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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In today’s ExchangeWire news digest: the Competition and Markets Authority warns that Adevinta’s plan to buy eBay’s classified unit could stifle competition; the UK sees private marketplaces eclipse open exchanges for the first time; and streaming TV stays in the top spot in the US’s consumer subscription space.   CMA voices concern over Adevinta-eBay deal The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) has expressed concern that a proposed deal for ecommerce firm Adevinta to acquire online marketplace Gumtree “could reduce consumer choice, increase fees, [...]

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With consumers around the world confined to their homes, and few venturing outdoors, 2020 looked disastrous for out-of-home (OOH) advertising. Yet, despite the pessimistic outlook, OOH proved resilient, and adapted to the landscape with agility and flexibility. Now, many OOH leaders are confident that 2021 will be a year of growth and success for the space. We spoke to some of them to hear their predictions for the year ahead.   Much-needed technological standards will emerge this year 2021 for Programmatic OOH will [...]

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In this exclusive article written for ExchangeWire, independent consultant Emily Palmer summarises the results of a recently-conducted survey of ad ops and programmatic professionals working at UK publishers, conducted with her client GeoEdge, as well as a subsequent discussion conducted under Chatham House Rule with women working at leading UK media brands. Automation for publishers in digital advertising could forgivably be assumed as the domain of programmatic teams. But processes are also being automated for direct campaigns, from ad quality assurance [...]

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Integral Ad Science (IAS), the global leader in digital ad verification, today announced three senior appointments in Australia and New Zealand (ANZ) to accelerate the company’s growth in the region. IAS has named Jessica Miles as country manager, Brandon Coleman as commercial lead, and Chanel Barta as head of customer success in Australia and New Zealand. “Australia and New Zealand are a priority for IAS and these appointments will help continue our growth in the region by providing world-class customer service,” [...]

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Ad tech’s landscape never stays the same for too long, with technological advances, regulatory changes, and world-wide events combining to create the need for players to be adaptable and innovative. Whilst this year has been a particularly gruelling one for Broadcasters, the segment is still capable of not just reviving itself, but revolutionising ad tech at large. In this exclusive article, Maria Flores Portillo (pictured below), general manager EMEA at Amobee, outlines how Broadcasters could shake up adland. European Broadcasters are [...]

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In today’s ExchangeWire news digest: Zeotap extends Series C financing to USD$60.5m; MeritDirect acquires 180byTwo; and WPP consolidates Geometry with VMLY&R to form VMLY&R Commerce. Zeotap extends Series C financing to USD$60.5m (£45.8m) Customer intelligence platform (CIP) Zeotap has announced a USD$18.5m (£14.0m) extension to its Series C financing round brokered in July this year, taking total funding raised through the tranche to USD$60.5m (£45.8m). The extension was led by SignalFire’s Breakout Fund vehicle, and will be used by Zeotap to further [...]

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In today’s ExchangeWire news digest: PubMatic files to go public in USD$75m (£57m) IPO; Harbr raises USD$38.5m (£29.2m) for data exchange and marketplace; and US backs down from Tik Tok ban. PubMatic files to go public in USD$75m (£57m) IPO PubMatic has submitted its S-1 registration documents with the US Securities and Exchange Commission as it files for an IPO on the Nasdaq stock exchange under the ticker PUBM, potentially netting the firm up to USD$75m (£57m). Despite the turbulent economic conditions [...]

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Transparency and trust are not new topics of conversation in the world of programmatic advertising. However, 2020 has seen these issues return to the fore as question marks were raised over whether the industry is doing enough to provide security and clarity across the supply chain. IAB UK spoke to members of their Display & Data Steering Group to hear their thoughts on where we are currently, and what more needs to be done to improve accountability and increase transparency throughout [...]

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The programmatic supply chain has been under intense scrutiny in recent months, with increasing calls for reform from across the industry. Christiana Cacciapuoti (pictured below), executive director at non-profit ad consortium AdLedger, writes about the pervasive issues within the programmatic ecosystem, and explains why now, more than ever, the industry must commit to solving these problems. With the Upfronts upended, economic uncertainty and brand safety concerns pushing down ad budgets, the deprecation of the cookie, and the introduction of consumer privacy [...]

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