Display ads bought programmatically,
checked for where they actually ran
Programmatic display has a reputation for opacity, ads running on low-quality inventory nobody checks. We run it with placement-level visibility and brand safety rules set before launch, because an impression nobody can verify is not worth buying.
Where the money leaks today
Programmatic buying through a DSP can place ads across thousands of sites automatically, which is efficient but also opaque: without placement-level reporting, a brand can be paying for impressions on low-quality or even fraudulent inventory and never know it. The second common failure is retargeting without frequency caps, chasing the same visitor with the same ad dozens of times until it reads as harassment rather than a reminder.
The third is buying broad audience segments without contextual or supply-path quality filters, which keeps cost per impression low but often at the cost of where the ad actually appears.
Programmatic’s scale is also its risk: the same automation that reaches thousands of sites efficiently can also waste budget invisibly if nobody checks where impressions actually land, which is why verification is treated as a core deliverable, not an add-on. We would rather run a smaller, verified campaign that a client can trust completely than a larger one built on inventory nobody has actually inspected, and we say so plainly when a bigger but unverifiable buy is on the table, even if that costs us the larger invoice.
What we do
- Placement verification. Reporting down to the domain or app level where the platform allows it, so spend can be checked against where ads actually ran, not just what was bought in aggregate.
- Brand safety rules set before launch. Category exclusions and inventory quality filters configured up front, not added after a bad placement is discovered.
- Frequency capping. Retargeting sequences built with sensible caps and sequencing, so a visitor sees a reminder, not a flood.
- Audience precision. Site-visitor pixels, CRM-based segments and contextual targeting combined so reach does not come at the cost of relevance.
- Supply path checks. Reviewing which exchanges and resellers the DSP is buying through, since shorter, cleaner supply paths generally mean better inventory quality.
What we need from you
- A DSP account, or agreement on which platform to use based on your market and budget.
- Pixel or tag access on your site for retargeting audiences.
- CRM or customer list segments if you want first-party audience targeting.
- Clear brand safety guidelines: categories or content types to avoid.
- Patience for a verification-first setup, which takes slightly longer than an unchecked, fully automated launch.
How we measure
We report viewable impressions and verified placements alongside cost per impression, so the number reflects quality, not just volume. Retargeting performance is reported separately from cold-audience display, since the two behave very differently and should not be averaged together.
Monthly reporting includes a brand safety and placement quality check, flagging anything that should be excluded going forward.
We also review supply path depth periodically, since shorter paths from advertiser to publisher generally mean less of the budget is lost to intermediary fees along the way. Where a campaign includes retargeting, we report it entirely separately from cold-audience display, since blending the two into one number hides which part is actually doing the work and which part is mostly paying for reach.
Price and timeline
| Option | Price | What’s included | Timeline |
|---|---|---|---|
| Launch or audit | from $800 | DSP setup, brand safety rules, frequency caps, first campaigns verified. | 2 weeks |
| Monthly management | from $800 / month | Ongoing placement verification, audience refinement, monthly viewability report. | monthly, no lock-in |
| Full control, handover to your team | from $2,000 | DSP setup, brand safety and verification playbook documented and handed to your team. | 4 to 5 weeks |
Related
This page sits under our Performance marketing and Analytics work. See also Retargeting and remarketing setup, Media mix and budget planning, Ad account audit and recovery for adjacent paid-channel services.
For the automation side of reporting and budget decisions, see ad performance reporting. For real numbers behind these benchmarks, read the LatAm media-buying, 30,000+ installs case study and analytics hub with an AI analyst case study.
Ready to see what this would look like for your account? Get in touch and we will look at your current setup in the first call.
FAQ
How much does this cost?
Both launch and monthly management start from $800, scaling with how many audience segments and DSP platforms you run.
How long until we see results?
Launch takes about 2 weeks for setup and verification rules. A reliable read on quality-adjusted performance takes 4 to 6 weeks.
What ad budget do we need alongside this?
Programmatic generally needs a few thousand dollars a month to access quality inventory at scale; smaller budgets can still work but with a narrower, more targeted audience to compensate.
What do you need from us?
DSP account access or agreement on platform choice, site pixel access, CRM segments if available, and clear brand safety guidelines before launch.
How do you report on performance?
Monthly reporting on viewable impressions and verified placements alongside cost per impression, with retargeting reported separately from cold-audience display.