• by Jack Loechner , Staff Writer @mp_research, November 8, 2018

B2B marketers’ use of programmatic advertising may be reaching a plateau, but not so their spending on programmatic, says Dun & Bradstreet in its 2019 Data-Driven Marketing & Advertising Outlook [download page]. The survey of 237 B2B marketers, conducted by Adweek Branded last month, found that 61% of respondents will increase their spending on programmatic advertising next year. 

That includes one-fifth who expect a significant increase that exceeds 25%.

Those figures are similar to last year’s report, when 64% intended to increase their programmatic ad spending, and 18% by a significant amount. Also holding steady is the percentage of respondents who report being involved with programmatic advertising. That percentage rests above 60% for the third consecutive year, having risen from 54% in 2015.

Interestingly, the types of B2B advertising that respondents are buying programmatically has shifted a little from last year’s report. There seems to be slightly less interest in display and video, though display is still the most commonly bought ad type.

Instead, B2B marketers who are buying ads programmatically seem more invested this year in social ads, reported by two-thirds (67%), up from half (51%) last year. Respondents also appear to have stepped up their programmatic buying of both mobile (67%) and TV ads (17%), the latter maybe portending an intriguing development.

The analysts note that challenges surrounding programmatic advertising remain similar to years past, led by targeting of right audiences, measurement and metrics, and lack of knowledge and skills. Brand marketers in particular appear to be more acutely challenged by targeting and lack of expertise than agency marketers, who instead are more heavily concerned with viewability and bot traffic.