The report identifies that programmatic media buying systems should be employed by marketers to do more than simply access cheaper and more targeted impressions and go toward improving storytelling. 

Duncan Southgate, global brand director for digital at Millward Brown said: “To date, the debate around programmatic media has been firmly centred on the ‘how’ of operations and behavioural metrics such as cost per click. In 2015 we expect marketers to be equally focused on the benefits programmatic may be able to bring to building meaningful brands and the opportunities to leverage it more creatively.”

Among Millward Brown’s other predictions for the coming year in terms of the media landscape were:

• Advertisers should partner with quality publishers who strike the right balance between advertising and editorial to make the most of native advertising.
• New paid marketing opportunities will emerge on micro-video platforms for brands, if they can embrace those platforms.
• Location-based marketing opportunities will become powerful when brands focus on consumers’ interests rather than on their own.

Southgate added: “Native, micro-video and location-based marketing are disparate technologies, but they are connected by marketers’ desire to deliver more relevant communication. A key challenge for marketers in 2015 will be balancing identification of the perfect marketing moment with a need to generate cost-effective scale and reach.”