AdExchanger Guest Columnist
Articles By AdExchanger
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OPINION: On TV & VideoAre You Measuring The Brand Lift Of Your Video Ads? Here’s Why You Should Be
In the digital age, we’re often reminded about how far we’ve come from our prehistoric internet past. A similar shift is happening in traditional advertising and the way consumers build relationships with brands, writes Christian Dankl, co-founder of Precise TV. Today, advertisers have much more insight into specific, data-driven relationships between brands and consumers.
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OPINION: Data-Driven ThinkingGA4 Will Replace Google Analytics In Just A Year – Are You Ready?
Google launched Google Analytics 4 (GA4) back in October 2020 to unify digital web and app analytics. Its push toward the new solution underscores the need for advertisers to implement a data strategy built on first-party data. But now the question is whether brands should prioritize the switch to GA4 before the sunsetting of Universal Analytics (UA) in July 2023 and what this transition means, writes Jessica Jacobs, global director of partnerships and growth at Incubeta.
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OPINION: The Sell SiderPost Third-Party Cookies, You’ll Need This First-Party Media Monetization Checklist
One of the most overlooked caveats around the shift to first-party assets is that no successful monetization strategy can be built in isolation. A future-facing media monetization strategy must work in two concentrical contexts: within the media owner’s environment itself and within the advertising environment, writes Alessandro De Zanche, audience and data strategy consultant.
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Back To The Future: An Oral History Of Microsoft & Advertising
This article is based on interviews with participants. Martin Kihn speaks to all the main players. It was inspired by Microsoft’s supposedly surprising selection as Netflix’s ad tech partner. But driven by the acquisition of AT&T’s Xandr, that’s just the latest chapter in a breathtaking adventure of pivots, write-downs, partnerships and potential.
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OPINION: Data-Driven ThinkingWhat The Digital Markets Act Means To US Brands and Consumers
The Digital Markets Act (DMA) is coming to the European Union. But rest assured – it will have implications for United States brands, too. The DMA will implement a clear set of rules prohibiting tech giants, including Google, Meta, Amazon and Apple, from engaging in specific practices that might be viewed as “anti-competitive.” While it seems that the act aims to create a fair playing field, the actual outcomes may be more nuanced, writes Chris Comstock, chief product officer of Claravine.
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Can Standardized Content Taxonomies Level The Playing Field For Publishers?
Scale. That’s the dirty five-letter word that keeps advertisers and agencies spending their budgets with Google and Meta. Even the largest and most prestigious publishers can’t come close to delivering that kind of scale. But one area where publishers have an advantage over the duopoly is content.
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OPINION: On TV & VideoWant Better Targeting And Lower Fraud? Avoid CTV Open Auctions
Open auctions appear to democratize and simplify CTV ad buying because they let marketers define parameters for viewers or inventory, enabling them to place ads quickly and cheaply across the ad-supported streaming services. But there’s a better way – open auctions are risky, and the emphasis is placed on price and meeting broad criteria, writes Ruby Resendez, director of digital solutions at Stirista.
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OPINION: The Sell SiderPublishers Deserve To Be A Priority For Ad Tech
Digital media is undergoing rapid evolution. However, from CTV adoption to industry protocols around user privacy, growth and innovation tend to focus first on advertiser challenges, writes Andrew Smith, SVP of publisher products at DoubleVerify. Publishers need a seat at the table, too, he said, rather than being forced to make do with limited resources and bridge gaps in tech stacks.
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OPINION: Data-Driven ThinkingThe Future Of Google Analytics Is Server-Side – Here’s Why
Meta lost in court against French ad-tech champion Criteo, and it will now have to grant better access to its inventory. Meanwhile, France’s data protection watchdog, the CNIL, just deemed Google Analytics illegal – a move that the Italian data privacy authority has just followed as well. What happens now? It turns out there may be a server-side solution, writes Hugo Loriot, partner at fifty-five.
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OPINION: On TV & VideoAs Programmatic Streaming Grows, The Ad Experience Has To Improve
Netflix is planning to introduce an ad-supported model to attract new viewers, and chances are it will embrace programmatic advertising, too. Without the portfolio of strategic partners that NBC and Disney have, Netflix will need to catch up somehow. Programmatic is one enticing option for doing so, writes Nicole Scaglione, global VP, OTT and CTV business, at PubMatic.
