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

GlossaryAdtech & ProgrammaticWaterfall (Daisy Chaining)

Adtech & Programmatic

Waterfall (Daisy Chaining)

A legacy method of offering inventory to demand sources one at a time in priority order.

By Brandon MinaCEO, BrandPilot AIUpdated November 2026

Appears in Lesson 4 of Programmatic 101

Short answer

A waterfall, or daisy chaining, is a legacy method in which a publisher offers ad inventory to demand sources one at a time in a fixed priority order until one accepts. Because higher-paying buyers lower in the chain may never see the impression, it often leaves revenue unrealized. Header bidding largely replaced it.