By Tom O’Regan When we talk about RTB in the online advertising industry, we are typically talking about “real-time bidding,” or programmatic buying, aka the “race to the bottom.” It is not a place any luxury brand wants to be. The ad exchanges, as we know them today, were built to support banners and buttons, the heavily commoditized ad units that have been steadily declining in engagement rates for the last decade. These exchanges were tools for direct response advertisers, who were less concerned about brand image and reputation, and who cared more for click-through rates than the quality of the environment in which their ad was seen. But programmatic does not have to equate to remnant or low value. Programmatic, not problematic What if RTB actually stood for “real-time branding”? What if brands could buy beautiful, rich media ads and place them on premium sites – at scale – via a rich media ad marketplace? There is a movement underway to make this a reality. As the online advertising industry matures to become a more brand-friendly environment, several key players have banded together to create such a marketplace. These industry leaders have joined together from all corners of the LUMAscape – from platform providers to analytics companies and top agencies, and from some of the highest-quality publishers on the Web. These players are bound together by the realization that, working as a team, we can start a trend that will make the Web the first place brands invest, instead of the last. This invitation-only, premium marketplace is a small step, but it is definitely a step in the right direction. The marketplace hinges on the Interactive Advertising Bureau’s Rising Star ad units, those rich media ads that deliver the visual impact and engagement that luxury brands demand online. These ad units are built for brand advertising – highly customizable canvases that lend themselves to telling brand stories eloquently across all screens. And since they are IAB standard units, a rich media ad exchange should and can support them. It also means that more publishers will adapt to accommodate them, particularly as demand for rich media grows. Mining meaning So what does this really mean for brands? It means that brands can create high-quality digital advertisements that pull in video, social elements, editorial content – even store finders or interactive games - and place those unique and beautiful ads on high-quality sites programmatically. It means that with a single media buy, luxury brands can reach targeted audiences with engaging ads at their desks, on their tablets or on their smartphones. It means that brands can confidently invest in online, without worrying that their ads are going to appear on a torrent site, or alongside unsavory, inappropriate or illegal content. And, finally, it means that brands will have the ability to buy, target, test, measure and optimize rich media ad units, at scale and in real-time. THE HOPE HERE is that the ball will begin rolling, and the industry will quickly begin to evolve and become more attractive to brand marketers. It will not solve all the obstacles that luxury brands face as they bring campaigns online, but it will help pave the path. This premium marketplace has all the right elements: beautiful ad units, premium publisher environments and the technology to sell the media at scale and guaranteed. It is the beginning of the end for the race to the bottom, and the early days of real-time branding. Tom O’Regan is president and chief revenue officer of Martini Media, New York. Reach him at tom.o'regan@martini-corp.com.