nonetheless, not everyone who has adopted this buzzword actually understands just what it is. The idea of programmatic advertising spans a broad range of technologies that have virtually automated the methods of purchasing, placing and optimizing advertising. The human element has been replaced. Phone calls, faxing and lunch appointments are no longer a necessity for buying and selling advertising.

The technology that drives online advertising is continually improving. In an effort to make the purchasing of ad space more efficient, new methods are constantly being tried and tested. Currently, those that buy media ads are leaning heavily towards making programmatic buying a part of their online marketing program. Real-time bidding is the backbone of programmatic buying, and last year the revenue from this RTB reached $1.6 billion. It is speculated that by the year 2017, 34% of all display-advertising revenues will come from RTB, and soon, programmatic buying will be a must for anyone who purchases media.