How programmatic marketing addresses important issues facing advertisers

Programmatic Media Buying

How Programmatic Media Buying Fuels Full-Funnel Growth

How Programmatic Media Buying Fuels Full-Funnel Growth

When there’s market uncertainty, brands often default to what’s familiar – the channels that deliver immediate results. For most, that means Paid Search and Social. These lower-funnel performance tactics offer reliable short-term wins. But what happens when CPAs rise, leads plateau, or scale becomes impossible?

The answer isn’t always “spend more.” It’s to spend smarter – and that means looking beyond just performance channels.

The Limits of Traditional Performance Channels

  • Search captures demand, but only from those already in-market. It doesn’t build long-term interest or brand preference. 
  • Social helps expand reach, but has diminishing returns when audience saturation hits. 
  • Both channels are reactive, not proactive. They’re essential, but alone, they won’t generate future demand. 

To future-proof performance and build a healthier sales funnel, brands need to layer in upper and mid-funnel tactics – and that’s where programmatic media buying comes in.

Why Brands Avoid Upper-Funnel Investment

We get it. Investing in top-of-funnel activity often feels risky:

  • Large broadcast media buys are expensive, inflexible and hard to measure. 
  • It’s difficult to directly connect brand awareness to performance metrics. 
  • Audience targeting is often broad and imprecise. 
  • Consumer media habits are constantly shifting – from linear TV to on-demand, and radio to streaming. 

But these are the exact problems that programmatic media buying is designed to solve.

How Programmatic Solves Key Media Challenges

Programmatic advertising allows marketers to build brand awareness without sacrificing flexibility or accountability. It brings the precision and agility of digital to traditional media formats.

  • Efficiency – Plan and buy media across multiple formats from a single platform. 
  • Targeting – Reach the right audience with rich 1st and 3rd party data. 
  • Measurement -Track brand and performance outcomes in near real-time. 
  • Agility – Optimise campaigns as they run, reallocating budget to what’s working best. 
  • Creative Personalisation – Serve messaging based on behaviour, geography, time of day and more. 

Programmatic Channels for Brand Campaigns

Bench runs full-funnel programmatic brand campaigns across:

  • Connected TV (CTV) & BVOD – Reach engaged audiences on platforms like 7plus, 9Now and SBS On Demand 
  • AVOD (Ad-Supported Video on Demand) – Access premium audiences through ad-enabled platforms like Prime Video, Netflix, and Binge 
  • Digital Out-of-Home (DOOH) – Deliver brand messages in high-traffic areas such as shopping centres, airports, gyms and billboards 
  • Audio Streaming – Reach audiences in screenless moments on Spotify, LiSTNR, iHeartRadio and more 
  • Display – Build awareness using high-impact creative formats 
  • Online Video – Extend reach through YouTube and premium video networks with skippable and non-skippable formats 

All programmatic buys are supported by transparent reporting, real-time optimisation, and clear attribution metrics.

Smart Media Buying with Bench

At Bench, we partner with all major OOH and DOOH vendors across Australia, including JCDecaux, QMS, and more. We also leverage programmatic platforms like Perion and Vistar to maximise scale, targeting, and pricing efficiency.

Thanks to our long-standing relationships and media buying power, we secure competitive rates across all formats, giving our clients access to premium inventory with better ROI.

Why Programmatic Media Buying Is Essential for Modern Marketing

If your performance is plateauing, it’s time to expand your strategy, not just your spend. Programmatic brand campaigns give you the tools to drive awareness, fill the funnel, and supercharge your ROI – all with the accountability and agility of digital.

Want to learn more about how Bench Media can unlock the full potential of programmatic buying for your brand? Get in touch with us today.

 

1024 1024 Shai Luft

Shai Luft

Shai brings over 25 years of marketing expertise, specialising in data-led strategies that drive business growth. His career began in senior marketing roles at leading telecommunications companies, including TPG, Optus, and Telstra, where he gained deep industry insights and refined his strategic approach. In 2012, Shai co-founded Bench Media, an independent media agency renowned for its innovative media planning and buying capabilities. He has since consulted for a diverse range of B2C and B2B brands and served as a board advisor to ASX-listed companies. Shai holds a Bachelor of Commerce from UNSW, with a double major in Marketing and International Business. He has a strong affinity for brands in the automotive, finance, and utilities sectors, where he applies his strategic acumen to deliver impactful marketing solutions.

All stories by : Shai Luft
SHAI LUFT - CHIEF OPERATING OFFICER Meet Shai Luft, a senior marketing executive with a proven track record of delivering results for Australia’s largest ASX200-listed companies

Chief Operating Officer

Shai Luft

Meet Shai Luft, a senior marketing executive with a proven track record of delivering results for Australia’s largest ASX200-listed companies. Despite his success, Shai was frustrated by the amount of red tape and bureaucracy that held back marketing innovation. That’s why he co-founded Bench in 2012. As the driving force behind Bench’s operations, Shai is committed to empower marketers with the agility and control they need to achieve their best results.

ORI GOLD - CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER An ad tech and martech expert. Driven by the frustration of everyday marketers facing a lack of control and accessibility, Ori co-founded Bench in 2012 to revolutionise the digital advertising landscape.

Chief Executive Officer

Ori Gold

Meet Ori Gold, an ad tech and martech expert. Driven by the frustration of everyday marketers facing a lack of control and accessibility, Ori co-founded Bench in 2012 to revolutionise the digital advertising landscape. Heading the talented and forward-thinking team at Bench, Ori is the driving force behind the company’s strategic and product vision. Thanks to Ori’s leadership, Bench has become one of the most respected and successful digital agencies in Australia.

GENERAL MANAGER LIAM GARRATT Meet Liam Garratt, the creative mind behind Bench’s top-notch products and services. With a career in digital media spanning over a decade, Liam has made a name for himself as a leader in the industry.

General Manager

Liam Garratt

Meet Liam Garratt, the creative mind behind Bench’s top-notch products and services. With a career in digital media spanning over a decade, Liam has made a name for himself as a leader in the industry. He got his start in 2011 working for UK-based programmatic platform Crimtan, where he played a key role in launching the company’s Australian office. In 2017, Liam brought his expertise to Bench, where he now leads the Product & Services functions. Liam is passionate about delivering only the highest quality products and services to Bench’s clients. His commitment to excellence is the foundation of Bench’s stellar reputation.

VP OF GROWTH ANTHONY FARGEOT Meet Anthony Fargeot, the pioneer behind Bench’s growth and success. Joining Bench in its infancy in 2013, Anthony’s experience with high-growth start-ups gave him the skills to help Bench become one of the most successful digital agencies in Australia.

VP of Growth

Anthony Fargeot

Meet Anthony Fargeot, the pioneer behind Bench’s growth and success. Joining Bench in its infancy in 2013, Anthony’s experience with high-growth start-ups gave him the skills to help Bench become one of the most successful digital agencies in Australia. As Head of Client Services and then Director of Operations, Anthony led Bench through its highest growth period. Today, as VP of Growth, Anthony uses his creative thinking and strategic insights to always look for new and innovative ways to help Bench stay ahead of the curve in a rapidly changing digital landscape.