The Association of National Advertisers (ANA) has released the findings from its 2024 Programmatic Transparency Benchmark Study and it finds that most of the money spend on ads bought through programmatic exchanges doesn’t make it to consumers. The ANA says for every $1,000 entering a demand-side platform, 43.9% now reaches consumers. That is actually an improvement of 7.9% , or an additional $79 per $1,000, over prior-year figures.
Key findings from the study confirm the ongoing improvements, which the ANA says reflects combined ad spend productivity growth of 22%. In the context of a $104 billion open web programmatic marketplace, this improvement translates to an additional $8.2 billion in ad spend productivity. This latest analysis includes connected TV, highlighting the sector’s rapid growth and providing a more comprehensive view of the totality of programmatic media buying.
The better results come as less money is going toward made-for-advertising websites. The ANA study finds marketers reducing their MFA spend from 15% in 2023 to 6.2% in 2024, and the median dropping from 10% to 1.1%. The number of domains and apps also further declined, from 44,000 to 22,634, reflecting a trend toward more refined and secure ad placements.
ANA says the average number of supply-side platforms used also rose slightly above the 2023 level of 19. The trade group says that there is significant room for further optimization.
“As we work towards a future where programmatic media operates as a fair, accountable, and efficient global marketplace, it’s important to offer marketers a transparent picture of programmatic buying,” said Bob Liodice, CEO of the ANA. “The latest Programmatic Benchmark Study provides important insights into effective programmatic buying offering brands true transparency in the evolving marketplace. It is encouraging to see that more of marketers’ programmatic spend is reaching consumers. However, there is additional room for improvement, by leveraging the benchmarks and the framework identified in the study.”
The ANA and TAG TrustNet have launched the Programmatic Transparency Benchmark to help advertisers to manage their programmatic supply chains and achieve consistent transparency. They say the initial response has been strong, with over 70 marketers expressing interest in participation.