While programmatic display ads are a super useful component to online marketing, the act of getting them running can get kind of confusing. It doesn’t help that there’s a huge list of companies offering demand side platforms — DSPs, for short — to facilitate the application of display ads. There isn’t necessarily one “best” DSP, but there are a bunch of different ones with different features that are best-suited for different marketing scenarios.
To help you decide which works best for you, here’s some of the top DSPs and what they do best.
Display & Video 360 by Google
As the name suggests, this is the programmatic DSP offered by Google. Previously, DoubleClick and Google Analytics 360 Suite were two separate entities within Google, but they’ve since combined the two under the name Google Marketing Platform.
One of the major selling points of this DSP is that it can be tied with your other Google advertising channels. This helps you get a more comprehensive, larger view of your digital marketing performance.
Display and Video 360 Description From Website
Along with that, the combination of features gives you access to 360 Analytics so that you can segment and create new audiences, plus access to Google audiences and premium inventory like traditional TV, YouTube Reserve, TrueView, and OTT ads.
The primary downside of this DSP is that there’s minimum spend requirements before you’re allowed to access these features, so it wouldn’t be ideal if you’re not able or willing to meet that amount of expense.
LiveRamp
As a company, LiveRamp was known as Acxiom until 2018. We like this one for helping provide a foundation for omnichannel marketing as it brings cookie-based and people-based marketing together.
LiveRamp’s angle is an emphasis on data connectivity by integrating with over 600 tech platforms, data providers, and agencies. In this vein, it also gives you the ability to leverage data from both offline and online together.
It further provides you with the largest commercially-available deterministic graph with over 250 million people matched online and 300 million matched mobile devices. Along with that, it provides over 100 sources for offline historical information.
Choozle
Choozle distinguishes itself in that it’s a self-service DSP with no spend minimums (and powerful targeting). That’s part of a recurring theme with Choozle of being user-friendly and putting you in control.
That’s because so many of Choozle’s standout features allow you to comfortably be in the driver’s seat; it has easy set-up and campaign execution while eliminating unnecessary tech, processes, and expenses, reducing costs and making your job easier. It also has readable, transparent reporting with details into your site, targeting, and creative performance.
Choozle Features From Website
Choozle allows you to reach up to 98% of online ad inventory plus access to over 40 ad exchange networks.
Adobe Media Optimizer DSP
Adobe seems to have a program for whatever you need, and that goes for DSPs too!
This DSP focuses on people-based marketing. It allows you to combine first-party audiences, third-party device graph companies, and Adobe Experience Device Co-op. Because of this and other factors, it’s rated as one of the best targeting DSPs available. If that’s what you’re looking for with a DSP, then Adobe Media Optimizer is a good choice.
Amazon Advertising Platform
As a brand, Amazon is like Adobe on steroids as far as its presence goes. Amazon has everything and is everywhere — including the DSP space.
This DSP resides in Amazon’s platform itself and gives you the means to buy display, video, and audio ads. It also gives you access to Amazon’s exclusive internal audience and the ability to target this audience both on and off Amazon.com.
Amazon Advertising Ad From Website
Other features include the option to choose between self-serve or managed service and access to Amazon reporting; this includes information on detailed page views, product sales, and other Amazon metrics. However, this platform isn’t necessarily as transparent as some previously-mentioned ones which, depending on your priorities, could be a dealbreaker.
Verizon Media DSP
Another simply-named DSP, Verizon’s platform consists of 165 million daily data points. Its mobile reach is notable, reaching 84% of American millennials’ mobile devices. Furthermore, it has over 200 billion daily cross-screen data signals. These come from search, mail, commerce, content, and then some.
Verizon Media DSP also provides over 500 highly-scaled (and, critically, accurate) targeting segments on interests and behavior, households and lifestyles, and more. Lastly, it gives you the ability to leverage both first- and third-party data together.
Whichever DSP you choose comes down to what you’re looking to get out of it — there’s not a one-size-fits-all DSP since every online advertiser has different goals, angles, and priorities. Luckily for you, the array of features available in these DSPs give you lots of options. No matter what you’re looking for, there’s a platform that will get your job done.
