Eric Hochberger

With principle-based buying returning to the forefront, Brian Chap's recipe for agency accountability takes me back to Jon Mandel's explosive rebate disclosures back in March 2015. Jon's kimono-opening moment was undoubtedly the catalyst that woke us all up to the billions leaking from media budgets by way of non-transparent kickbacks and fees. The can of worms has yet to be closed. That's why principle-based buying doesn't sit well with me. It feels like we're rewinding the tape after making so much progress over the last decade. BUT ... if you're a client-side media buyer that chooses to engage with a principle-based agency, there are three of Brian's "BENCH" framework activities that I think should be prioritized to the top. These three are relatively simple to do and can dramatically increase transparency and accountability. 1 - Secure platform access to your ad server, your DSP and the major SSPs through whom you are buying. Ensure you know how to compare media costs at each step in the supply-chain. 2 - Conduct audits. Whether as Brian recommends or simply by contacting a handful of publishers where you buy media, you should be able to reconcile your cost input to your media value output. And while you're at it, you'll be strengthening your direct publisher relationships, which has many longer-term benefits both in terms of media cost and priority. 3 - Most definitely hold your agency accountable. This applies also to every adtech vendor in your media supply-chain. I am not a fan of principle-based media buying. But if you're going to try it out, you need to remember that this is far from a set-it-and-forget-it approach to advertising. https://lnkd.in/eDw-Z3w8

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Google loses. DFP and AdX are illegal. Programmatic's in turmoil. Trade Desk and others are soaring on the markets. Google's era will now end. https://lnkd.in/gabmnx8A

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Controversial topic: I would wager that advertisers have spent exactly zero incremental dollars on the open web because of curation. They've shifted a lot of money around from one SSP to another or from open market to Deal ID, but publishers haven't made a penny more; it's just shuffling money around.

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Excited to announce our direct integration and partnership with Stack Adapt DSP to make Infolinks Curated Propriety Placement inventory accessible to StackAdapt advertisers. “Partnering with Infolinks gives our advertisers a unique edge,” said Gregory Joseph, VP of Inventory Development at StackAdapt. “We’re able to offer not only their premium proprietary placements but most importantly true curation at its core without any added fees being absorbed by our advertisers.” Read our press release: https://lnkd.in/euKEWUSC

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Your AOV obsession might be killing your TikTok Shop potential. Instead of pushing high ticket items first, consider this approach: 1. Use low-priced samples ($10-15) as acquisition tools 2. Focus on creating repeat customers 3. Introduce premium offerings after establishing trust The math is simple: $15 first purchase + 50% retention + $40 second purchase > Forcing a $50 first purchase with low conversion TikTok Shop thrives on impulse purchasing. Remove friction, build trust, then scale value.

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Roku’s Snr Dir, global ad platform partnerships & biz dev, Miles Fisher, joins us for a deep dive into how Roku’s new Amazon Ads partnership will drive CTV’s full funnel future. https://lnkd.in/gc_cSZYh

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OTT advertising isn’t giving most Central Florida businesses the results they think it is. The hype says OTT is a guaranteed win. The data says many brands are wasting budget without realizing it. 📺 Most campaigns are sold on “hyper-targeting,” yet the actual audience definitions are far broader than buyers assume. You’re paying premium prices for segments that often behave like standard TV viewers. 📺 Frequency is wildly uneven. Some households see your ad ten times, others never see it once. That kills incremental reach and inflates perceived performance. 📺 Many brands measure OTT like digital display, expecting last-click style attribution. That approach sets the channel up to look weaker than it is, pushing teams to overcorrect on tactics that don’t actually grow revenue. Here’s *one* counterpoint: OTT works only when you treat it as a reach engine, not a precision tool. Brands that reframe it this way often redirect budget, tighten audience logic, and see far stronger ROI. If you want a clear breakdown of how OTT *actually* works —and how to avoid the traps most businesses fall into—our full guide lays it out with real examples. 👉 Read the blog: https://lnkd.in/e9szvXGa Where do you think OTT is misused the most: targeting, measurement, or budgeting?

