In the last few years, programmatic advertising has become one of the most popular topics in digital marketing. A study by Econsultancy reveals almost two-thirds of marketers (62%) are using programmatic advertising for brand campaigns, as opposed to traditional direct response.According to a study from the Interactive Advertising Bureau, programmatic ad revenue in the US reached $10.1bn in 2014, accounting for 20% of total online ad revenue. This figure is likely to grow with eMarketer estimating a programmatic display ad spend will reach $33 billion this year and will hit $46 billion by 2019.
However, the pharmaceutical industry is falling behind. Peter Niemi, Partner at MDC Advertising estimates programmatic advertising accounts for a mere 4% to 5% of the digital ad spend in pharma, as opposed to other industries, which typically spend 50% to 75% of their budgets on this technology.
In the US, programmatic advertising in the healthcare sector is growing faster than in other parts of the world. Regulations state only direct-to-consumer (DTC) ads are allowed in the US and New Zealand follows a similar policy.
These adverts have been used in the key disease areas of cancer, allergies, dermatology, smoking cessation, and dental care, with pharmaceutical companies, hospital systems, medical devices, clinical trial and insurance companies targeting healthcare professionals (HCPs).
Regulatory requirements make programmatic advertising in healthcare more challenging in other countries. Outside the US, programmatic advertising is predominantly used in non-promotional areas, such as disease awareness campaigns and service-related content. This article is developed with a focus on using programmatic advertising in the US.
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