Data + Privacy
The Remedies Edition
Google is running a search monopoly, but the remedies are light. How will this decision affect advertisers and competitors? Plus, Google Ad Manager is acting like a standalone SSP, a move that appears connected to the looming remedies phase of Google’s second antitrust case.
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Data-Driven Thinking
The Trade Desk’s Blue Ocean Moment: How The DSP Can Rewrite Ad Tech’s Rules
In ad tech, group thinking is the silent killer. It convinces great companies to keep playing the same game long after the rules have changed. Too many leaders keep reaching for the same playbook that worked a decade ago: connect pipes, aggregate inventory, plug data, take a cut. Even The Trade Desk (TTD), arguably the […]
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The Big Story
When The Trade Desk Dips, Ad Tech Drops
Investors use The Trade Desk as a proxy for the health of the entire open web advertising ecosystem, which means TTD’s recent run of concerning earnings is devaluing the entire ad tech sector. Doubts about how TTD is competing with walled gardens like Amazon, along with slower overall revenue growth, have led some investors to […]
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Data-Driven Thinking
The Guardrails Are Down: It’s Time For Advertisers To Rethink Social Targeting
Most of us don’t realize how much control we’ve already given up. With industry red flag reports now published regularly, we’re forced to confront the hard truth that control and transparency are further away than we thought. At the same time, social platforms have shifted their content moderation approaches, with most of them embracing a […]
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The Big Story
Ad Tech Goes To Court, OpenX v. Google Edition
OpenX filed a lawsuit against Google over its anticompetitive practices. And HyphaMetrics claimed victory against Nielsen in court over a patent lawsuit.
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Data-Driven Thinking
Bid Collision Is Dead, Long Live Smart Retargeting
Bid collision is a song of the past. Go ahead, use multiple retargeting partners. Just make sure they’re different in kind. In performance marketing, practices that were once best-in-class can quietly create blind spots. Not because marketers get complacent but because the mechanics underneath strategies invisibly evolve, and the mental models often lag behind. Almost […]
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The Big Story
Not So Long, Solimar
Change can be bumpy. From The Trade Desk’s Solimar-to-Kokai transition to Nielsen’s transition to its Big Data + Panel offering, we go inside customers’ challenges with these two transforming platforms.
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Data-Driven Thinking
How Vanity Metrics Stole Marketing’s Credibility – And How CMOs Can Get It Back
Vanity metrics have been a sugar rush for marketers for nearly two decades, but they’re ultimately unsatisfying. Clicks, likes, page views and time-on-site may look impressive on a dashboard or great in a deck, but they rarely correlate to true success where it matters: revenue, growth and long-term business performance. These surface-level metrics give a […]
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The Big Story
Transparent Non-Transparency
Ad agency hold cos have broadcasted their earnings. As AI and acquisitions transform their businesses, there are clear winners and losers. With media as a strong spot, we discuss the paradox of “transparent nontransparency.”
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Data-Driven Thinking
The Mirage Of Reach: Why Festival Marketing Exposes Everything Broken In Media Measurement
Every April, something fascinating happens in the desert. Brands spend millions activating around Coachella. Then they spend the next three months trying to figure out if any of it actually worked. This isn’t just a festival problem; it’s a reflection of our industry’s broken approach to measuring media effectiveness. And while it’s true, it isn’t […]
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The Big Story
Ads To Burn After Reading
Pixels attached to articles explaining a recent health diagnosis – without consent – led Healthline to a record $1.55 million fine for violating CCPA. Plus: the new AI contract.