Discussion paper

DP20263 Bidding with Budgets: Data-Driven Bid Algorithms in Digital Advertising

In digital advertising, auctions determine the allocation of sponsored search, sponsored product, or display advertisements. The bids in these auctions for attention are largely generated by auto-bidding algorithms that are driven by platform-provided data. We analyze the equilibrium properties of a sequence of increasingly sophisticated auto-bidding algorithms. First, we consider the equilibrium bidding behavior of an individual advertiser who controls the auto-bidding algorithm through the choice of their budget. Second, we examine the interaction when all bidders use budget-controlled bidding algorithms. Finally, we derive the bidding algorithm that maximizes the platform revenue while ensuring that all advertisers continue to participate.

£6.00
Citation

Bergemann, D, A Bonatti and N Wu (2025), ‘DP20263 Bidding with Budgets: Data-Driven Bid Algorithms in Digital Advertising‘, CEPR Discussion Paper No. 20263. CEPR Press, Paris & London. https://cepr.org/publications/dp20263