Abstract:

This pilot study focuses on the use of programmatic advertising to promote the use and business of advertising in Nigeria’s business capital city as the COVID-19 pandemic eases off. As an ongoing study, partners are invited to produce an international investigation on programmatic advertising in developing countries. This study specifically presents the opinions of advertising professionals and representatives of all advertising agencies in Lagos, Nigeria on their usage of programmatic advertising post-COVID-19. Programmatic advertising refers to data-driven advert buying and selling between advertisers and publishers via software. Programmatic advertising is the automated purchase and sale of ad spots in real-time to help advertisers reach their target demographic more efficiently. Results of this preliminary study indicate that majority of advertising practitioners in Lagos are highly knowledgeable about programmatic advertising. However, a low level of usage of programmatic advertising is recorded among the practitioners and their agencies. Temporary conclusion is that advertising agencies and practitioners in Nigeria need to step up their usage of programmatic advertising, given its affirmed, huge business advantages. Such advantages include profitable audience segmentation, ease of use and increased productivity. The study recommends the infusion of programmatic advertising into the syllabus of mass, marketing and business communication in Nigeria. There is a need to refocus attention on advertisers’ success through programmatic advertising.