Was I wrong about programmatic ad buying or is it still mostly hype?

I used to think programmatic ad buying was just a way for agencies to bill more hours for something that should be simple. Seemed like a black box where you throw money in and hope something comes out. But after working with a client last spring in Portland who insisted on using it for their local roofing business, I saw the numbers firsthand. We set up a small $500 test campaign and within two weeks they had 12 qualified leads from people actively searching for roof repairs. That's way better than the usual Facebook ad results I'd seen before. On the other hand, I've also heard horror stories from other agency owners about wasted budget and zero transparency. Has anyone else had that split experience where programmatic either crushed it or totally flopped for a specific client?

2 comments

2 Comments

owens.willow22d ago

Oh man that split experience is EXACTLY what I've been through. For local service businesses with tight targeting it can be a goldmine but for broad B2B stuff I've seen budgets vanish with nothing to show for it.

the_wyatt22d agoMost Upvoted

Local service is a totally different beast. Tight radius and clear intent make it work. Broad B2B just burns cash unless your offer is stupidly specific.