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For years, we’ve treated domains as proxies for quality. They’re not. A single domain can generate thousands of completely different bid requests, each with wildly different outcomes. Quality doesn't live at the site level. It lives at the bid level The next phase of programmatic isn’t better lists. It’s better decisions. From inventory rationalization → to bid rationalization. Fewer requests. Better ones. Real outcomes. https://lnkd.in/dF2h_4Gc #SWYM SWYM.ai AdExchanger #optimization #algos #ADTECH #DSP #SSP #Programmatic #programmaticmedia

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The MRC just dropped new auction transparency standards. Most ad tech vendors are sweating bullets. Why? Because forcing platforms to disclose how their auctions actually work is going to expose years of creative accounting. Here's what they don't want you to know: many SSPs run modified second-price auctions while claiming they're "first-price transparent." They set different floor prices for different buyers. They prioritize certain demand sources over others – even when someone else bid higher. The dirty secret: programmatic advertising has been running on opacity for so long that "fair auction" has become meaningless. Google Ad Manager already follows these standards. They've been transparent about auction mechanics for years. Meanwhile, competitors built entire business models on information asymmetry. The MRC standard has 123% search velocity this week. Publishers are waking up and asking: "Wait, how DO my auctions work?" Smart money says most won't like the answer. #AdTech #ProgrammaticAdvertising #PublisherRevenue #GoogleAdManager

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$26.8 Billion up in Smoke. If the open web wants to compete with the walled gardens, there’s still a lot of work to be done to give advertisers the confidence they need. In the latest ANA study (US Q2 2025 - link in comments): • Media efficiency actually declined • CTV spend increasing (30% → 44%) – no surprise – but measurement headaches • Private marketplace dominates (87.8% of spend) • MFA exposure dropped dramatically – but some brands still allocating 29% of their spend on “poor quality” inventory • Only 21 of 39 participants had full log-level data access How to put out the fire. >Log-level access - full transparency or move on to new partners. > Invest in measurement infrastructure - CTV growth needs to embrace measurement or it risks being cost-prohibitive vs other options. No surprise I'm all in on this and some of our partners are making exciting progress here. >Consolidation - how many SSPs do we really need to get a campaign away? Until then, we can’t ignore the headline: $26.8 billion is still being wasted annually in programmatic. And whilst this is a US number there are strong parallels in many other markets. Get it right or see money continue to flow to the walled gardens.

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Google’s been caught, again! 🤥 Three monopoly cases. Three guilty verdicts. Now their ad empire is officially illegal. DFP and AdX were found to be rigging auctions, tying products, and siphoning billions from publishers, agencies, and businesses like it was just another Thursday. The judge didn’t flinch: It called Google a predator. A three-time monopolist. And the open web has paid the price. Let’s be clear: Google’s ad tech stack wasn’t innovation, it was extraction. And now it’s official. For years, publishers were forced to play in a rigged system. Compete? Not when the house owns the casino and takes a 30–50% cut off the top. Ads meant to support journalism ended up padding one company’s margins. In my previous business life, I called it out many times, but was too small to be heard. This isn’t just about publishers. Businesses lose too. SME ad budgets are swallowed by a machine they can’t understand, let alone challenge. Every click, every impression, every optimisation filtered through a stack that’s finally been exposed for what it is. If you still think Google is on your side, read the rulings. This isn’t a bad quarter. This is systemic abuse. And don’t get too smug, Meta. You’re next. Zuckerberg’s antitrust trial is already surfacing receipts, from WhatsApp acquisition plays to Instagram kill-switches. Ruthless doesn’t equal strategic when it means crushing the market. Shout out to Ricky Sutton and Matt Stoller for covering this like warriors. If you want the full picture, their newsletters are gold. For the rest of us, founders, marketers, creators, media, this is a wake-up call. Google isn’t your partner. It’s your toll booth. The monopoly era is ending. The only question left is: What are you building that doesn’t rely on them?

