• by Tyler Loechner , Staff Writer @mp_tyler, May 14, 2014

Each month, ChoiceStream releases a cost calendar, which ranks over 300 advertising segments in order from cheapest to most expensive. Each month, Travel segments consume the top 10. For the first time in what seems like forever, Travel segments didn’t completely dominate when it came to cost on programmatic ad exchanges.

For ChoiceStream’s May cost calendar, which looks at data from April, there are three Travel segments in the top 10. That is still noteworthy and underscores the high cost of Travel advertising on programmatic exchanges, but it was surprising to see no Travel segments in the top five.

Holidays & Events: General Events/Tickets was the most expensive segment for advertisers on programmatic exchanges in April, followed by Automotive: Diesel Car, Holidays & Events: Anniversaries, Automotive: Vans, and Services: Computers.

General Events/Tickets was a surprise for the top spot -- it jumped to the top after being the 75th most expensive segment in March. However, it wasn’t the only surprise in the top 10.

Traveling With Kids was the 10th most expensive segment in April, which is impressive because it was one of the 10 cheapest segments just one month prior. ChoiceStream looks at over 300 segments here, so that’s no small jump for the Traveling With Kids category, which was created by the IAB.

“Travel and events seem to be on the minds of consumers as the weather gets warmer,” stated Bill Guild, vice president of marketing at ChoiceStream. “Despite the seemingly endless winter weather, we are expecting these segments to continue to rise in the coming month.”

ChoiceStream also noted big jumps in advertising costs for Camping and Car Rentals, attributing the increases to consumers booking summer vacations.

While the weather is driving prices up for many season-dependent segments, not all are rising. The Home and Garden: Outdoor segment saw a major decrease in price month-over-month, which ChoiceStream theorizes was because of heavy rain and extended winter weather.

“Programmatic buyers can profit from dips in segment costs month-over-month and even minute over minute,” ChoiceStream wrote in its press release. “If they can detect the changes in time, they can lower real-time bids to win impressions at a much lower cost.”