What Is First Look in Programmatic Advertising?
· 2h ago · Originally reported by PPC Land
First look is a programmatic deal that gives a single buyer or exchange the chance to bid on a publisher's ad impression before other demand sources can compete for it. It is a common arrangement in the ad supply chain.
Why it matters
First look deals can give certain buyers a significant advantage by letting them cherry-pick high-value impressions before anyone else sees them, which affects how ad revenue is distributed across the ecosystem.
Explain it like I’m new here
It's like letting one shopper go through a garage sale before it opens to the public — they get first dibs on the best stuff.
Terms in this story
Preferred deal
A preferred deal gives one buyer the first chance to buy a publisher's impressions at a fixed, pre-agreed price, with no obligation to buy and no guaranteed volume.
Programmatic advertising
Programmatic advertising is buying and selling ad space through automated software, usually one impression at a time, instead of through manual negotiations, phone calls and paper contracts.
Advertiser
An advertiser is the company, organisation or person that pays to place ads in order to sell products, build a brand, recruit, or spread a message.
Ad exchange
An ad exchange is a digital marketplace where buyers and sellers of ad impressions meet and trade through automated auctions, usually in real time.
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