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The Xandr Shutdown, Curation, and the Programmatic Future Microsoft is shuttering the Xandr DSP, but they’re keeping Xandr Curate. That’s a sign as to where the programmatic market is going. You want to own unique inventory or effectively create it by curating high-quality impressions. For the walled gardens, that means selling O&O. For open web adtech companies, it means creating new quality impressions. That’s why we say that, for us, curation is creation. In an agentic future, agentic media platforms will reward the best inventory. You have to be delivering it. If you’re just recycling impressions, there’s no opportunity for you in the programmatic business going forward. #Curation #QualityAds #Outcomes #IAB #IABEUROPE

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Reaching Your First 10K Owned Audience Search has changed. The smartest publishers aren’t chasing algorithms anymore. They are building audiences they own. Owned vs. Earned Owned = people who’ve given you permission to reach them anytime. Earned = people you reach through platforms and strategic partners. Owned examples: Email subscribers Push subscribers Logged-in members who opt in Not owned: Facebook or Reddit communities YouTube channels or social followers Owned is durable. Earned is generally volatile. The key? Use earned to fuel owned. The Path to 10K: Starting Out Lay the groundwork — every interaction should have a next step. Add a newsletter sign-up at the end of every story. Example: “Get breaking news and analysis in your inbox.” For follow-ups: “Want alerts on this topic? Subscribe.” Ask readers to forward newsletters to a friend. Add sign-up links to social bios and branded channels. Optimize your push opt-in — easy to see, never intrusive. Surface your community on-site and invite readers to join. Review CTAs often. Track sign-ups by placement and channel. 0 → 5,000: Earn the Conversion Your first wave of growth comes from experimentation and learning what resonates. Test small. Stay curious. Offer exclusive columns or deep-dive analysis. Share reporter notes or behind-the-scenes context. Add local perspective: “What this national story means for our city.” Try new CTAs, tones, and placements weekly. Keep what works. Drop what doesn’t. Turn winners into repeatable features. 5,000 → 10,000: Build Habits Now it’s about rhythm and retention. Your audience expects consistent value. Test send times by segment (ignore “best time” myths). Send breaking alerts to engaged readers. Ask questions and invite replies. Let readers suggest stories or sources. Host community discussions tied to coverage. Deliver content they can’t get anywhere else. You’re not just collecting subscribers; you’re cultivating loyalty. What to Track Weekly: Sign-up rate by CTA and topic Click-through from email to site Replies and community activity Monthly: Total list growth Unsubscribes and complaint rate Push opt-ins Active readers (30/60/90 days) Cross-channel engagement Quick Math Check If you reach 200K monthly readers and convert 0.5%, that’s 1,000 new subs/month. Time to 10K ≈ 10 months. At 0.25%, ~20 months. At 1%, 5 months. Small conversion gains = big compounding returns. Strong CTAs Convert “Get breaking news and quick analysis in your inbox.” “Like this topic? Get alerts when we post more.” “Join our community for members-only notes.” Every call to action should be clear, contextual, and visible. Use Earned to Grow Owned Don’t abandon platforms… leverage them. Promote sign-ups on Reddit, Facebook Groups, YouTube, and social. The goal: move people from their platforms into your ecosystem. Follow me to be part of the conversation

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Why is streaming advertising a great fit for local advertisers? 𝗘𝘅𝗮𝗺𝗽𝗹𝗲: Using a 𝟯𝟬-mile radius can reduce CPMs by 𝟵𝟭%. 𝗕𝗼𝘁𝘁𝗼𝗺 𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗲: Local is the next big wave for streaming TV. The market is wide open, and the dollars are real. https://screenwa.rs/1f703f