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OPINION: The Sell SiderGoogle’s Topics API Picks On Smaller Publishers
Google recently began testing Topics API, the latest part of its Chrome Privacy Sandbox. It’s a significant improvement over FLoC, but it leaks audience information from trustworthy sites and enriches large platforms at the expense of niche or independent sites – especially sites that invest time and skill to cover categories in detail, writes Don Marti, VP of ecosystem innovation at CafeMedia.
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OPINION: Data-Driven ThinkingProgrammatic Can Be Problematic – But It Works
While programmatic advertising has its faults, it is still evolving. And as it has matured it has become a powerful, efficient and effective tool for brands to surgically disseminate their commercial messages to highly targeted consumers. But that doesn’t mean there’s no work to be done, writes Eric Warburton, SVP of technical account management and platform partnership success at Horizon Media.
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OPINION: On TV & VideoDebunking 3 Misconceptions Keeping Midsize Advertisers From Investing In CTV
CTV presents an exciting opportunity for the midmarket and emerging brands and agencies – if they can leave some of the common misconceptions behind, writes Michael Wolk, senior director of business development at Goodway Group. Unlike traditional TV advertising, when the technology and data are used correctly, CTV is closing the gap between large and small brands.
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OPINION: The Sell SiderFive Reasons Why Ad Networks Just Won’t Die
For years now, the digital advertising industry has been talking about the premature death of the ad network, writes Omri Argaman, chief growth officer at Zoomd. But there’s a reason why ad networks have survived for so long – they have standardization and massive reach, and are primed to become major growth engines for certain channels (such as in-app and mobile gaming) compared with programmatic exchanges.
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OPINION: On TV & VideoManual Deals Just Won’t Cut It For Premium OTT Inventory
Why wouldn’t DSPs want to secure the best possible access to OTT inventory through programmatic while accessing the impression commitments and set pricing provided by direct deals? If DSPs want to compete with more traditional advertising platforms, they will need to do just that, writes Doug Huntington, CEO of FatTail.
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OPINION: Data-Driven ThinkingReady to Experiment With Influencer Marketing? 3 Strategies For Getting Started
Working closely with creators and influencers – can be less expensive than traditional media and can afford agencies and brands a much more targeted avenue for building trust and loyalty. How can brands get it right? Jason Chitwood, general manager of MarketerHire for Agencies, offers three recommendations to keep in mind.
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OPINION: The Sell SiderAs Ad Tech Consolidates, Publishers Need To Tread Carefully
Ad exchanges used to be a regular feature of the ad tech landscape. Now? You can hardly find a stand-alone ad exchange because other ad tech players (including SSPs) and ad servers rolled all the exchanges into their service suites. And consolidation is a system in which the best company doesn’t always win, writes Jayson Dubin, CEO of Playwire. Publishers can protect themselves in the midst of disruption by taking a few easy steps.
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OPINION: Data-Driven ThinkingThird-Party, Direct Or In-House: Which Clean Room Is Right For You?
With more eyes on consumer privacy than ever before, data clean rooms have become one of the hottest technologies in marketing when it comes to secure, modern data collection. But as clean rooms come to the forefront, many brands are finding that building and working with this technology requires a little acumen and a lot of planning. St.Clair McLean, VP of infrastructure and security at Alliant, shares three clean room approaches to consider as brands look to align the right capabilities with their needs.
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OPINION: On TV & VideoMarriott’s Media Network Is A Billion-Dollar Opportunity
Large format advertising is here to stay. But what if you could link the TV screens in hotels with connected TV (CTV) through programmatic? Much of Marriott’s continued growth will stem from the hotel group’s debut of its very own ad network, writes Humphrey Ho, managing director of Hylink Digital’s Americas business.
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OPINION: The Sell SiderMobile Game Advertisers Created The Playbook – And Now Consoles Can Follow
As console gaming evolves, mobile provides a blueprint for solving the challenges around attribution, formatting, targeting and integration in free-to-play (F2P) games. To thrive, subscription-based gaming businesses need other means of monetization, and the F2P model is a viable alternative simply because it opens up many other opportunities for revenue besides in-app purchases.
