When programmatic buying was first announced about a year ago, it was mainly being done by advertisers via exchanges. An advertiser would speak to salespeople at an exchange and execute an order. Jelli’s new platform, called SpotPlan, is cloud-based technology that gives advertisers and agencies the ability to buy radio advertising in real-time on a self-service, automated basis. In other words, rather than going through an exchange, buyers will now have a self-service portal.
Jelli says it has signed agreements with the largest audio ad buyers in the U.S. from the largest global agencies, representing over $1B of aggregate audio advertising buying in 2015. Customers involved in the launch include Starcom, Mediavest | Spark, Dentsu Aegis Network, Horizon Media, Havas Media, IPG Mediabrands, and Varick Media Management.
The self-service tool allows customers to sign on to SpotPlan and buy inventory through iHeartRadio’s Programmatic Private Network or through Katz’s Expressway. Jelli says it has a server wired into nearly 1,300 stations reaching over a quarter billion people through those radio stations.
