The Digital Advertising Conceptual Flow: A Literature Review

Abstract

This paper presents a systematic review of the literature of 22 research articles, which used a visualization of the digital advertising conceptual flow with a focus on programmatic advertising. This review aims to address a gap in the literature by identifying a standardization of digital advertising conceptual flow visualization and explanation. Achieving our aims will bring together fragmented literature to serve as a foundation for research into digital advertising conceptual flows and other related research. In our literature review, we have found discrepancies, which imply different understandings of how the advertising exchange between a publisher and an advertiser works. Our work should minimize the risk of wrong conclusions in literature as well as in practice. We therefore recommend a visualization in the field of digital advertising, which should be challenged in future research.