Glossary · Term
Real-time bidding on inbound leads or calls, where multiple buyers price the same inventory in a single auction round.
Definition
RTB in this context is not display advertising. It is an auction inside the lead-distribution platform: on each incoming call or form-fill, multiple buyers are pinged with the lead's shape and each returns a bid. The winner receives the transfer or the post. RTB is how a network extracts market-clearing price rather than accepting a fixed schedule.
Why it matters
Static payout schedules leave money on the table when buyer demand spikes and cost networks money when demand slumps. RTB lets pricing follow demand automatically. Networks running any material volume without RTB are typically leaving 10 to 25% of payout unrealized.
How it fails in practice
RTB requires buyers configured with truthful bid logic and platforms configured with correct auction parameters. Common failures: buyers pin bids to a floor that is never contested, timeouts too tight for a buyer's response window, or a buyer that always wins because a competitor was misconfigured out of the auction.
Related terms
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