Brian O’Kelley

Amazon has third parties selling some of its ad inventory; Scope3 selling Adloox to Peer39 suggests sustainability is out; and “fabric” is the new AI-related buzzword for ad tech.

The industry has spent years debating third-party cookies, but AI has settled the debate. First-party data isn’t just preferred; it’s structurally necessary. And the capital is already moving.

Anne Coghlan, co-founder and COO of Scope3, on why cutting carbon in ad tech isn’t just about saving the planet; it’s about eliminating inefficiency and financial waste at the same time. Plus: Using AI to automate and optimize digital media buying at the impression level.

Google’s penalties were pretty lenient; brand crossovers may have gone too far; and why so many ad tech leaders are founding startups.

AGI is Meta’s latest pipe dream; the Nerds Gummy Clusters blueprint for ROAS; and how the gen AI vibe shift could pave the way for “vibe targeting.”

Classify is entering a crowded space of AI-powered contextual curation offerings. But the company is already teasing some high-profile integrations thanks to its network of well-connected advisors.

We’re seeing the worst possible outcomes with the CPM-based buying approach. And Google’s recent decision to hang on to cookies indefinitely risks perpetuating the worst parts of the digital ad business.

AdExchanger spoke to a number of programmatic leaders who testified in the DOJ’s Google antitrust trial last September.

The programmatic “sustainability” and “waste” conversation has shifted. Plus, the 2010s called – they want Facebook back.

Shopify checkout might be coming to ChatGPT; private equity builds a French ad tech stack; and how Meta turning off news in Canada is affecting news access ahead of this month’s election.

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

Scope3’s new agentic AI platform can automatically filter out inventory that’s considered a high climate risk, including made-for-advertising content.

T-Mobile may be considering an acquisition in the mobile data market; Google’s glitch shuts down ads for a weekend; and ad tech’s old guard is salivating over AI startups.

A lot has already been said and cited during the Google ad tech antitrust trial, with more to come. Here are a few of the most notable quotables from the first two weeks.

Two of the EU’s biggest Big Tech antagonists are set to resign; a GAM breakup could usher in post-ad-server programmatic; and how Google kept Prebid separate from the IAB Tech Lab.

Someone will eventually need to make a Netflix-style documentary about the Google ad tech antitrust trial happening in Virginia. (And can we call it “You’ve Been Ad Served?”)

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

Google doesn’t want AppNexus founder Brian O’Kelley – you know, the godfather of programmatic – to testify during its ad tech antitrust trial starting on September 9.

The acquisition puts Reddit in a better position to compete with Google, Meta, Amazon and TikTok, which all built or expanded their AI creative generation and optimization tools within the past year.

Here’s today’s AdExchanger.com news round-up… Want it by email? Sign up here. Ghosts In The Machine The rise of machine-learning-powered ad products from Google and Meta is changing the performance marketer’s job from a hybrid creative tactician, media hound and command pilot to, well, someone who just feeds data, text prompts and raw creative assets […]

The UK-based ad marketplace announced an additional $1.25 million in funding to supplement its $3 million Series A round, with the goal of attaining profitability.

Sustainability was a hot topic for the advertising industry in 2022. The momentum will only grow in 2023, though decarbonization remains a multiyear journey.

In 2022, SPO solutions largely revolved around creating direct connections to so-called premium publishers. But machine learning (ML) and artificial intelligence (AI) also took on a bigger role in SPO this year. And 2022 was the year the ad industry began touting SPO as the solution of choice for sustainability-focused marketers.

Here’s today’s AdExchanger.com news round-up… Want it by email? Sign up here. Going ‘Green’ Costs Green Digital advertising contributes to carbon emissions. Every programmatic ping, bid and load consumes electricity, and the overcrowded programmatic supply chain just makes the problem worse. Everyone agrees that sustainability should be a priority. But changing workflows costs money, and industry […]

For digital media, Scope 3 includes agencies, tech companies and publishers. Everyone in the digital advertising supply chain is equally responsible for its sustainability. That’s why, to successfully sustain it, marketers must connect their efforts to wider corporate goals, use standard certifications and measurements, and prioritize innovations that create a winning, sustainable scenario for everyone, writes Ben Riley, general manager at SeenThis. 

After a hiatus from ad tech, Brian O’Kelley is back with Scope3, a new startup to help ad tech companies reduce their carbon emissions. The cynical POV: He’s cleaning up the mess he helped make. It’s a fair criticism, O’Kelley says: “I take accountability for my role in this.”

Here’s today’s AdExchanger.com news round-up… Want it by email? Sign up here. Game-Changer The NFL has a history of media and marketing innovation. If we’re keeping score, it was the first sports league to reach every TV in America, the first to invest in studio-style production and the first to mic players on the field. […]

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.

The term “sustainable marketing” calls to mind disposable bamboo razor handles from Schick, the promise McDonald’s made last year that by 2025 all Happy Meal toys will be made from environmentally friendly material and Coca-Cola’s plan to launch a new bottle made from 100% recycled plastic. But digital media has a carbon footprint, too. A big one.

Here’s today’s AdExchanger.com news round-up… Want it by email? Sign up here. Sharpening Their Tools Privacy and antitrust enforcement is thorny enough. But coverage often misses the most important fact: Some companies are more popular targets, and others are not. A $75 billion Google or Amazon acquisition of Activision Blizzard would be challenged. Microsoft’s deal for […]