Why SSPs are leading the programmatic market through supply path curation

On October 24, 2024, two days before today's date, a comprehensive market analysis from Equativ detailed the strategic shift of Supply-Side Platforms (SSPs) toward curation services. According to the report, SSPs stand at a unique position in the advertising supply chain, where their proximity to publishers and direct access to inventory enables more efficient programmatic transactions.

According to Equativ's analysis, SSPs maintain direct relationships with publishers, creating a natural advantage in supply path decisioning. This positioning allows SSPs to pre-qualify inventory and consolidate targeting parameters under single Deal IDs, streamlining the entire buying process.

The analysis reveals significant data preservation benefits when implementing SSP-based solutions:

• Match rate losses between platforms typically range from 40% to 70%
• Every third-party cookie sync results in substantial data deterioration
• SSP targeting reduces data hops, preserving valuable audience information
• Direct publisher relationships enable stronger privacy controls

Alternative identity solutions in practice

With 35% to 50% of consumers using cookieless browsers, SSPs have developed practical solutions:

• Integration of alternative IDs within audience segments
• Automatic scale boosting in cookieless environments
• Turnkey implementation of third-party data
• Simplified targeting of previously unreachable audiences

Technical infrastructure advantages

SSPs offer distinct technical benefits:

• Pre-qualification of inventory before DSP submission
• Consolidated audience and contextual data
• Streamlined bid stream signals
• Performance optimization through direct publisher connections

Publisher relationship management

The report emphasizes the importance of publisher relationships:

• Direct partnerships with premium inventory sources
• Authorized reselling arrangements
• Enhanced auction competitiveness
• Improved DSP access management
• Protected data assets through controlled sharing

Operational efficiency improvements

SSP curation delivers measurable operational benefits:

• Reduced computational overhead
• Decreased bid request processing
• Optimized infrastructure costs
• Environmental impact reduction
• Streamlined workflow management

Privacy and data security framework

SSPs implement comprehensive privacy measures:

• Enhanced control over data usage
• Protected CDP information
• Restricted DSP data sharing
• Improved consumer privacy protection
• Publisher data asset management