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I’ve been thinking about why so many programmatic campaigns underperform and it often comes down to trade-offs that just aren’t talked about enough. - Want higher quality inventory? You'll pay higher CPMs. - Want massive scale? You'll likely compromise on quality in places. - Want rock-bottom costs? Forget premium placements. Most tools in our industry pretend these trade-offs don't exist. But just because the brief is to maintain quality AND reduce costs AND increase reach - doesn’t mean that’s how it actually works.. The best media strategies aren't about avoiding all trade-offs - they're more about making conscious ones that align with the overall campaign objectives. For example: - A luxury brand might happily trade scale for quality - A performance marketer might accept higher risk for better cost efficiency - A brand awareness campaign might prioritise reach over in-depth engagement The problem isn't that these trade-offs exist (because they always will!). The issue is actually how often we make them blindly, without any real data to help understand what we're actually trading off. That's why transparency in inventory intelligence matters. When you can see the quality, risk and opportunity signals of your inventory, then you can make more deliberate choices rather than hoping for the best.

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Sora 2 + MakeUGC just changed the game for UGC-style ads. AI is reducing costs by $150,000 for an average brand. How did I get that number? Last week I asked my fellow marketers and agencies, how much would it cost to produce 100 unique creatives a month? The average was $150,000/mo, all in. With AI and MakeUGC its 95% less, or 30X cheaper. It's wild. Instead of paying $500+ per UGC video to test a hook or angle… You can generate unlimited variations for pennies with Sora 2 + MakeUGC. Here’s why it becomes a no-brainer for brands: 1. Quality is just as good, if not better. 2. Time to get ads goes from weeks to hours. 3. Easy - no back and forth with creators. 4. 5% of the cost than with humans. You can... → Test 10 hooks in the time it takes to hire 1 creator → Spin new angles without burning your creative budget → Generate product-in-hand shots with brand consistency → Create variations across settings instantly → Go from idea to testable ad in under 5 minutes → Scale winners without reshooting anything I created a guide on how you can do it and what the specific differences are. I will also be doing a Livestream of the the step by step to get this done. Want it? —> Like this post —> Comment "SORA" And I’ll send it over (must be connected)

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🚨 Google's new AI-driven search isn’t just a headline: it’s changing the rules of SEO *right now*. Traditional keyword rankings? Old news. Today, Google’s AI generates answers and cites sources instead of showing the typical top 10 links, and that means your content strategy needs a MAJOR upgrade. Why does this matter for your business? 👉 The AI summarizes answers from across the web: if your site isn’t cited, you’re invisible. 👉 Click-through rates from #1 positions dropped by 30-60% virtually overnight. 👉 Authority, expertise & in-depth content are MORE IMPORTANT than ever. It’s time to future-proof your site. Want to stay ahead? Get a FREE consult with our SEO experts to boost your visibility in the new AI search era! Let’s grow your online presence together! 🚀 #SEO #GoogleAI #DigitalMarketing #GrowthHacking #BusinessGrowth #MarketingTips #SEOStrategy #SmallBusiness #DigitalTrafficFactory

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Programmatic Prose🪄 Hey friends, quick reminder: too many campaigns still stop at CTR. In DV360, Brand Lift & Search Lift are the simplest way to see if upper-funnel spend is actually shifting demand. If you’re not running them, you’re flying blind.

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Hear me out. What if #ChatGPT’s ad model wasn’t CPM- or CPC-based at all, but affiliate-based? Ads wouldn’t show up because a brand paid the most; they’d show up because they’re most likely to help the user act with confidence. In this scenario, brands don't pay for placmenet they pay for outcomes with their products or services appear alongside conversations only when they’re contextually relevant to: • Who the user is • What they’re trying to solve • Where they are in the decision process ChatGPT is only paid when a transaction actually occurs. Over time, the system naturally suppresses brands that don’t convert, not because they didn’t spend enough, but because users didn’t choose them. That changes everything. Now advertisers aren’t optimizing for clicks, they’re optimizing for: • Clarity • Fit • Trust • Post-click experience Because if users don’t convert, the brand disappears. This would be one of the first ad systems where: • Relevance beats budget • Usefulness beats volume • Incentives finally align with the consumer Maybe this is how we finally give people what they want, by making bad ads economically impossible.

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