The first purchase of advertising space via autonomous AI agents has taken place on the Czech digital market. The pilot project between Omnicom Media and Mafra, on behalf of their client Skylink, was technically facilitated by R2B2.
In early June, the first purchase of advertising space via autonomous AI agents took place on the Czech digital advertising market. The pilot project brought together the Omnicom Media Group, the Mafra Group and the client Skylink. The advertising technology company R2B2 provided the technical support.
Instead of traditional negotiations, the agency’s buyer used the ChatGPT interface to submit campaign requirements in natural language. The system then automatically searched for suitable advertising options and independently handled further communication and the purchase itself.
The technology, known as agentic advertising, represents the next step in the evolution of digital advertising. The pilot project utilised the new Ad Context Protocol (AdCP) standard, which enables communication between AI agents representing advertisers and publishers. The buying agent acts as a partner in the discussion and helps the advertiser navigate the current range of advertising space on offer.
R2B2 acted as a technological bridge between the buying agent and the publisher’s ad server. The connection was facilitated by an internally developed MCP gateway, which enables communication between buying chatbots and the selling side. The entire solution is operated as a cloud-based SaaS service and functions on the principle of server-to-server communication, without the need to deploy scripts on publishers’ websites.
According to Lukáš Alexander, CTO of R2B2, the aim was to create an environment that would allow the benefits of automation to be utilised whilst maintaining existing security and approval processes. Although AI agents handle most tasks autonomously, the final approval of campaigns and ad creatives remains in the hands of the publisher.
“Artificial intelligence and autonomous (agent-based) buying represent the clear future of digital advertising. Both publishers and advertisers will need to prepare for this, as this method of trading advertising space will soon become the standard practice in the market,” said Alexandr.
The media agency Omnicom Media also sees potential in agency-led buying. According to Jindřich Jiráček, Head of Performance, the technology can remove some of the barriers between commissioning a campaign, selecting suitable advertising space and the actual purchase. At the same time, it opens up opportunities for a higher degree of automation and more efficient collaboration between the buying and selling sides.
Both the pilot and the client have given it a positive assessment. “We see the agency buying pilot as an interesting step towards greater automation, faster handling of available inventory and a more precise alignment of the campaign with the appropriate context,” said Tomáš Jelínek, Acquisition Marketing Manager at Skylink.
According to the company, a test carried out at the Mafra publishing house also confirmed that the infrastructure is ready for the introduction of AI agents. Its Commercial Director, David Korn, stated that the project verified the possibility of integrating this technology without any negative impact on website operations.
R2B2 plans to further expand the platform and bring on board additional publishers in the Czech market.
Source: mediaguru.cz
