Dive Brief: 

• The complexity of programmatic advertising and ad tech have lead to a long list of misunderstandings and urban legends, several of which agencies and publishers shared with Digiday. 
• One of the biggest misconceptions is that programmatic buying and real-time bidding are one and the same. Programmatic simply means buyers use technology rather than a sales person, whereas real-time bidding is but one type of programmatic in which the ad is sold through an auction. 
• Another worrisome myth is that technology will replace people. In some respects, this is true, but there are too many variables for it to ever be completely tech-run. 

Dive Insight: 

As with any new technology, the growing pains are strong. The practice of programmatic buying wouldn't have become so popular if there wasn't a use for it, so it's safe to say it's here to stay. Both publishers and agencies will need to continue to learn to make the process go smoother.