AdExchanger

From one perspective, publishers are up a creek thanks to the rise of generative AI search; the impact on discoverability and traffic is palpable. But that doesn't mean publishers can't adapt and find new ways to make money, says Mediavine CRO Amanda Martin.

There are many misconceptions about ad measurement. But the biggest thing most marketers are wrongheaded about is in thinking there's a single easy button for attribution. It simply doesn't exist, says attribution expert Madan Bharadwaj, founder of measurement startup M^2.

In this episode of AdExchanger's Inside the Stack podcast, AdExchanger's Head of Communities, Lynne d Johnson, sits down with Meredith Brace, CMO of TripleLift, to discuss strategic planning for the holiday season, informed by TripleLift's Retail Media Guide. Learn about tips for early holiday prep, the importance of creative execution, and effective measurement approaches. Discover how brands can...

Ron Jacobson took the classic programmatic startup route. Which is to say, he pivoted randomly from a software job at a bank (well, the New York Fed), landed at an ad tech company and later founded his own ad tech startup before getting acquired by yet another ad tech company.

Today, David's Bridal is as much an AI-powered tech company as it is a retailer of wedding apparel and accessories, according to Elina Vilk, president and chief business officer. The company recently unveiled a new digital transformation strategy centered on agentic AI and personalized experiences.

Despite ongoing uncertainty over TikTok's fate in the US – the potential ban just got extended for the third time – advertisers aren't concerned, according to TikTok's David Kaufman. On this episode, recorded live from Cannes, Kaufman, who oversees product development, marketing and operations for TikTok's ad platform, says it's pretty much been business as usual for buyers.

The best thing publishers can do with generative AI is experiment with it. If journalists don't decide the best use of AI in journalism, then others will decide for them, says Christian Broughton, CEO of The Independent.

Forget the well-worn narrative that digital media publishers are always on their back foot, says Liz Gough, the co-founder and newly minted CRO of Puck. In a world of social media soundbites, Puck is proving that there's a place for long-form, in-depth, dishy journalism.

In this preview of AdExchanger's new podcast Inside the Stack, TripleLift Chief Revenue Officer Ed Dinichert shares his take on the evolution of retail media with AdExchanger head of communities Lynne D Johnson. Listen in to hear how AI, creative and video fit into the retail media equation in our inaugural episode of this new podcast.

The alternative currency bucket could use a rebrand. That referential and somewhat deferential phraseology – a reference to Nielsen – drives Peter Liguori, VideoAmp's executive chairman, a little nuts. It stems, he argues, from the "absurd notion" that the TV industry "has almost 100% of its eggs in one basket."

Viant is on an M&A tear, with two acquisitions – IRIS.TV followed by lockr – in less than six months. Although the rationale behind these deals might be obvious to ad tech insiders, Wall Street investors speak a different language, one that Viant CEO Tim Vanderhook has become fluent in as the leader of a publicly traded company.

LinkedIn has been investing in video like nobody's business. Lindsey Edwards, VP of product management, takes us inside the company's video strategy, which now includes CTV ads and a creator rev share program. Plus: Why LinkedIn decided to host its first NewFronts presentation this year.

Why bring data to SaaS applications when you can bring the applications to your data? That's what modern data platforms do, says Erin Foxworthy, global industry go-to-market lead for marketers and advertisers at Snowflake. Cloud-based platforms, meanwhile, are becoming the foundation for technologies that are increasingly integral to how digital advertising functions.

Marketing measurement is messed up – it's hard to argue otherwise – and most people agree on the reasons why: vanity metrics, imperfect models, unrealistic expectations. But there's another issue at play, argues Julian Runge, an assistant professor of marketing at Northwestern University – and that's a simple lack of communication.

Emet Advisory's Erez Levin explains why the digital ad industry should transact on media quality signals like attention instead of optimizing to outcomes, conversions and flawed attribution models. The former Googler also weighs in on the ruling that Google operates an ad tech monopoly and reacts to the company's latest cookie pivot.

Americans are dealing with tumultuous change. For an ecommerce ad agency, that means navigating the same tariff craziness, the Meta ad platform going haywire, seeing Temu ads pulled from the US market and AI solutions making a bid to replace human agency services.

In 2017, Mediaocean CEO Bill Wise predicted the demise of supply-side platforms. The category survived, but he's sticking to his theory that pureplay SSPs are a thing of the past. Plus : An update on Mediaocean's $550 million Innovid acquisition and Wise's counterpoint to recent criticisms of The Trade Desk.

AI isn't something a marketer "does." It's not a singular action or task, and there is no AI easy button. And so AI researcher and consultant Cecilia Dones tries to "get underneath" the reasons behind why marketers want to integrate AI into their businesses.

To say that David Jones, CEO and founder of The Brandtech Group, is bullish on generative AI would be an understatement. "Every single facet of marketing can be done better, faster and cheaper using technology and AI," Jones says. "I'd rather have a fast, efficient machine than a slow, grumpy creative with a big ego." Tune in for more zingers.

As the newly appointed president of Horizon Media Holdings, Bob Lord is dubious that megamergers between holding companies are actually good for the client. "Bigger is not always better," Lord says.

Microsoft ad sales vet Rob Wilk joined Yahoo last year to lead revenue for the company's advertising business with one main goal in mind: to evangelize Yahoo's owned-and-operated properties. Most advertisers just aren't aware of the inventory Yahoo has to offer – and that's on Yahoo.

Now that Teads and Outbrain are one, the vision, explained CEO David Kostman when the deal was first announced, is to become an "end-to-end, full-funnel platform for the open internet." But what does that mean in plain English?

What does it take to serve mid-size brand clients; how is AI transforming media buying; and why – for the love of god – is measurement still so messed up? Mediastruction CEO and Founding Partner Marilois Snowman has a few thoughts.

For publishers, digital advertising is a lot like playing craps, says Aditude's Justin Wohl. It's all about tuning out the noise while placing safe bets that work for your monetization strategy.

According to CreativeX, ad creative is responsible for nearly half of sales lift, which is more than reach, recency and targeting combined. So why doesn't creative get the credit it deserves? Until recently, says Anastasia Leng, CEO and founder of CreativeX, technology wasn't advanced enough to measure creative decisions at scale.