The concept of a digital-first agency is hardly a new one, indeed most of the major groups have such agencies within them. From Essence under the wing of GroupM, to the likes of Merkle (Dentsu Aegis Network); Epsilon (Publicis); and Hearts and Science (Omnicom). Despite this, S4C and MightyHive have been able to get a leg-up and massively disrupt the model once more. Now, with the pandemic accelerating change, we are witnessing yet another type of independent service layer provider emerge [...]

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ExchangeWire speaks with Ryan Kangisser (pictured below), managing partner, MediaSense, about how the pandemic has affected the rate of digital transformation, and how brands will accelerate their efforts around measurement, data, technology, and dynamic content. Exchangewire: Prior to COVID-19, what was the outlook for digital transformation? Ryan Kangisser: The outlook was largely positive, in that most organisations had a clear transformation agenda, but against a backdrop of continued shifts in consumer behaviour, mixed with market forces, it remained for many a work [...]

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As the decade draws to a close, ExchangeWire has invited thought leaders from across the industry to share their predictions and insight into what 2020 will hold for the ad tech and martech industries. Under the spotlight today is the service layer, with experts debating on the future role of agencies, the spectrum of in-housing, and the position of the major consultancies. Speed, Quality, Value Two factors have influenced what will happen with increasing ferocity in 2020. First, the Lehman crisis in 2008, [...]

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In this weekly segment, ExchangeWire sums up key industry updates on ad tech from around the European region – in this edition: The Programmatic Advisory acquires Forge Group; Infectious Media launches in-housing consultancy; Criteo partners with Pixalate; FreeWheel Council for Premium Video Europe releases latest study; Channel Factory reveals results of brand suitability survey; and Teads signs global partnership with GROUPE RENAULT via OMD   The Programmatic Advisory acquires Forge Group The Programmatic Advisory has announced the acquisition of Forge Group, a North [...]

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In-housing is a trend that has been on the rise as programmatic has matured, with the IAB recently suggesting that 86% of brand advertisers in programmatic either fully in-housed their buying functions or have partially moved these processes. In recognition of this, online travel aggregator lastminute.com announced this week that they are launching an in-housing consultancy, Playbook, as part of a new independent media company within lastminute.com called ‘Forward’ (FWD). The new business has been inspired by the success of FWD stablemate [...]

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ExchangeWire have invited hundreds of thought leaders to share their thoughts on what next year will hold, across a range of topics. The service layer is changing. Whether a battle, a war, a fight for supremacy, a fight to the death, or maybe a strategic game of chess, the outlook for the service layer of 2019 will certainly be an interesting one. Industry experts share their views. Marketing’s board-level importance will grow “Experience is the new battleground for brands to drive growth. Eighty-seven percent [...]

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ExchangeWire rounds up some of the biggest stories in the European digital advertising space. In this week’s edition: New Funding for MediaMath; Customer Analytics Boost Growth & Revenue; GeoSpock/Tamoco Partnership Links Real World with Data; Flashtalking Introduces Consulting Services; and FreeWheel Partners with Operative on ‘Premium At Scale’. New Funding for MediaMath Enterprise software provider MediaMath announces new funding. Led by Searchlight Capital, the new capital to the tune of USD$225m (£170m) will be invested in technology and hiring, MediaMath says. This includes investment in the expansion [...]

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In the build up to ATS Paris, ExchangeWire speaks to Julien Gardes, vice president southern Europe, Adform, to get his thoughts on the future of the service layer, the role consultancies can play in helping advertisers, and the trend of moving programmatic in-house. ExchangeWire: There has been a lot of talk about the end of the service layer recently. Is this being facilitated by in-housing, and is there still a need for a service layer? Julien Gardes: There has definitely been [...]

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The service layer is a complicated space right now. Holding groups, consultancies, and vendors are all fighting to work directly with marketers. All are approaching it from a different angle. Holding groups are in a forced rationalisation process, as they to try to recalibrate a convoluted model in a complicated landscape. With their big-brand clients slashing spend, and the duopoly grabbing more digital spend, their need to evolve their model is more urgent than others. Consultancies (including auditors) seem to think they [...]

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Wayne Blodwell (pictured below), founder and CEO of The Programmatic Advisory, speaks with ExchangeWire about the service layer, the changing relationships between agencies and marketers, and the impact of the increasing prevalence of consultancies on these relationships. ExchangeWire: You’ve recently set up a consultancy to help marketers navigate the programmatic landscape, but your background is from the agency world. What experiences led you to go down this road? Wayne Blodwell: I was really fortunate that, whilst I was at iProspect in the [...]

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