As many brands and agencies continue to explore the plethora of data sources available on DSPs, it's important that they critically assess each available dimension through structured testing, therefore understanding which ones offer the most opportunity.

Number one: fact from fiction. Real-time bidding (RTB) refers to a way to buy display media ads. Instead of the traditional method of buying a block of impressions on a site or ad network, RTB is about the automatic buying of individual impressions. By removing a lot of wasted ad impressions from the media spend, RTB creates more efficient media buying, driven by value-based individual targeting. RTB is now commonplace, with agencies and marketers directly doing so for both direct-response and brand campaigns.

Every Monday, we send out a digest of digital advertising "must reads" chosen from the week before. Our "Mashup" team gets together in a conference room the preceding Friday, and each member brings an article he or she thinks belongs in the final product. The group vets these together. A few weeks ago when the articles were sorted, one was left on the chopping block. Its title: "How Real-Time Bidding Works." A real debate stirred up in the room. "This is far too basic for our audience," argued one member of the team. "No, I think it's a good one," …

Display advertising is a mainstay for digital marketers, but the necessity of scale and the glut of available inventory have made it practically impossible for buyers to not only see where their ads run, but determine whether or not consumers saw those ads as well. While the ecosystem is aware of these flaws, it's proven truly unwilling to change its ways. It's almost in need of an intervention. Luckily, a growing focus on viewability may bring about the change this industry needs, with publishers themselves making a concerted effort to improve their ads.