The two biggest topics in ad tech right now – the Google antitrust trial in Virginia and the US presidential election – both invoke our democracy.
The antitrust trial against Google, taking place in a courtroom in Alexandria, Virginia, is nearly over. It’s closing its third week, way ahead of its original four-to-six-week timeline.
Google once again dominated conversation at Programmatic I/O. But this year, instead of debating whether Google Chrome would pull the cookie (since it finally gave up the effort four years after its initial announcement), people speculated on the outcome of the trial. Our entire editorial team joins the podcast this week to discuss what they heard on and off the stage.
What would happen if Google had to spin off part of its ads business? Could it bring oxygen to the rest of the ad tech ecosystem? What if Google wins?
According to Shweta Khajuria, managing director at Wolfe Research who spoke Tuesday at Programmatic I/O, Google spinning off its SSP or DSP and losing 40% of its network business would lead to a .3% dilution in its earnings per share (EPS). Its worst-case scenario, losing 60% of its network revenue, would lead to a 1.8% dilution in its EPS, a total of pennies per share.
Election in progress
Then, we discuss how the election is playing out for political advertisers and news publishers.
Presidential elections, with their four-year cadence, highlight changes in digital advertising. This cycle, it’s the rise of vertical video ad formats. The same self-filmed testimonials that sell lipstick and the same rage-bait speeches that thumb-stop on social are now a standard part of election ad creative.
For news publishers, politics can prove a landmine. The Independent, for instance, is concerned with deepfake ads showing up on their website and misleading viewers.
And overzealous brand safety filters siphon away ad inventory from news content, which is sorely needed to promote democracy, said Jana Meron, VP of revenue for The Washington Post at Programmatic I/O. More nuanced brand safety filters, tweaked by publishers who know their content, can open up more inventory to advertisers to support the news.
