UK Marketers Remain Uncertain About RTA

A recent survey by UK advertising industry body ISBA has revealed that the majority of advertisers in the UK are still unclear about real-time advertising (RTA). However, there is also a strong desire to learn: 96% of respondents told ISBA they planned to fill their RTA knowledge gaps.

The poll established that more than one-third of advertisers had no idea what part of their own online marketing campaigns involves RTA. At the same time, the same proportion of respondents said they viewed RTA and programmatic ad buying in a positive light.

While half of advertisers said they had some basic knowledge of RTA, many were largely ignorant of the RTA market as a whole: 38% confessed to little awareness of existing service providers in the programmatic ad buying space. Despite this general lack of awareness, it seems that advertisers are certain about one thing: that real-time ad buying will become more prominent in the future. This opinion was expressed by 76% of the sample.

David Ellison, marketing services manager at ISBA, said the results of the survey confirmed existing industry doubts about advertisers’ awareness of RTA. This is related to an uncertainty among brands about how much of their advertising budgets are allocated for media. As advertisers often approach ISBA for guidance on programmatic ad buying, the organisation has created a “Guide to Real-Time Advertising,” which it launched on 20 June. Ellison said ISBA was hoping the guide would provide some help to advertisers, as it is obvious that they are eager to learn more about RTA.