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The Madison Avenue Field GuideA field guide to marketing & advertising, by Brandon Mina

GlossaryAdtech & ProgrammaticOpen Auction

Adtech & Programmatic

Open Auction

Programmatic inventory available to any qualified buyer through an exchange.

By Brandon MinaCEO, BrandPilot AIUpdated November 2026

Appears in Lesson 5 of Programmatic 101

Short answer

An open auction is a programmatic marketplace where ad inventory is available to any qualified buyer through an exchange, with prices set by real-time bidding. It offers broad reach and flexibility without prior negotiation. However, buyers have less control over placements, and publishers have less control over which advertisers appear, compared with private deals.