Agencies

Sensodyne wanted to do more than just get a sense of whether people were paying attention to its TV ads – it also wanted to optimize for attention.

Enjoy this weekly comic strip from AdExchanger.com that highlights the digital advertising ecosystem … 

Many of Publicis’ fastest-growing and most strategic business units – including CitrusAd, Profitero, Epsilon and Conversant – earn a large chunk of their revenue from other agencies. Is that a problem?

Shares of WPP took another thumping yesterday. Plus, advertisers are getting post-lawsuit cold feet about X all over again.

Advertising is still Reddit’s meal ticket – but until its ad revenue tops the $2 billion per year mark, it can’t really be considered competitive with other social platforms.

In today’s newsletter: Netflix drops its ad prices to slightly less outrageous levels; X sues GARM, alleging it led an ad boycott for ideological reasons, not brand safety concerns; and how TV manufacturers have laid the groundwork to take ad dollars from streamers and cable.

AI-powered systems should make the humans that use them smarter, says WPP CTO Stephan Pretorius. “It has to be people first, not technology first.” Plus: why “technology doesn’t destroy jobs, it destroys tasks.”

With attribution-based platforms taking over, there aren’t many ways for an advertiser to bet (and win) big. Plus, what about the Google advertising ID? 

Some brands are turning away from larger media agencies in favor of smaller, independently run shops. Plus, licensing sports content is Reddit’s next revenue diversification play.

If you were wondering whether Brian Lesser was planning to take some time off after handing the CEO reins of InfoSum to Lauren Wetzel last week – here’s your answer.

The next Google Search core update is expected in “the coming weeks.” Plus, The TV industry moves slowly, but it’s going FAST now.

Google is testing a new badge for shopping-related searches on some mobile devices. Plus, should brands have political opinions?

IPG announced what it’s calling a Climate Action Marketplace built in partnership with SeenThis and PubMatic to make it easier for marketers to do the sustainable thing.

Shoppable TV ads may encourage sales, but they lack the measurement and performance benchmarks advertisers expect. Buyers must create their own benchmarks – and can only do so by actually testing these new ad units, including with their upfront budgets, says Mike Fisher, executive director of investment innovation at GroupM US.

The Global Media Sustainability Framework, which was announced Monday during a panel at Cannes, saw collaboration across all parts of the industry. Supporters include the 4As, IAB, Dentsu, Google, GroupM, L’Oréal, Omnicom, Publicis Groupe, Mastercard, Meta and Unilever.

Between 2019 and 2021, two-thirds of advertisers bought ads on sites flagged for repeatedly publishing false or misleading content, a recent study found.

While agencies push for more programmatic buying options, publishers want to maintain control in TV ad buying negotiations – and particularly over their “premium” content.

While Google’s Privacy Sandbox remains a subject of industry skepticism, brands are resetting their expectations around first-party data. Next up on the list of solutions agencies are trying is alternative identifiers, such as UID 2.0, ID5, Lotame’s Panorama ID and dozens of others.

Pivoting to a “premium internet” is like avoiding the parts of town that have been blighted by illicit activity. The only real solution to MFA is for the dollars to dry up.

Buyers could solve many of the issues they have with the open web by focusing less on viewability and clicks and more on driving performance outcomes, says Goodway Group director of strategic partnerships Andrea Kwiatek.

Appealing to advertisers’ better angels is never going to bring ads back to the news. But appealing to their bottom lines might.

TV buyers predict that streaming publishers will heed their demands for greater flexibility, more programmatic execution and improved measurement during this year’s upfront season.

We asked the experts what marketers and media buyers should do to prepare for a possible ban of TikTok in the US.

In today’s newsletter: President Joe Biden signs the TikTok ban into law; upscale grocery and convenience store chain Foxtrot closes down; and IPG has a rough Q1.

Why does MFA continue to thrive? MFA monetization benefits everyone in the ad tech ecosystem that collects a revenue share. That includes both SSPs and DSPs.

The 4A’s measurement committee, a working group for marketers and media buyers to discuss their opinions and concerns about video ad measurement, has some thoughts on the status of alternative TV currencies.

In today’s newsletter: The marketing data ecosystem is key for fin tech; media buyers acknowledge YouTube as part of their TV strategies; and Threads will launch ads later this year.

In March, Shirli Zelcer stepped in to lead Dentsu’s new data and technology group as the agency holding company’s first chief data and technology officer.

In today’s newsletter: The quantum entanglements of Google’s and Reddit’s contracts could come under scrutiny; Meta’s ad revenue growth is healthy, though its ad platform’s a mess; and TikTok’s developing AI-generated creators for advertising.

In today’s newsletter: Data broker Adstra sues IPG-owned Acxiom and Kinesso; Apple could strip the P address of its status as a useful identity signal; and Roblox will introduce video ads later this year, with SSP PubMatic as its programmatic vendor.