FTC Commissioner Julie Brill Resigns; Publicis Puts Sapient Learnings To Use

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Onward And Upward

FTC Commissioner Julie Brill, who’s held her post since 2010, will resign at the end of the month and move to a private practice gig. On April 1 she’ll join the law firm Hogan Lovells as a partner and co-director of its privacy and cybersecurity practice. Brill has a long background in antitrust prosecution, and under her stewardship the FTC has taken a renewed look at potential privacy concerns in cross-device ad tracking and data retention policies. Speaking at AdExchanger’s Industry Preview in January, Brill stressed the need for more consumer-centric voices in ad tech.

Going Digital

Publicis Groupe unveiled Sapient Inside, which will leverage the technology and consulting expertise of Publicis.Sapient across the holding company’s creative agencies. The initiative will embed throughout Publicis Communications offices digital experts with the know-how on breaking down silos between the creative and digital divisions. Publicis Communications CEO Arthur Sadoun called it “a unique opportunity for our people to further experience and expound the alchemy of creativity and technology.” Read the release.

Devil’s Advocate

Ad blocking may end up helping digital pubs and advertisers, writes MEC managing partner Adam Broitman in an Ad Age column. First, he says, limiting overall inventory creates better chances to stand out. Second, it gives advertisers the opportunity to partner with publishers who allow access only after readers disable their ad blockers – and who therefore have a more engaged audience. Finally, ad blockers will force publishers to offer a better, faster web experience, eliminating issues related to ad load and over-tagging. “If ads truly add value to consumers, there will be little need to block them,” Broitman said. More.

Stream On

Spotify is stepping up its mobile monetization. Overlay Mobile, the ad product it debuted Monday, serves a “welcome back” ad to listeners who reopen the Spotify app (which it has already offered for its desktop site). The streaming music service will also upgrade its targeting technology, with 100 new interest-based audience segments for US advertisers. Streaming music is a burgeoning category, according to data from App Annie, and competition is getting tougher among Pandora, Apple Music and YouTube, along with a field of startups. But apparently Spotify has the most global active users, downloads and revenue. More at Mediapost.

But Wait, There’s More!