There is a critical difference between predicting the future and simply observing the present, yet current industry forecasts often confuse the two. Reading through the latest round of 2026 industry forecasts, there is far too much of the latter: concepts that have been written on the wall for years, sold
Over the past two years, AI has moved from experimental to operational across media organisations. Newsrooms are using it for research and drafting, product teams for personalisation, commercial teams for audience insights. The technology works, adoption is real, and early wins are visible. Yet something curious is happening: whilst individual
AI agents and so-called “super signal aggregators” are being framed as the saviors of premium publishers and advertisers who prioritize high-quality media. But these technologies could perpetuate programmatic’s worst practices and push premium media brands into a Commoditization 2.0 era. Commoditization 1.0 occurred when quality media brands
When a major brand's ad budgets end up funding terrorist propaganda or child exploitation, the industry's response is predictably complex: more AI, more algorithms, more “solutions”. But what if the answer has been hiding in plain sight for years? Two decades of added complexity have done
What happens when the sell-side starts taking back control? In today’s digital advertising landscape, many of the old assumptions no longer hold. The traditional buy-side/sell-side divide is becoming less relevant, AI is changing how decisions are made, and publisher alliances are reshaping the scale game. Yet too often,
In this episode of the 'not just ADZ' podcast, Erez Levin, an ad tech veteran, and I try to explore what "quality" in digital advertising really means. Advertising has long pretended to be a clock science: something measurable, predictable, and precise. But in reality, it'
Because DSPs manage programmatic ad spend, they can be seen as gatekeepers wielding influence over industry standards. DSPs select inventory to bid on, interpret SSP signals and prioritize bids based on historical performance and preferences. However, advertisers, agencies, media owners and technology providers also influence the rapidly evolving programmatic ecosystem.
For years, the advertising industry has been trapped in a cycle, reacting to shifting regulations, privacy changes, and platform policies rather than proactively shaping its own future. This is nothing new, and I’ve discussed it with representatives from all sides of the industry on the "not just ADZ&
I have been in the industry long enough to sense when the tide is turning in rhetoric and when real change is happening. I planned this conversation with Stephen Almond, UK ICO’s Executive Director, Regulatory Risk, expecting it to provide valuable insights for various players in digital advertising, particularly
"And so the question is not how to avoid using data, because that ship has sailed. The question is, how do we use data responsibly? How do we use data while respecting people’s preferences? How do we provide transparency on the data we use? That's the
Digital advertising is constantly evolving, and staying ahead of the curve is crucial for both publishers and advertisers. The danger lies in taking the wrong path, building a fragmented future without common industry foundations. That’s where the IAB Tech Lab comes in, listening to the industry, bringing order, standards
We live in a time where the lines between publishers, advertisers, and audiences are often blurred by complex (sometimes obscure by design) technologies and patched data sources. Yet at the heart of this perpetual whack-a-mole game which is the attempt to bring transparency and objectivity to the ecosystem, one principle
Newsletter
Another Cannes Lions is behind us. The senior advertising execs who convened on La Croisette confidently shared their visions for the future of transparency, AI, attention, identity, privacy and curated marketplaces. I have been writing about these topics for AdExchanger for years and have sometimes been considered naïve and utopian
Newsletter
There is nothing to joke about when a business is terminating a product or a department, but Oracle shutting down their ad business, with the division generating $300 million last fiscal year, down from $2 billion in 2022, represents a very noisy crash in the collapsing phase of the old
Newsletter
The trend of “curated” marketplaces has been further reinforced by The Trade Desk’s announcement of their SP500+ marketplace and their ranking of the “best of the open internet” 100 websites. As per TTD’s own description, the SP500+ “is a dynamic marketplace, with publishers following in and out based
Podcast
I was invited by Alkimi, a decentralised programmatic ad platform built on the Ethereum network, to chat with them about the future of the industry and the importance of self-sustaining media owners. I am sharing it here.
Newsletter
If money were paid for every argument against the current content recommendation plague affecting media brands, a few people in the industry would be rich. Not the media companies employing third-party recommendation solutions, though, which will later certainly pay the price for the quick and easy revenue they are making
Newsletter
“Quousque tandem abutere, Catilina, patientia nostra?” For how much longer, Catiline, will you abuse our patience? In 63 BC Cicero delivered a famous speech in the Roman Senate, accusing Catiline of plotting to engulf ancient Rome in flames and destroy the city. In digital advertising, the patience of those envisioning
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Not even a month ago I was advocating for media owners to stop following and start leading. Right at a time when media, and especially news, is seen by many on its deathbed, with the mortal blow being brought by artificial intelligence platforms that will swallow media brands and their
Newsletter
I am often debating with people from all sides of the industry on the difficulty of selling true value products and services across media and advertising clients. It is very difficult to break through an environment historically conditioned by bad actors and practices. My answer is always that the problem
Newsletter
While there's consensus on the value of unique, differentiated content, many media organisations fail to apply this principle to their digital advertising strategies. This paradox is a significant challenge, often overlooked in its hidden consequences. A few days ago, Jounce Media released a report which showed how TRUSTX
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Media owners often ask me for successful media case studies. The frequent feedback I get in return is that it is easy for the subjects of my examples, media owners themselves, as “they have unique content”, “their audience is incredibly engaged”, or “they have the resources to do what they
Newsletter
“Consent or Pay”, which excludes user opt-out unless they subscribe, is a gift from quality media owners to Made for Advertising (MFA) websites and apps and a wrong turn on their path to self-reliance. This tactical initiative reminds me a lot of premium media companies’ commoditisation era, where they often
Newsletter
A time bomb has been ticking deafeningly loud and uninterrupted across the digital advertising ecosystem for at least the last 15 years, and it just exploded. Dubbed “Made for Advertising”, the only reason to exist for these websites and apps is click baiting people, filling ad slots and making money