Paul Bell

Well, this is interesting.  Leverage the established programmatic model to gain access to relevant publisher content versus relevant publisher audiences for your data-hungry AI solutions. So many questions…. -- Could this be a more scalable approach to gathering ‘targeted' content versus just-in-case ‘mass’ content licensing that only the biggest AI and advertising content consumers can afford? -- Would this established programmatic model ​scale faster than other net-new pay-per-crawl models (Cloudflare, RSL)? -- Will people hold out for the dreamy pay-for-use model that is grounded in real value, but requires massive trust in an industry that struggles with that? -- Do publishers establish partnerships with ‘independent’ content classifiers to help crawlers filter, determine, and justify the content topics they bid on (IAB) -- Will content classifications also include 'who' most consumes the content (3rd-party audience market, Seller Defined Audiences)? -- Will we need industry certifications and verifiers to police (MRC, IAS, DoubleVerify, Truthset, etc.)? -- Are verification audits even necessary, given the fact that crawlers pretty much have baked-in capabilities to validate publisher claims? - I could go on...

6

Google releases more Agentic Shopping tools: Direct Offers allow customers to shop and buy within AI Mode. UCP enables Google Pay checkout (PayPal coming soon). Branded agents using Merchant Center. #Shopify #Google #Etsy #Ecommerce https://lnkd.in/ehjapxFv

2

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

6

3 Comments

This is a significant positive development for TTD and DV360, but it seems to have little impact on small and medium-sized DSPs.

5

2 Comments

Our latest blog provides a comprehensive breakdown of the evolving advertising landscape, emphasizing the advantages of Connected TV (CTV) over other TV strategies. By integrating CTV with intent data, brands and marketers regain control over their desired audiences, allowing for tailored messaging and targeted spending. This approach also enhances the cross-channel and cross-device opportunities for attribution. There is little doubt that CTV will become more and more prevalent in the marketing mix for the vast majority of brands in 2026. Check it out below: https://lnkd.in/eiZbktjz Kevin Frisbie Lillian Morgan Delilah A. Sabrena Collins Chris Gruening

2

 In the telecommunications race, the battle for market share isn’t just fought on airwaves, it’s fought in the mailbox. For national brands, the challenge is cutting through digital noise while reducing churn. Our President, Dina Kessler, recently shared insights on why direct mail remains the "anchor" of a successful omnichannel strategy in 2026. From hyper-personalization to automated retargeting, we’re showing how data-driven print scales telecom growth. Is your current strategy working as hard as your network? Read the full insight here: https://lnkd.in/eyzauxVP #TelecomMarketing #DirectMail #Omnichannel #GrowthStrategy #KesslerCreative #DataDriven

20

Excited to share that Aperiam has invested in Bedrock Platform. Obvious statement of the century: programmatic advertising has a complexity problem. The infrastructure that was built to give media buyers control has, over time, done the opposite. Burying teams under layers of operational overhead, legacy tooling, and opaque supply chains. Bedrock is built on a simple but powerful thesis: what if you stripped away the bloat and rebuilt the stack around what actually matters... precision, transparency, and speed to execution. Their platform combines AI-driven campaign automation with curated, premium inventory across video, CTV, DOOH, and audio, and aims to be flexible and get smarter over time. Plus, the team (Shane, Austin, Ryan, James) has deep roots in the infrastructure layer of ad tech and understands the plumbing better than almost anyone. We believe the next generation of programmatic will be leaner, faster and AI-first. Bedrock is building that.

109

14 Comments

industry trade groups claim that a new rule from the FCC around TV station ownership could help broadcasters modernize in a landscape dominated by streaming. #mediamarketing #mediaplanning #mediabuying

2

"if an MNO loses a low-ARPU customer to an MVNO it hosts, it gains wholesale revenue from that customer while freeing up its resources to focus on higher-value segments. This effectively allows MNOs to “outsource” their lower-value base."

5

3 Comments

MARCH 4, 2026 📰 The Trade Desk announced OpenTTD, their platform-pure-play. But the bigger news had already come from London six hours earlier. Find out what it was and why it matters for every company building or using ad tech ---> https://lnkd.in/ezVnvKBT

2

As brands and agencies brace for economic volatility, proactive steps are essential for ensuring media investments remain effective. From scenario planning and prioritizing transparency to competitive intelligence, it’s vital to prepare for varying economic conditions. Historical insights show that brands maintaining advertising spending fare better and recover faster. Marketing leaders must keep tone sensitivity in mind as consumers become more deliberate about spending. Adaptation is key. #MarketingStrategy #EconomicUncertainty #Advertising #BrandGrowth #MediaInvestments #Leadership #ScenarioPlanning

28

1 Comment

Causal has partnered with Quorum, Inc. to unlock foot traffic attribution, helping destination marketers measure what really matters: real-world visits. In our first collaboration with a Florida DMO, we drove 2.3M attributed visits, with insights down to the DMA and ZIP-code level, powering smarter targeting and clearer ROI. Read more: https://lnkd.in/gYUngEfn

22

We're continuing to increase Ora's COGs in order to prioritize the most recent and relevant data to facilitate hyper-personalized emails. Ora combines data from numerous third party vendors, including the most recent news and events, with your first-party CRM data and Lavender 💜🔮 www.ora.im's email intelligence derived from analyzing billions of sales emails. The result? Dynamic emails and sequences that are specifically crafted for the individual, not just the company or the persona. No templates, no fluff, but all based on best practices from top performers. We closed self-service signups to focus on onboarding new users, but will reopen the waitlist soon. www.ora.im

24

5 Comments

CTV is a driving force for digital ad spend growth, but those of us who have been around since the days of "Ad Network 1.0" know that non-transparent "ad bundles" and fuzzy PMPs with fancy logos and no accountability will burn out the minute that the supply - demand imbalance come into play. With the rise of Amazon Prime Video and the growth of FAST channels reaching saturation overload, we are just about there. Program level transparency and full impression-level accountability across all CTV sources is only a matter of time.

51

2 Comments

Check out our latest CTV Insights report from the #NewInnovid! TLDR: - CTV viewership is growing faster than ad spend is keeping up with it (anyone remember the rise of mobile?) - New tech is enabling greater reach and frequency management across publishers to avoid waste and bad consumer experiences - Personalization and interactive formats are crucial to making sure brands are relevant to consumers and the tech exists to make creative addressable https://lnkd.in/dqU3-Qq8

30

Michel Lacaille of Mediaclip writes about why Q5 and Early Q1 (December 26 through early March) represent a prime opportunity to convert holiday buyers into repeat customers, with lower competition, warmer audiences, and emotionally-driven use cases. https://ow.ly/Ytmi50YnzlH

2