The real problem with mobile advertising isn’t creative – it’s what you can’t see. In this special episode of The MadTech Podcast, ExchangeWire CEO Rachel Smith is joined by Thomas Bienias, agency and brand partnerships director at Kayzen, and Daniel Sichel, digital integration director at Hearts & Science (Omnicom), to discuss what CMOs and agencies should be asking their DSP partners in 2026.

Many advertisers buy mobile inventory through broad DSPs, rather than DSPs built specifically for app environments. The conversation explores the challenges agencies face around creativity and fee transparency, as well as the benefits of partnering with a specialist mobile DSP. It also looks into how media, creative, and measurement teams can they come together to drive better outcomes and prove what's actually working.

Creativity in mobile advertising

Everyone talks about creative being the biggest driver of performance. Is creative really the problem, or is the industry overlooking issues elsewhere in the media supply chain? Tom and Dan highlight the biggest creative challenges agencies and brands are running into right now, citing real-world examples where pairing great creative with smart targeting really paid off.

DSP fee transparency

Many challenges brands and agencies face come back to the platform underneath, and the price they see often isn't the price they pay. How much visibility do brands and agencies actually have into what their DSP is doing with their media, and with their money? The discussion covers the issue of fee transparency, and what agencies should be demanding as standard.

Performance & business outcomes

In a privacy-first world, it is crucial that marketers prioritise the right signals to understand incrementality and business outcomes, rather than simply reported platform conversions. Agencies, DSPs, and measurement teams must work closely together to create a clearer picture of performance and avoid optimisation against flawed attribution models.