We frequently hear the phrase “in the blink of an eye” to describe something extremely fast. How fast? An eye blink takes 300 milliseconds, or one-third of a second.

The real-time bidding (RTB) ad buying process happens even faster than the blink of an eye. It all takes place in a lightning fast 200 milliseconds.

Advertisers using RTB to buy online ad impressions rely on an amazing amount of activity to happen in that 200 milliseconds. This infographic lays out the RTB auction steps that more and more marketers are depending on to engage with customers and increase revenue. And for fun, we look at six other activities that happen in less than a second.

Click here to view the full-size infographic.