The conversation around programmatic advertising often gets framed as new vs old,but the truth is much more balanced and much more relevant to how we work at Ground Up Media.
Manual media buying isn’t outdated. Programmatic isn’t a magic switch. Each has strengths, limitations and ideal use cases. The best campaigns in arts and culture marketing use both, depending on objectives, inventory, creative needs and budget structure.
Manual Media Buying
Manual buying the classic approach of negotiating directly with publishers, selecting placements and managing delivery hands-on remains a cornerstone of cultural-sector advertising.
Pros
- High level of control: Exact placements, premium inventory and bespoke deals are easier to secure directly.
- Stronger relationships: Working with publishers gives access to added value such as bonus impressions, editorial support or on-site visibility.
- Brand safety assurances: Guaranteed placements reduce uncertainty about where your ads appear.
- Better for unique formats: Homepage takeovers, cultural partnerships, sponsorship banners and custom creative executions are typically manual
Cons
- Time-consuming: Negotiation, trafficking and reporting require more hands-on management.
- Less agility: It’s harder to shift budgets quickly or react to real-time performance.
- Limited scale: You’re buying from fixed suppliers rather than a wide-reaching exchange.
Best For
- Premium placements
- Campaigns where visibility and context are key (e.g., festival launches, exhibition openings)
- Partnerships with cultural publications
- Custom formats that enhance storytelling
Programmatic Advertising
Programmaticbuying automates the ad‑buying process using real-time bidding, audiencesignals and machine learning to reach the right users at the right moment.
Pros
- Scalable reach: Access to millions of impressions across multiple sites, apps and channels.
- Precise audience targeting: Uses first-party data, interest data and behavioural signals.
- Real‑time optimisation: Budgets, bids and creative automatically adjust for performance.
- Cost‑efficient buying: Lower CPMs and less wasted spend.
- Cross‑channel capability: Display, video, native, audio and DOOH via a single ecosystem.
Cons
- Less contextual control: Requires strong brand‑safety settings to avoid unwanted placements.
- Setup complexity: Proper events, audiences and tracking are essential.
- Dependent on data quality: Poor signals lead to poor output.
Best For
- Awareness campaigns at scale
- Audience-led strategies (families, tourists, genre fans, cultural niches)
- Performance-driven campaigns
- Always‑on prospecting and retargeting
The Sweet Spot: When Manual and Programmatic Work Together
The strongest campaigns especially in arts and culture combine the precision of programmatic with the contextual storytelling of manual buys.
How They Complement Each Other
- Manual sets the stage with high-impact placements that build credibility and visibility.
- Programmatic expands reach efficiently to new audiences.
- Manual partnerships build trust with culturally aligned publishers.
- Programmatic remarketing converts interest with timely reminders.
- Manual formats elevate brand storytelling, while programmatic improves efficiency and ROI.
For Cultural Organisations, This Balance Matters
A theatre season launch might use manual buys for premium homepage banners, while programmatic amplifies the trailer to broad audiences and retargets engaged viewers. A museum may run a sponsored editorial with a key publication while programmatic nudges warm audiences toward ticket purchase.
It’s not one or the other it’s the combination that performs.
Both Have a Place in a Modern Media Plan
Manual and programmatic buying aren’t competing approaches; they're complementary tools. Each has advantages that matter in different parts of the funnel, different campaign shapes and different creative ambitions.
At GroundUp Media, we use both strategically depending on:
- Campaign objectives
- Required scale
- Creative needs
- Audience signals
- Available inventory
- Storytelling opportunities
The goal isn’t to choose between manual or programmatic it’s to build campaigns that leverage the best of both worlds, ensuring your message lands in the right place, with the right audience, at the right moment.
