Advertisers have shifted to mobile private marketplaces for programmatic advertising during the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak, according to data from digital advertising company PubMatic.

In-app private marketplaces saw the quickest growth in programmatic ad volume, rising 65% during the outbreak compared to February. However, in-app ad volume for real-time bidding on open markets fell 15% over the same period.

Private marketplaces on mobile web inventory saw strong growth in ad volume during the outbreak, rising 28%. In contrast, desktop PMP fell 20%.

PubMatic also found that in-app private marketplace advertising spend rose rapidly in the first five weeks of public lockdowns, likely boosted by brands turning to coronavirus-related campaigning. The Americas (+99%) and EMEA (+96%) saw adspend double while Asia Pacific (+167%) saw growth rates reach triple figures.

Marketers should be seeing some level of success with this approach, as apps become more popular and consumers use them to discover brands. However, it is vital that marketers deliver cut-through with creativity and inspiration while being aware of the risks in-app advertising presents.

Originally published in WARC