In France, consumers are exposed to an average of over 1,200 advertising messages a day. Between television, social networks, online banner ads and mobile notifications… Advertising fatigue is a palpable reality for the vast majority of Internet users. For marketers, this saturation makes it easier to engage their target audience.

This is were programmatic advertising comes in. By automating the purchase of advertising spaces, it makes it possible to target the right people with the right messages, at the right time and on the right channel.

In this article, we take a closer look at the benefits and challenges of programmatic digital advertising. We share the best practices for getting to grips with this marketing tool, and focus on gamification in programmatic advertising.

SUMMARY

• What is programmatic advertising?
• The benefits of programmatic advertsing
  
• The main challenges of this marketing lever
  
• 3 best practices for getting started with programmatic advertising
  

Programmatic advertising is a method of buying and selling online advertising space.
It relies of the use algorithms and automation technologies to deliver ads in a more targeted and therefore more effective way.

Rather than negotiating manually with a publisher (as is the case in traditional marketing), advertising space is purchased in real time on specialized platforms called DSPs (Demand-Side Platforms), often via automatic bidding. The best-know of these is Google Display & Video 360, which offers premium access to inventory from YouTube, Google Ads and other partner networks.

Programmed digital advertising is based on RTB (Real-Time Bidding), a process whereby each advertising impression is sold in milliseconds to the advertiser best aligned with the defined criteria.

Programmatic advertising fills many of the gaps left by traditional digital marketing methods. Here are the main advantages for advertisers.

Data hyper-targeting

Traditional marketing campaigns often rely on basic demographic data (age, gender, location), which limits the precision of targeting.
By integrating behavioral and contextual data,
collected and updated in real time (such as searches or purchase history), programmatic advertising makes it possible to target ultra-precise segments. For example: “women aged 30-35 in Paris, looking for a stroller in the last 24 hours.”

Automated ad buying

Buying advertising space used to be a huge waste of time for marketers if they wanted to react as quickly as possible to market developments or buying trends.

Thanks to automation, campaigns can be adjusted in real time to maximize results. Brands can, for example, create automations to increase bids on high-performing locations.

Optimizing advertising budgets based on ROI

Before programmatic advertising, marketing budgets were often allocated to channels without any real tracking of performance, which could lead to a misallocation of ressources.
Campaign performance is now optimized on an ongoing basis. Algorithms automatically reallocate the advertiser’s budget to the most effective channels or locations, guaranteeing a better return on investment.

Overall, this lever also makes it easier to measure KPIs (such as impression rate or CPC, or Cost per Clic),
not just athe end of a campaign, but in real time. Based on metrics such as click-through, impression and conversion rates, advertisers can immediately adjust their settings.

A larger advertising inventory, instantly accessible

Last but not least, programmatic advertising gives advertisers access to a much wider range of advertising space.With a single point of entry, they can broadcast their message on a multitude of platforms (retail media websites, mobile applications and even connected TVs).

Despite its many, advantages, programmatic advertising is not without its challenges. To maximize its effectiveness, it’s crucial to identify its main challenges.

1. Measuring campaign effectiveness

The multiplicity of platforms and channels makes it difficult to accurately measure the performance of programmatic campaigns. Especially when it comes to conversion attribution (i.e determining which channel or interaction actually led to a new sale).

To accurately assess the performance of your companions, it’s important to equip yourself with advanced analytics tools and use tracking pixels to better attribute each conversion.

2. Advertising fraud risks

Fraudulent impressions (bots, fraudulent clicks, false views) cost advertisers billions every year. These activities
artificially inflate campaign performances while having no real impact on ROI. It is therefore crucial to integrate anti-fraud tools such as
IAS (Integral Ad Science) or DoubleVerify, which detect and block fraudulent activity in real time.

3. A coherent brand universe

With programmatic advertising, ads can sometimes appear on sites or alongside content that is not consistent with the brand’s universe, or is even inappropriate.
This has a direct impact on reputation and buyer confidence. To avoid this, brands can activate exclusion lists (also known as blacklists) and define sensitive categories to to be avoided in their DSP.

