Ad Council Sets Up Private Market for COVID PSAs

Working with several ad tech companies, the Ad Council has launched its first programmatic private marketplace where media companies can donate inventory to digital public service ad campaigns devoted to fighting the COVID-19 crisis.

The Trade Desk is providing the tech platform for the marketplace, Cadreon is donating in-platform management, Acxiom is donating data segments to target at-risk audiences and EMX helped get publishers on board.

The marketplace is projected to deliver more than 100 million display and video impressions in the first two months through inventory donated by InMobi, GroundTruth, OpenX, Ogury, Xandr, TripleLift, Bustle, the New York Post, EMX and Kargo.

The launch of the first Private Marketplace in support of social causes, particularly during this national crisis, is truly momentous for our industry and our audiences throughout the country,” said Lisa Sherman, president and CEO of the Ad Council. “Through the PMP, we’ll have the opportunity to serve the right message to the right audience at the right time. During this ever-changing crisis, it will be invaluable to be able to optimize, evolve and adapt messaging and target audiences to ensure that our COVID-19 messages drive the greatest impact. We’re so grateful to our programmatic and media partners for coming forward and generously donating their platforms, services and inventory.”

Receiving donated media through a private marketplace allows the Ad Council to send specific messages to parents and young adults about social distancing and personal hygiene.

Through traditional methods, the Ad Council’s PSA campaign has already received more than $57 million in donated, earned and social media. The messages have been seen more than 2 million times.

Part of the Ad Council campaign

Jon Lafayette

Jon has been business editor of Broadcasting+Cable since 2010. He focuses on revenue-generating activities, including advertising and distribution, as well as executive intrigue and merger and acquisition activity. Just about any story is fair game, if a dollar sign can make its way into the article. Before B+C, Jon covered the industry for TVWeek, Cable World, Electronic Media, Advertising Age and The New York Post. A native New Yorker, Jon is hiding in plain sight in the suburbs of Chicago.