While agencies and marketers are on the same side of the equation (buy-side), they each have a unique view on what programmatic offers. Agencies are more drawn to the efficiency promise of automation than marketers (46% versus 36%), while marketers are more attracted to reaching targets without waste than agencies (35% versus 24%). The data comes from a recent study released by Purch, a content and commerce platform formerly known as TechMedia Network. The study was conducted by Advertiser Perceptions, a media research firm. Despite machines being front and center in programmatic, advertisers in general still prefer to deal directly with publishers when running programmatic campaigns. The majority of buyers (36%) prefer publishers as their programmatic partners, while trading desks (23%) and DSPs (21%) are the second- and third-most-preferred partners, respectively. The study also found that a lack of premium inventory was the No. 1 element restraining “programmatic direct" from further growth. This "lack of inventory" roadblock was mentioned again at the RTB Insider Summit on Friday afternoon, when Rubicon Project’s head of seller cloud Kaylie Smith said that while there is a lot of buzz surrounding programmatic direct, it hasn't been met with equal action. However, Smith said publishers are testing the waters and becoming more comfortable with the idea of transacting higher-quality inventory in a semi-automated fashion. The study was conducted in Q1 2014 among “high level U.S. marketer and agency advertising decision makers, spending $1 million or more on digital advertising," per a release. The survey topics included both programmatic and native advertising."Two paths" image from Shutterstock.