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From the inception of the first banner ad to today’s AI chatbots, digital advertisers have had to continually adapt to changing business demands, new media technologies, disruptive mediums and of course, increasingly savvy audiences. The latest trend in our ever-evolving industry? Programmatic advertising, aptly named the “future of digital marketing.”

Programmatic ad spend is estimated to hit $20 billion this year in the U.S. alone and reach $38.5 billion by the end of 2020, as cited in Business Insider. But while the numbers continue to skyrocket, advertisers continue to be mystified by programmatic advertising. In fact, nearly 41% of marketers admit they are either unaware or lack understanding of programmatic ad buying. Let our programmatic advertising guide help clear things up. From The Little Mermaid to Inside Out, we’ll use Disney-inspired examples to simplify this so-called programmatic revolution, as well as identify the next steps in finding the right programmatic partner for you.

Way back in 1999, during a strange time of disposable cameras and cargo khaki pants, psychological horror film The Blair Witch Project made its mark on the American film industry. Not only did this little indie film popularize the found-footage film technique and go on to become one of the most profitable films in cinematic history (it grossed 4,000 times its production budget), but The Blair Witch Project also became a game-changer in movie marketing. Its promotional campaign was the first to leverage digital as its primary marketing platform, an incredulous feat when you take into account the internet was still relatively new to the public at the time.

Fast-forward to modern-day movie marketing, and studios continue to leverage the digital resources available to them in their marketing efforts. From Deadpool (2016) and its hilarious use of Tinder and obscene, custom emojis to Carrie (2013) and its now-viral Telekinetic Coffee Shop prank (racking up 66+ million views on YouTube), current movie marketing efforts are slowly but surely entering the digital landscape.