One of the most common questions that we get at Above The Fold is how Google DSP compares to programmatic and whether it makes sense to run both approaches. There is always a lot of interest in how the targeting capabilities of programmatic advertising differ vs google display network.
When we receive this question, we like to answer by covering a few different perspectives, including reach, creative ad formats allowed, and targeting capabilities.
Target Websites
Google claims to have 2 million websites, videos, and apps. The world currently has 1.17 billion (yes, billion!) websites. So that would imply that, at best, Google covers .12% of all websites in the world. Sure, they claim they can access 90% of global internet users, but their ability to expansively reach all users in high volumes is simply far from accurate.
So while Google has had an interesting corner on the search market for a number of years, Google is far from the dominant player when it comes to targeting specific users across the web. Programmatic has a much higher ability to target users across many domains and in large quantities.
Creative Types
While Google has search, display, and video ads. They operate fairly separately in campaign execution and coordination. One key advantage of programmatic that is is focused on targeting specific audiences with a specific message, across the entire web. Programmatic allows you to target the same audiences across display, video, text, TV, and native.
Target Abilities
Google currently has the ability to target based on affinity (interests and hobbies), custom affinity (keywords), and In-market audiences (relies on Google telling you they are “in-market”). This is a compelling set of target capabilities and it’s something you might want to consider for your brand.
However, programmatic target options far outweigh what Google’s targeting capabilities have to offer. Here is a summary of programmatic advertising vs google display network.
| Programmatic | ||
| Cross-device | Yes | Yes |
| Geotargeting (refinement) | Yes | Yes |
| Interests | Yes, 80 different groups | Yes, Thousands of groups |
| Keywords | Yes, from their network | Yes, from hundreds of sources |
| Retargeting | Yes, only across its network | Yes, across much of the web |
| Behavioral | Yes, from their network | Yes, from hundreds of sources |
| In-Market | Yes, black box | Yes, dozens of methods |
| Contextual | Yes, black box | Yes, non-black-box |
| Demographics | Yes | Yes, using all major 3rd party data providers |
| Geotargeting | No | Yes |
| Event Targeting | No | Yes |
| Private Marketplace (PMP) | No | Yes |
Should I run Google & Programmatic?
Yes, absolutely! Why not. The mistake comes when brands only focus on Google. You should definitely tap into the advantages that Google has to offer, but programmatic is a powerful way to increase brand awareness and drive additional searches through the significant scalability of programmatic. In fact, we see the best results with our clients when multiple channels and sources are in use. Google and programmatic are great ways to drive optimal results for your brand.
There is a reason that programmatic ad spending continues to increase each year. If you have questions about programmatic, please connect with us for a free consultation or Q&A session.
