Yesterday, Havas announced the worldwide launch of its programmatic pure player, Affiperf that extends the boundaries of programmatic buying with the introduction of the what is touted to be the world’s first real time, agnostic system to work across multiple demand side platforms. This offers brands the opportunity to operate seamlessly across multiple demand side platforms with one single point of contact in what is now called “the age of programmatic” as the topic continues to dominate the agendas of events such as this week’s Advertising Week in NYC.

As technology, data and algorithmic complexity have increased; automation in the media industry has become the new norm. Despite this, the potential of automated programmatic methods for real-time buying have been limited by the fact that until now, agencies were limited to using inventory from different Demand Side Platforms (known as DSPs) in parallel. As the number of DSPs in the market exploded, this added a rather frustrating and inefficient complexity to the process of optimisation and data collection in programmatic buying.

Algorithms data and advertising

Following 3 years of research from Affiperf, a Fields Medal holder and renowned data scientists MFG Labs, the Affiperf Meta DSP solution offers for the first time, a way to unify and make sense of data sets across multiple platforms. It aggregates multiple assets using their APIs that is data inventory, features and algorithms from a number of DSPs. It then uses modelling and decision engines to allow traders to recommend wider, more sophisticated strategic options and monitor them.

Pierre-Louis Lions, MFG Labs co-founder and Fields Medal holder 1994 said in a statement: “Thanks to three years of extensive R & D we have been able to bring technical neutrality to the conception, implementation and optimization of campaigns. This works both in the real-time bidding process as well as the design for even more integrated approaches that will enable us before the end of the year, to start managing our Affiperf Meta DSP solution for online and offline data and media.”

An answer to growing complexity

The Affiperf Meta DSP is powered by enhanced proprietary algorithms that offer clients fluid digitalisation, optimisation and addressability across formats. This ability to collate results and information into one unified marketing statistic marks the end to complexity in this critical area. Although increasing in size, the competitive landscape is not dominated by one DSP, but a fragmented ecosystem of DSP display, mobile and video, rich media DSPs, each of them having different rules, inventories and features. This makes it increasingly difficult for brands to get consistent answers and to see the bigger picture. Technologically agnostic, this is the first solution that is open to all DSPs and all technologies. Through this platform brands can therefore take advantage of the best technology available to reach out to and relate to people with greater speed in a more tailored environment than ever before.

Dominique Delport, global Managing Director of Havas Media Group and Chairman of Havas Media Group France and UK says: “In today’s world, media is code and digital campaigns are like software. The idea behind programmatic when it first started was to secure instant contact between traders and brands that would enable our clients to benefit from an infinite number of connections with consumers in real-time. The explosion of data and the significant rise in the number of DSPs on the market has meant that this promise of programmatic was lost to complexity and silos. Affiperf Meta DSP disrupts the market with the creation of one single tool that enables our clients to optimise choice across multiple platforms. As a result, our industry can finally take programmatic buying to the next level to help brands generate more tailored, more effective and more meaningful connections with people. This is programmatic without compromise”.

Worldwide roll-out

The initial roll out of the Affiperf Meta DSP includes, amongst others, the recently launched ONE by AOL, onto one open infrastructure. Accessible in over 102 markets, Affiperf will continue to develop the product in the coming months to increase the number of DSP platforms that can be analyzed at the same time. The Meta DSP was launched at the AOL Annual Programmatic Upfront in NYC during the first day of Advertising Week 2014.