PG vs PMP vs open exchange: a decision tree

Programmatic DOOH offers three main ways to transact the same salon screen — programmatic guaranteed, PMP / deal ID, and the open exchange — and they hand a buyer very different amounts of control, certainty and price. This is the decision tree: which to use for a beauty buy, and why the default answer is “PMP.” (For the data on how the market actually splits, see the deal-type mix tracker; this is how to choose.)

The three deal types

The same screen can be sold three ways, with different control handed to the buyer (Vistar — primary):

Deal type	What you get	Price	Inventory
Programmatic Guaranteed	Exact inventory and price, both locked and reserved	Fixed, negotiated	Guaranteed
PMP / Deal ID	Curated, transparent inventory; negotiated price or biddable	Negotiated / floor	Not reserved
Open Exchange	Run-of-network auction, many buyers	Auction above a floor	Whatever’s available

The right one depends on what you’re optimising — certainty, curation, or scale — and the decision tree below walks it.

The decision tree

Ask three questions in order:

1. Do you need a guaranteed moment — a locked takeover on specific screens? → Yes → Programmatic Guaranteed. When a beauty launch needs to own specific premium salon screens at 100% share of voice for a window, only PG locks both the inventory and the price. It’s the most control and the least flexibility — use it for the takeover, not the everyday buy.

2. Do you want curated, premium, brand-safe salon inventory at a controlled price? → Yes → PMP / Deal ID. This is the default for beauty. A PMP lets you cherry-pick a transparent set of salon/spa screens, at a negotiated price or floor, with priority over the open exchange. It’s where the premium beauty inventory lives and where curation lets the media owner hold a higher rate — the workhorse of any serious beauty buy.

3. Do you just want net-new reach and fill at the lowest control? → Yes → Open Exchange. Use the auction to mop up unsold fill and discover net-new advertisers/inventory at scale. It’s the lowest control, often the lowest price, and — critically — not where your premium should be. A thin open-exchange floor attracts low-quality demand.

Why PMP is the default for beauty

The decision tree usually lands on PMP, and the market data confirms why: private deals (PMP + PG) are ~95–96% of programmatic OOH spend, with custom PMPs the largest slice (Place Exchange). Beauty inventory is premium, curated and brand-safe — exactly the kind of inventory that transacts privately, where the seller can charge a premium and the buyer gets transparency and priority. The open exchange is for fill and discovery; PG is for the locked takeover; PMP is the everyday vehicle for buying salon screens. If in doubt, build or request a curated beauty PMP.

It’s about certainty and control, not just price

The common mistake is treating the choice as a price ladder — PG most expensive, open exchange cheapest, pick by budget. That misreads it. The three deal types are really a certainty-and-control spectrum:

PG maximises certainty (guaranteed inventory and delivery) — worth a premium when the moment matters.
PMP maximises curation and control at a controlled price — the balance most beauty buys want.
Open exchange maximises scale and discovery at minimum control — useful, but not for your best inventory.

Choosing on price alone pushes buyers to the open exchange, where they get the premium salon context cheaply — training the market to undervalue exactly the inventory beauty’s premium depends on. Choose on what you actually need: a guaranteed moment, curated premium, or net-new fill.

The takeaway

Three deal types, one decision tree: PG when you need a guaranteed, locked takeover; PMP — the default — when you want curated, premium, brand-safe salon inventory at a controlled price; open exchange when you just want net-new reach and fill at the lowest control. Beauty almost always lands on PMP, because that’s where premium curated inventory transacts and where ~95% of programmatic OOH spend goes. Decide on certainty and control, not price alone — and never put your premium salon inventory on the open exchange. (The buying mechanics are in programmatic DOOH via DSPs.)