In my previous article, "The Problem with Programmatic," I discussed the importance of adopting universal standards across the advertising value chain, in order to continue adding value to brands. Today, let's take that one step further and discuss why certain attribution models wreak havoc on performance marketing campaigns.

I can't say I was beginning to lose hope, but many conversations I've had with premium publishers for this column were disappointing. Per those discussions, adoption of RTB seemed to be low among the top tier. So speaking with Gabe Gottlieb, co-founder and CEO of Adomic, was a tremendous relief. According to Gottlieb, premium publishers really are offering up their unsold inventory via RTB. "They may not admit it," he said, "but they're doing it. Why wouldn't they, rather than leaving it unsold?"

While PlaceIQ's location intelligence solutions for marketers are not available via exchanges yet, I think most of us look forward to the day the company enters that market. Chief Revenue Officer Tony Nethercutt sees premium private exchanges in the company's future -- but for now, they're direct only.

The increase of real-time bidding (RTB) spend on desktop has soared over the past few years, growing from $986 million in 2011 to an expected total of more than 3 billion in 2013. Targeting capabilities like site and search retargeting have helped marketers expand their reach, achieve more efficient pricing and ultimately a strong ROI.

A marketplace is a system of buyers and sellers trading a commodity in a state of positive tension. Buyers are constantly looking to buy the most valuable inventory at the lowest possible price and sellers are looking to continue to differentiate their products to extract the most value. This positive tension gives rise to a need for innovation to, among other things, drive efficiency.

Programmatic may not be top of mind with most luxury advertisers, but it probably should be. As digital adoption grows across devices, the top 20% of earners are shopping and spending more online than average consumers. Programmatic premium should be a consideration for all these brands to reach those audiences at scale.

While market players tend to associate automated bidding with unwanted remnant inventory, we're seeing an increased interest in real-time bidding (RTB) to sell premium ads. In theory, RTB for premium inventory should bring the same efficiency to the process as it does for ads on the lower end of the scale, helping both publishers and advertisers. But until the technology is honed that allows publishers to take advantage of this new market opportunity, publishers are sitting on the fence. Here are five challenges publishers still face with premium programmatic:

Last week, I had a great talk with Eric Roza, CEO of Datalogix. He knows a thing or two about reaching verticalized audiences, which is always a hot topic in our fragmented marketplace. With multiple mobile devices and an influx of data available, audience buying has become increasing complex in recent years.

The current trend toward native advertising has introduced an academic forum on the topic. What is the true definition of native? How does one do it effectively? Is it a fad reserved only for very large publishers and exclusive advertisers?

I wouldn't be writing this if I wasn't so confident in the European market's ability to obtain power and leverage in the online advertising ecosystem. It's close to mid-2013, and we've reached the point in the U.S. where real-time bidding is past critical mass. RTB stormed through its initial test phase in the U.S., and it passed with glowing reviews. Now, the sky's the limit. But I can't help but imagine what it would have been like to start all over equipped with the advantages that I know European companies have.