4. Targeting and RGPD

With data privacy regulations (such as the RGPD in Europe), ad targeting has become more complex. Third-party cookies, once essential, are now on the way out. Without
<a href="https://www.adictiz.com/en/blog/why-collect-data/
“>a data collection strategy respecting user’s privacy
, marketing campaignd run the risk not only of violating current regulations, but also of being less effective. That’s why it’s so important for advertisers to switch to a
approach based on first-party data (collected directly form buyers), wich offers greater control and compliance.

Alternatives to cookies include the server-to-server approach (S2S) allows data to be transferred directly beteen servers, without relying on storage on the user’s browser. This method improves data security and limits the loss of information due to browser restrictions.

In addition, universal identifiers (such as Unified ID 2.0) offer an alternative by enabling pseudonumized, consenting tracking of users across multiple platforms.

Finally, contextual targeting, which is based on the analysis of content viewed rather than past user behavor, is enjoying renewed interest as a privacy-friendly solution.

5. Relevance of advertising creations

To preserve the coherence of their brand universe, advertisers can nevertheless use a Dynamic Creative Optimization (DCO) tool. This allows them to automatically personalize their ads according to the profile and context of each user.

Programmatic advertising offers great potential for advertisers, but it can also be quite complex to get to grips with. Here are 3 best practices for taking your first steps, with a focus on the us of gamification (i.e. the introduction of playable mechanics) to optimize performance.

1. Using gamification to refine customer knowledge and targeting

Restaurant chain Del Arte often uses gamification elements in its programmatic campaigns. For example, it integrates interactive quizzes to help audiences discover ho the pizzas sold in its restaurant are made.

2. Using first-party data for more precise and ethical targeting

Nike has perfectly integrated the use of first-party data by leveraging its mobile applications to collect information on users’ purchasing and sports habits. Using this data, the brand can create personalized programmatic ads that target customers with products that precisely match their sporting activities or style preferences.

3. Create differentiating and contextual advertsing messages

For programmatic campaigns to be effective, message must not only be personalized, but also relevant and adapted to the context of use. The use of Dynamic Creative Optimization (DCO) enables advertisers to create ads taht adapt in real time to the user’s profile and browising context, thus increasing the chances of conversion.

The Spotify platform uses programmatic advertising based on listening context, adjusting advertising messages according to the time of day and the musical genre the user is listening to. For example, an advert for an energy drink might appear when listening to dynamic music, while an advert for a premium subscription will generally appear at the end of the day.

Conclusion

Getting started with programmatic advertising can be a real challenge for your marketing teams. Don’t panic: the right tools and the gamification reflex, you can not only better understand and target your audience, but also maximize the impact of your campaigns by offering a more memorable and engaging brand experience. Find out how Adictiz can help you turn your programmatic campaign into real conversion levers!

Against a backdrop of advertising saturation, brands need to redouble their creativity to capture the attention of their audience. To vary from traditional advertising formats, display banners can now be interactive and even playable. This is what is known as Playable Ads, a playable marketing advertising format that involves gamifying banner ads to make them more captivating, engaging and memorable.

In this article, we’re going to take a look at playable advertising and the many advantages it can offer your brand. W’e’ll also share some concrete examples to inspire you and some practical tips to boost your advertising strategy!

SUMMARY

• What are Playable Ads?
• What are the objectives of playable advertising?
• 5 examples of playable advertising to inspire you

Playable Ads are an interactive advertising format designed to capture the audience’s attention by offering them a playful experience. Drawing on the codes of video games, this format engages users by encouraging them to actively interact with the content, whether to solve a challenge, explore a world or complete a task.

Unlike traditional static banners, Playable Ads transform passive interaction into an immersive experience in which the user becomes an actor. This active participation stimulates attention and helps the message to be better remembered, increasing the chances of conversion and boosting the overall impact of the advertising campaign.

By playing on the pleasure of interaction, this advertising format not only improves engagement, but also key indicators such as click-through rates and time spent with the brand.

Playable Ads KPI’s

To assess the effectiveness of a Playable Ads campaign, several key performance indicators (KPIs) are used to measure both the traffic generated and the level of engagement. These KPIs include:

• Number of impressions: corresponds to the number of times the ad has been loaded.
• Visibility rate: indicates the proportion of impressions during which the ad was actually seen.
• Click-through rate (CTR): for Playable Ads, this rate far exceeds the standards for traditional display formats, where the average CTR is around 0.46% (source 2023). For Playable Ads, it can be as high as 3.8% (internal benchmarks 2023/2024).
• Click-to-play rate: this KPI measures the percentage of users who interact with the ad content. It is around 9.6%, demonstrating the ability of Playable Ads to generate interaction and engage a qualified audience.
• Landing rate: calculates the ratio between clicks and visits to the site, indicating how many users continue their journey after interacting with the ad.