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OPINION: On TV & VideoStreaming M&A Means New Monetization Opportunities And Measurement Tactics
The emergence of the streaming era has led to a transformative shift in M&A activity in media and entertainment. Streaming platforms are about to look vastly different as consolidation continues, giving rise to new monetization models and measurement tactics, writes Matt Papa, SVP of business and corporate development at Captify.
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OPINION: Data-Driven ThinkingMove Out Of The Funnel And Into The Fast Lane
Instead of a funnel that slows traffic, we need to create a ubiquitous, always-accessible “sales superhighway” that provides countless on-ramps. This change of perspective will impact both how we define our potential audiences and the speed with which we have meaningful interactions with them, writes Lance Porigow, EVP of growth at The Shipyard.
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OPINION: Data-Driven ThinkingThe Metaverse Is Still More Hype Than Reality – But That Doesn’t Mean You Can Ignore It
Do you have a metaverse strategy yet? If not, you‘re in good company. Most marketers don’t even know what the metaverse is, let alone why their brand needs it. But that doesn’t mean you can sit this one out or wait until the metaverse matures to start experimenting, writes Brian Ko, chief commercial officer and chief revenue officer, AudienceX.
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OPINION: The Sell SiderWill OpenPath Create Another Walled Garden?
The Trade Desk’s OpenPath gives advertisers a direct link with premium publishers, collapsing the supply chain from the DSP directly to the publisher’s inventory. While a win under the guise of supply path optimization, it also spells danger for SSPs, the traditional guardians of publisher inventory who now risk being squeezed out entirely, writes Joseph Lospalluto, US Country Manager of ShowHeroes Group.
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OPINION: On TV & VideoTV 360: Why Marketers Should Combine Linear TV And CTV Advertising
Advertisers often feel torn between linear and connected TV. They wonder which channel will give them the best ROI. But rather than choosing one or the other, an increasing number of brands are adopting a TV 360 approach, writes Maria Mryasova, director of product at DCMN. This not only means blending linear and CTV advertising to best reach their target audiences, but also integrating their TV efforts effectively across their marketing funnel.
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OPINION: The Sell SiderThe Future of Ad Tech Is About Consent, Not Cookies
Google’s new “reject all” cookies button is about to disrupt the entire ad tech ecosystem even more. The next era of ad tech is about user consent, not cookies, writes Joe Root, CEO of Permutive. And the age of opt-outs means publishers and advertisers need solutions to serve an ad without processing user data – and some are already making mistakes.
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OPINION: Data-Driven ThinkingWhy The Convergence Of Data Across Channels Is A Boon For CPG Brands
Two years of sweeping disruptions – supply-chain shortages, staffing challenges, fluctuating COVID regulations and looming inflation – were tough on consumer packaged goods (CPG) marketers and retailers. But consumers are eager to shop in stores again. As data across touch points converge, marketers have the power to elevate customer experience and increase conversions, writes Gila Wilensky, president of Xaxis US.
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OPINION: On TV & VideoAdvanced TV Advertising Is Desperate For More Transparency
Transparency in audience measurement and ad sale pricing and has grown over time. But The need for greater transparency around the cacophony of growing advanced TV offerings is glaring, writes John Link, VP of sales at AdImpact. Compared to the linear TV market, digital ad transactions remain more opaque because the nature of the medium calls for more advanced targeting with more granular data.
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OPINION: The Sell SiderPodcast Ads Are Lackluster, But That’s Finally Changing
As an advertising vehicle, podcasts have yet to reach their full potential due to a limited array of formats and a relatively small amount of inventory. To take full advantage of ad monetization, the podcasting industry will need to “rip up its playbook,” writes Paul Kelly, Chief Revenue Officer of A Million Ads. But there are ways the industry can bring podcasting revenue to its full potential.
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OPINION: On TV & VideoBuckle Up, Media Planners: The 2022 Midterms Will Be Tough On Advertisers
A rare trifecta of factors influencing the marketplace today — political tension, a war in Europe, a continuing pandemic and high inflation — means this year’s midterms will be a bumpy ride, writes George Leon, Chief Strategy Officer at Hawthorne Advertising. Buyers who need to drive action around time-specific events will need to maintain a presence during the midterms, and they’ll have to plan on paying more to place inventory that receives lower response rates.