Content marketing and programmatic. Arguably two of the hottest terms in digital today, with more than 370 million Google search results between the two. For the most part, when we think about content and programmatic we think of opposites, of incompatibility, of contradictions. After all, they are used to execute strategies on opposite ends of the marketing funnel (upper vs. lower), deliver against opposite objectives (brand awareness vs. conversions), are measured with opposite metrics (time spent vs. CTR) and are delivered with opposite mechanisms (manual vs. automated). It’s the ultimate oxymoron.

However, the future of advertising depends on these two polar opposites fusing together to deliver meaningful brand engagement to the right consumer at more cost efficient scale. CMOs will demand more from their advertising and content marketing will help to fill the current void between the value ads are providing and the value CMOs want. And when content marketing programs are targeted, distributed and optimized programmatically, brands will be able to achieve a higher return on their investment.

In a recent report, “The Future of Programmatic: When The Art & Science of Advertising Collide,” PulsePoint partnered with Digiday to survey over 335 industry professionals on both sides of the buy and sell aisle, from agencies and brands to publishers in order to understand how close our theory is to becoming a reality. Is the industry ready for the art of content marketing and science of programmatic technology to finally collide? In short, yes.

The research uncovered a strong case for a more creative, more custom programmatic future. Over 83% of respondents believed that content marketing will go programmatic by 2017, indicating the desire for art and science in advertising to collide much sooner than expected. So what’s driving this?

Programmatic has been generally confined to lower funnel objectives. But the days of direct response objectives dominating the programmatic landscape are nearing their end. In fact, 71% of respondents thought programmatic technology best supports mid-upper funnel campaign objectives. Additionally, high-impact, custom ad formats will begin to give standard display a run for its money as the proportion of respondents expecting to buy sponsored content placements programmatically in just one year’s time will grow 114%. Respondents also reported that in the next 12 months, the amount of TV bought programmatically will increase 45%, and custom rich media bought programmatically will increase 43%, while digital video will see a 29% increase.

This shift could not come at a better time. Nearly every respondent (about 97%) said that either they or their clients are using some form of content marketing and anticipate increasing programmatic ad spend by 62%.

We’re excited by these results and are confident that what we once considered to be an oxymoron will soon become the industry norm: rich content served programmatically exactly when and where consumers are ready to engage with it.

Download the full report here: http://goo.gl/Ktb3rS

Lindsay Boesen is the Director of Marketing at PulsePoint, a global advertising technology platform focused on fusing the efficiency of programmatic technology with the engagement of content marketing.  At PulsePoint she oversees the companies marketing, communications, and creative team. Lindsay has over 10 years experience as a B2B digital marketer and was previously Senior Global Marketing Manager for Vibrant, the pioneer in to contextually relevant native advertising. She has also held marketing & creative roles at media companies like Select NY and Condé Nast. Trained in brand strategy, copywriting and art direction at NYC’s Adhouse, Lindsay holds a B.A in Communications & Advertising from Loyola College in Maryland.