Jana Eisenstein, Videology, senior vice president, global accounts, explains that while content may be king, it is context that is critical, and calls for broadcasters to get programmatic buying on their agendas.

‘Content is King’ is a phrase we’ve all heard bandied about the media industry for many years, but does that concept lose some of its significance in an increasingly audience-focused media world?

While top-flight companies are rightly investing in premium video advertising, they’re not necessarily applying the same priority to the environment it’s served within.

The reality of the situation is that content matters today just as much as in the past. Only guarantees of high-end inventory can assure brands that their content is being served to not only the right audience, but also within the right context. With brands looking to commit more of their TV ad budgets to digital – and with some already taking a more integrated approach – those quality assurances are more important than ever.

I recently joined industry experts at a recent industry summit to explore how the acceleration of programmatic video buying is empowering brands to invest in digital through a new ecosystem.

There was a general consensus among the speakers that programmatic buying is the future of media allocation – something the facts confirm. Demand for programmatic video trading continues to grow at break-neck pace and was forecast to grow ten-fold between 2012 and 2013 in Europe, according to recent research from analyst firm IHS.

So with the UK market at the forefront of that growth, how are British buyers using programmatic allocation to guarantee quality? Some have raised questions within the industry over the quality of inventory accessed via programmatic. In truth, data-driven buying can be enriched with contextual data to marry ad campaigns with the appropriate content and media, in addition to the consumer-specific data criteria generally associated with programmatic.

Why is that important? An environment that complements the content, look and feel of an ad makes campaigns infinitely more valuable – indeed compelling content and advertising can help reinforce and enhance one another. Thankfully, today’s increasingly sophisticated targeting tools mean advertisers are able to automate the purchase of environments that correspond to their messages, guaranteeing premium, relevant positioning.

When we consider ‘quality’, premium content, for many, television is still the first environment that springs to mind. So can TV be integrated into the programmatic world today?

There are certainly enough IP-enabled boxes and connected TVs, but providing the education, confidence and compliances to motivate broadcasters to take full advantage of the opportunity in this market is the challenge at hand. As an industry, we must get programmatic buying on the agenda for broadcasters as there’s so much to be gained for all parties. Not only does a behavioural and data-driven approach benefit advertisers, it also paves the way for a better consumer experience via greater relevancy.

Programmatic buying has come a long way in the space of a year. It is now truly pervasive and leading media organisations with premium content are beginning to take a stake in this ecosystem. As Guardian revenue director Tim Gentry put it at the Beet.TV summit, the question has evolved from a ‘why’ to a ‘how’ – from ‘should we/shouldn’t we invest in programmatic’, to ‘what’s the best way to implement a programmatic strategy?’

This is good news for advertisers. A programmatic approach to buying is one which empowers brands to make wiser, more informed decisions – to manage, measure and optimise video advertising for the best possible results. This is accomplished not only through reaching the right audiences, but by securing the premium-quality environments which make campaigns infinitely more valuable.