RTB (Real-Time Bidding) is the process of multiple advertisers bidding for impressions in mobile inventory using sophisticated software in real-time. The process of selling and buying impressions takes place in Ad Exchanges. The buyer’s side is presented by agencies, advertisers and networks, and these are connected to ad exchanges via Demand Side Platforms.
The seller’s side is presented by publishers and networks and these are plugged into ad exchanges via SSP (Supply Side Platforms).
Smaato’s real-time bidding platform example
Source: Smaato
Real-time bidding platforms benefits
In the world of programmatic advertising, real-time bidding platforms help to support mobile publishers and their inventories by selling their space through an ad exchange. DSPs, (Demand Side Platforms) find the best ad inventory and the highest bidder wins that space – this could be on a website or inside a mobile app.
Real-time bidding allows advertisers to focus on the mobile inventory that is most important to them; by doing so, this increases their ROI and eCPMs. For example, inside a mobile game where the player is taken to watch an ad between moving to the next level of the game — in real-time, advertisers can bid for that space. The highest bidder then wins this inventory, and the gamer sees the ad in real-time.
Real-time bidding platform benefits include:
- Publishers can connect to a wide variety of different mobile advertisers.
- Ad impressions can be sold for the highest price possible.
- Mobile publishers can set their prices and have more control over their ad space.
Below we’ve listed the best real-time bidding platforms so you can get up and running without fuss.