These indicators show that Playable Ads are particularly effective at capturing attention, engaging users and maximising the impact of campaigns.

The different display formats for Playable Ads

Playable advertising comes in different display formats. Each can be adapted to different display distribution networks:

• The pavé: this is the most popular advertising format. It makes it easier to integrate Playable Ads into (or close to) editorial content. This has the advantage of limiting the effect of banner blindness and capturing consumers’ attention more effectively.

• Interstitials: this format is compatible with a wide variety of creations. It can appear during natural transitions in an application or in an online gaming experience.

• The wide angle or half-page: this stands out because of its size. It therefore has a greater impact and allows the advertiser’s animation and content to be displayed in greater detail.

The different mechanics of Playable Ads

Depending on the objectives it has set itself, the brand choose a suitable playable advertising mechanism. For example:

• Engaging mechanics that display promotional codes and reproduce the idea of winning, such as scratch cards or wheel of fortune. The principle is simple and the reward immediate (display of a simple promotional code, for example), making it an excellent lever for visibility and engagement.

• Interactive mechanisms such as Memory, Battle, Swiper or Quiz to capture product preferences and get to know your audience better while engaging them.

Like any traditional advertising format, Playable Ads enables brands to generate leads and convert new customers by highlighting their products and services and emphasising their value proposition.

Playable ads are a way of meeting strategic marketing challenges for retailers. Here are the main objectives of Playable Ads:

• Brand awareness. The format allows you to stand out in a saturated advertising landscape while maximising engagement. As a fun, interactive experience, the Playable Ads format makes it easier to capture the audience’s attention and therefore gain visibility and brand awareness.

• L’engagement. Contrairement à une publicité classique que l’on se contente de regarder, le format interactif encourage les prospects à passer du temps avec la marque. Les avantages sont évidents : les produits sont plus visibles, le trafic est optimisé, et l’engagement supérieur.

• Qualification and conversion. The interactive mechanics of playable advertising are also a powerful lever for collecting customer data. For example, format such as Swiper or Battle are ideal for capitalising brand awareness and also attracts potentially more qualified traffic, making conversion more likely.

Before you get started with Playable Advertising, you can take inspiration from the foolowing examples:

1. Raise your profile

Nickel used the Playable Ads format to promote the personalisation capability of its bank cards. users had to choose a card color via a Wheel of Fortune mechanic Once the wheel had been launched, users clicked om a map to discover the offer via one of 15 personalised messages.

2. Present the advantages of an offer

To support its TV advertising campaign on the connected station, Sowee used the Playable format to enable its audiences to discover the benefits of its product.

The Memory format was particularly effective here in familiarising prospects with the company’s unique value proposition. Participants had to reform pairs with items such as “fixed prices for 3 years” or “an offer with no commitment”.

Reinforce interaction with your audience

Neo-bank Floa has used Playable Ads to promote its available payment services and appeal to a younger audience segment that appreciates the flexibility offered by banks.

Users were invited to discover the payment facilities available to them (payment in instalments, no need for proof of payment, etc).

4. Reinventing the customer experience

Carrefour has decided to modernise its brand image by launching an interactive advertising campaign. Thanks to the playable advertising format, the brand offered its audience an immersive experience inspired by slot machines. Offering instant gratification, this format, customised to respect the brand’s universe, enabled Carrefour to better engage its prospects and customers. It was a fun and memorable experience that not only raised brand awareness, but also boosted sales by giving away vouchers.

5. Improve recall of the promotional message

Uber Eats has also opted for Playable Marketing to engage its audiences. The company opted for a captivating game mechanic called Rattrape-tout. Customised to reflect the world of Uber Eats, this marketing game enabled the brand to multiply and extend interactions with its audience by totally immersing them in its world. This unique and engaging experience encouraged the creation of an emotional connection, while giving the company the opportunity to anchor its key messages in the minds of consumers.

Feel free to browse other examples of Playable Ads created by Adictiz clients and run your own playable ads!