Programmatic

Programmatic is an adjective used in information technology and digital advertising to describe processes, systems, or actions performed by software or algorithms rather than manual intervention. In computing, programmatic methods refer to automation through code, such as programmatic configuration, programmatic access via application programming interfaces (APIs), or programmatic generation of content, data, or workflows. The term emphasizes that decisions and operations are driven by software logic.

In digital advertising, programmatic advertising denotes the automated buying, placement, and optimization of media inventory in real time through software platforms. Instead of negotiating directly with publishers, advertisers use demand-side platforms (DSPs) to bid on available impressions via ad exchanges and supply-side platforms (SSPs). Data management platforms (DMPs) provide audience data to improve targeting. Real-time bidding (RTB) is a common mechanism by which auctions determine which ad is shown to a given user.

Advantages include improved efficiency, scale, targeting precision, and the ability to optimize campaigns in near real time. Criticisms center on transparency, brand safety, ad fraud, measurement reliability, and privacy concerns around data collection. The programmatic landscape has expanded to formats such as display, video, mobile, social, and native advertising.

The term aligns with broader trends toward automation and data-driven decision making in technology and marketing, while remaining distinct from manual or direct methods. See also automation, API, RTB, DSP, SSP, DMP.