A consumer engages an eCommerce site, searches and browses, unaware that a legion of display ads lay bivouacked just beyond the horizon under cover of algorithms, data, and cookies. Brands take great care to curate the story on their sites in order to enhance the user experience, and they know they have the chance to continue the dialog with their audience based on what data provides them. Yet they forget that marketing is an art, and they too often bring a tuba to a violin recital. Programmatic is a term that came from music, and believe it or not, I find it especially relevant today. ... Read on.

Let me set a scene for you based on a recurring situation I’ve encountered more in the past three months than in all the 20 years prior. It is one that is unfamiliar, unnerving, uncomfortable, but most of all, enlightening. ... Read on.