In Finland, digital advertising is more than programmatic
Sanoma’s Miia Salmi and Minna Kruhse attended the Programmatic Pioneer Summit 2026 and noted a difference in the way programmatic buying is talked about in the UK compared to Finland.
“In the UK, programmatic advertising is practically synonymous to digital advertising. For us in Finland, where the low number of publishers allows for direct buying, it’s merely one purchasing option among others”, says Miia Salmi, Business Manager, Programmatic.
Because of this, the conversation around programmatic advertising in Finland tends to go deep into the buying platforms and technicalities of the method. The Programmatic Pioneer Summit, on the other hand, covered a wide range of topics related to digital advertising.
The agenda proved that while Finland may lag in the share of programmatic buying, this is not the case when it comes to advertising in general.
”Attention, metrics, AI, retail media, marketing effectiveness, the role of creative and reliable media environments are all topics we constantly discuss with our clients, just not always in connection to programmatic buying,” Business Manager, Digital Minna Kruhse says.
Control over context increases interest in direct buying
While Finland is still looking to grow the share of programmatic buying, the UK is showing signs of movement to the opposite direction. The interest in direct deals with publishers has grown.
“We are coming full circle. Advertisers are looking for premium inventory, control over the context and an opportunity to discuss prices directly with the publishers,” says Salmi.
The summit highlighted the importance of context. As pointed out by the representatives of British news media, placing an ad in the right context and media environment can be more effective than reaching the right audience in the wrong environment.
The halo effect of a reliable environment becomes ever more essential as the amount of AI slop skyrockets. Trusted news media add to the perceived reliability of advertising shown in their channels.
Then there’s the relevance of timing. To make an impact, ‘who’ and ‘where’ are not enough; you also need to ask ‘when’ and ‘why’.
“You can reach the right person in the right context, but you will only create added value if you do it in the right moment, too. A consumer may be interested in buying a car, but a moment they’re hungry and looking for a restaurant is not the right one to show them a car ad,” Kruhse says.
AI and agentic buying: this is still a pilot phase
When it comes to AI, Miia Salmi points out that programmatic buying is, in essence, based on machine learning and algorithms. So far, it has stayed ahead of the curve.
“This may be the first time something is truly going to change”, she says.
The general mood around AI seems to be expectant. Agentic buying, for example, is still more of a talking point than a reality.
“It might sound like everyone’s using AI for everything, but the reality is, few companies are. There’s panic about AI being big in programmatic advertising already, but it’s mostly just talked about and piloted”, Kruhse says.
Right now, AI is like a newly arrived junior employee: it can perform tasks under supervision. In programmatic buying, AI can optimise, analyse and report, but a human is needed for strategy and prioritisation.
“There was conversation around the true benefits of adding AI to the buying process. Are the foundations there, and where in the process can we use AI to get the most out of it?” Kruhse adds.
Market structure affects the state of programmatic in Finland
In Finland, the structure of the market is the main cause for the slow growth of programmatic advertising. As long as the demand for direct buying remains, there is little pressure to increase the share of programmatic.
”For many smaller advertisers, the platforms required for programmatic buying are financially unachievable. Marketing agencies, on the other hand, find it an attractive option. In the future, this will likely lead to a hybrid solution of some sort,” Miia Salmi says.
Automation will increase even when it comes to direct buying.
”The parts of the funnel that a machine can do faster and better will absolutely be automated,” Minna Kruhse says.
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