The “traffic pool” of programmatic advertising: SSP

The SSP platform is an advertising platform that serves the media side, also known as a media management platform. In this article, the author analyzes and sorts out the relevant functional services of the SSP platform and looks forward to its future development.

1. Introduction

At present, advertising marketing is accelerating its evolution towards programmatic direction.

With the development of technology, the acceleration of media transformation and the increase in advertisers' demands, related advertising sales technologies and services have gradually matured, and SSPs that specialize in providing media services have been born.

2. Concept

SSP (Supply-Side Patform), or supply-side platform, is an advertising platform that serves the media side, also known as a media management platform. Together with DSP, DMP, Ad Exchange, etc., it constitutes the advertising technology ecosystem.

The picture shows the programmatic advertising product chain

SSP generally supports the following four functions:

1. Supports quick access to SDK/API. Connect with ADX, DSP, media resources, etc. to achieve instant sales and obtain the most optimized display benefits;
2. Accurate user portrait analysis. Conduct multi-dimensional and multi-level analysis on the attributes of media users, and provide data support for APP operations, advertising, etc.;
3. Autonomous control and allocation of traffic. It provides functions such as ad space management, ad display control, and resource backlog settings, and can also display your own inventory ad resources in real time;
4. Conduct a comprehensive review of ad content. The media can effectively control customer quality and advertising quality, making traffic monetization more compliant and avoiding legal risks.

The emergence of the SSP platform meets the media's needs for automation and customization in advertising positioning, delivery, analysis, feedback and other aspects, making it easy for large media to optimize sales and for small and medium-sized media to directly participate in advertising transactions.

3. Special services

In order to make more media accept and use SSP, platform service providers need to provide distinctive supporting services.

1. Purchasing model innovation

As we all know, real-time bidding (RTB) is a common model that is widely adopted by service providers such as SSP.

However, as brand advertisers begin to invest more budget in the programmatic buying market, advertisers and agencies no longer just want to increase their own brand exposure, but more hope to use the media's high-quality traffic to build their brands through programmatic buying.

Under normal circumstances, advertisers and agencies can only purchase a large amount of long-tail resources through programmatic buying, and high-quality traffic can only be achieved through another sales method.

To solve this problem, some SSPs have launched a "programmatic buying priority trading model" to provide "programmatic premium buying" services to premium media and brand advertisers.

By dynamically allocating resources and orders, we prioritize meeting the sales needs of large media for high-quality resources and maximize the value of high-quality resources.

1. Open data interface

Some SSPs have opened a complete set of interface APIs to high-quality customers. API (Application Programming Interface), through which media customers can develop tailor-made system functions.

It realizes a series of functions including automated management of advertising resources, internal system integration, customization of special functions, and management of multiple accounts on a single platform.

The open interface service provided by SSP not only simplifies the complicated operational processes between the demand and supply sides in the advertising marketing system, but also supports the OpenRTB bidding protocol well, thus providing convenience for the media to flexibly customize proprietary service modules.

IAB Tech Lab revised the OpenRTB 3.0 protocol in 2018

1. Opening a Private Market

Some SSPs in the private market allow publishers to sell high-quality traffic to designated DSPs using specific sales strategies and conduct one-stop secure purchases.

Different from the general RTB market, which relies on the open bidding method of ADX for all DSP demand parties, the SSP "private market" fully meets the needs of high-end media.

It provides high-quality and high-priced advertising space to high-quality advertisers, and offers them exclusive trading areas with price advantages, optimizing the two-way value flow between supply and demand sides, enabling high-quality media and high-end advertisers to conduct “end-to-end” closed-loop transactions in a controllable market.

This advertising transaction model, on the one hand, provides VIP transaction services for high-quality network traffic, which can be described as a unique "private customization". On the other hand, it also strengthens the cooperative relationship between the SSP service platform and mainstream media.

1. Rich advertising formats

In the chaotic and complex online advertising market, in order to successfully capture the attention of target users, a variety of forms of expression are needed to attract the attention of online users. Therefore, online advertising should not only be novel and creative, but also have a form of expression that breaks with tradition.

Taking mobile applications as an example, some SSPs have integrated more rich media technologies in the display of advertisements. In addition to supporting traditional ordinary banners, they also support startup screen ads, native information flow ads, incentive video ads and other forms of expression.

These SSPs’ support for native advertising not only reflects its visibility, interactive experience, and sharing capabilities, but also maximizes the conversion of profit models.

Rewarded video ads in Bingo Match 3 games

Faced with fragmented information channels, SSP integrates fragmented media resources and then delivers, operates and evaluates them on the platform, which not only helps the media realize long-tail value, but also improves to a certain extent the current situation where media traffic is controlled by a few portals and breaks the closed and non-cooperative state among the media.

IV. Conclusion

As SSP becomes more popular and perfected, it will inevitably lead to changes in media marketing concepts.

The various basic modules and special functions of the SSP platform will also make the advertising and marketing industry more standardized, refined, scientific and transparent.

It is foreseeable that the future SSP platform will take into account the interests of both advertisers and media to the greatest extent in the continuous integration, innovation and evolutionary development, and develop in a more positive and healthier direction.

Author: AdBright

Source: Official Account (id: AdBright01)