PubMatic, an independent technology company delivering digital advertising’s supply chain of the future, announces the rapid adoption and market share growth of its innovative media activation platform, Activate.
In today’s dynamic digital environment, advertisers face growing challenges: navigating complex supply chains, optimizing campaigns across a fragmented landscape, and dealing with rising intermediary fees. These challenges emphasize the critical need for greater efficiency and transparency, which PubMatic’s Activate uniquely addresses.
Since its launch in 2023, Activate has experienced explosive growth, with nearly 6x growth in customer count and nearly 5x in campaign count year-over-year in 2024. This rapid adoption reflects the platform’s proven ability to deliver superior supply path optimization (SPO), curated premium data and inventory, and unmatched performance.
Key Highlights:
- Industry-Wide Adoption: All “Big Six” advertising agencies now utilize Activate as a media activation tool or as a central technology to their own media buying solutions, demonstrating the platform’s rapid and widespread industry acceptance.
- Global Reach: Activate is now available across all global customer regions, including North America (NTAM), Latin America (LATAM), Europe, Middle East, Africa (EMEA), and Asia Pacific (APAC), empowering advertisers worldwide.
- Unparalleled Efficiency: Buyers using Activate’s unique tech stack of buy and sell-side technology experience an average 13% decrease in CPMs, translating to significant cost savings and increased working media.
“During one of our first campaigns on Activate, we saw impressive results, including a 20% improvement in pricing,” says Ant McDonagh, Chief Trading Officer at dentsu in PubMatic’s Executive Dialogue video series. “Activate’s direct link with publishers and the higher match rates when partnering directly on sell-side targeting are delivering results. Agencies have a responsibility to drive the value of every impression and Activate helps us achieve that balance by delivering both cost efficiency and high engagement.”
Activate’s recent collaboration with dentsu’s Merkury for Media platform showcases its ability to form tailored partnerships. This partnership allows for effective digital media activation and measurement without cookies, on a large scale. It highlights Activate’s adaptability and its role as a platform well-suited for custom integrations that meet specific client needs and foster innovation.
At the heart of Activate’s success lies a powerful combination of buy-side and sell-side technology in a single platform, empowering advertisers with unprecedented control over their programmatic supply chains. Activate unlocks a unique blend of efficiency, transparency, and versatility by directly integrating with a robust ecosystem of premium publishers and data providers.
- Unmatched Inventory Access: Advertisers gain access to 100% of PubMatic’s direct premium publisher inventory, a vast network of high-quality publishers spanning CTV, online video, display, and mobile. This includes expanded premium CTV inventory through the recent integration with FreeWheel.
- Data-Driven Advantage: Activate leverages advanced data, including unique commerce media data from partners like Instacart, Western Union, and Intuit, to fuel sophisticated targeting and optimize campaign performance.
- Streamlined Efficiency: Activate drives significant cost savings by simplifying the programmatic supply chain. Buyers are experiencing up to 20% improvement in pricing across campaigns, and when utilizing Activate’s Smart Bidding functionality, they see nearly a 13% decrease in CPMs, translating to more working media.
- Proven Performance: These efficiencies translate to tangible business outcomes. The recent Mars case study demonstrated a 126% incremental sales lift, while another campaign saw a 17% improvement in video completion rate.
“Activate is transforming how buyers approach programmatic advertising,” said Kyle Dozeman, Chief Revenue Officer, Americas at PubMatic. “By bringing buyers and publishers closer together and streamlining the supply chain, Activate delivers unparalleled efficiency, transparency, and control. We are committed to continuous innovation and enhancing Activate’s capabilities to empower advertisers to achieve their business goals.”
PubMatic will continue to enhance Activate with a focus on:
- Inventory Discovery and Curation: Leveraging AI and machine learning to discover and curate the most effective inventory and data for advertisers, including tapping into PubMatic’s growing commerce media business. Currently, more than 70% of the platform’s usage is focused on the company’s unique auction packages, an advanced curation tool that packages effective audience segments.
- SPO Insights and Efficiencies: Streamlining workflows and providing deeper insights for strategic partnerships, with a focus on building bespoke solutions with agencies and advertisers.
- End-to-End Troubleshooting: Enhancing tools and support for seamless campaign execution, bringing publishers and advertisers closer together.
- Deal Setup and Control: Greater control and transparency over deal setup for advertisers with an eye on deal flexibility.
- Leveraging AI and Gen AI across the platform: Activate’s AI-powered solutions and capabilities simplify workflows, optimize performance, and drive better outcomes for advertisers through transparency, control, and automation.
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