AdExchanger.com Predictions for 2011: Platforms, Networks, Exchanges - Part I

AdExchanger.com 2011 Predictions: Platforms, Networks, Exchanges AdExchanger.com reached out to platforms, networks and exchanges for their predictions about the digital advertising ecosystem in 2011. This is part one of their predictions.

Click a name below to begin, or scroll:

Joe Apprendi, CEO, Collective

The distinction between ad network, ad exchange, DSP, SSP and DMP will blur with the display, video and mobile advertising sectors. Consolidation among these players will happen swiftly in 2011 in effort to provide large connected buy-side/sell-side solution for advertisers and publishers as alternative to Google. Expect the largest buyers and sellers of display advertising to take control of their audiences via technology and limit their dependencies on 3rd party intermediaries.

Elizabeth Blair, CEO; Andy Atherton, COO, Brand.net

EB: Yahoo! bets big on display advertising, either: (1) launching a huge platform investment (including multiple acquisitions across brand, DR and core infrastructure), or (2) going 180 degrees opposite, concentrating its human and financial capital in publishing, and outsourcing its display ad platform to Microsoft, as it has done very successfully with search.
AA: At least one highly-publicized incident of an ad-related privacy breach resulting in felony criminal activity and/or death.

Iggy Fanlo, CEO, adBrite

The standardization of formats and technology will accelerate the growth of online video as well as provide the scope for audience buying (BT) within video. The importance of standardization in the video space cannot be overstated. Standardization through VAST and VPAID are key in breaking down format barriers, and the operational efficiency that standards such as VAST bring rapidly increases the amount of available inventory.

Jeff Hirsch, CEO, AudienceScience

The use of data will demand a more discriminating view as its true value continues to be examined. The notion that data is “simple” to use will be challenged. Advertisers will take more control of their own data assets and audience definitions. Data ownership and usage rights issues will reemerge. RTB will progress, however with the realization that this is a nascent technology with corresponding unmet technical and operational capabilities. Premium publishers will push back on being valued solely on price. The long needed media transaction platform for the premium buy/sell relationship will emerge to satisfy brand marketing requirements.

George John, CEO, Rocket Fuel

The current furor over privacy will die down as true bad actors are removed (e.g., history sniffers), and consumers realize the good guys never tracked them personally to begin with.
Advertisers and their agencies will begin to think and plan more holistically, measuring how marketing activity in one channel or strategy might amplify or interfere with another — and they’ll begin to optimize spend with these interactions in mind.
Marketing will continue to evolve towards a more scientific discipline, with less spend going toward vanity buys like homepage takeovers, and more spend going towards measure-and-optimize strategies.

Tyler Moebius, CEO, Adconion Media Group

Ad Networks will call themselves DSPs, because DSPs are really just Ad Networks.
In banner-video spend will be as big as pre-roll spend because of its scale and targetability.
The use of Email lead generation will become the alternative to overpriced Google search.

Jay Sears, GM, CONTEXTWEB

First, I’m sticking with CONTEXTWEB’s 2009 prediction on AdExchanger that 2010 and 2011 are the breakout years for RTB. The RTB pony is riding hard-don’t bet against it.
Second, content rises again. As brand dollars, brand safety concerns and bidder appetite for more attributes rise, audience PLUS content wins.
Third, there used to be 400 ad networks and now there are 400 DSPs-in part because Appnexus has become the Adify of DSPs. Watch for specialization across DSPs and a separation of those that have planned for high scale computing and those that will struggle with their infrastructure.

Yoav Shaham, CEO, Kontera

In 2011 we will continue to see a focus on results on the part of advertisers, and this will extend to brand awareness campaigns and top of funnel metrics, not just traditional response campaigns. I expect that the industry will see a continuation of the shift towards advertisers wishing to be more relevant and targeted to users’ interests and intent. This trend manifests in two ways: 1. An increase of advertisers seeking to provide related information and relevant offers to the right people. 2. Being a part of the ongoing “dialogue” that consumers are having across both the web and social platforms. Lastly, I’m seeing tremendous interest in providing relevant and helpful ads, in just the right context, across mobile devices. Mobile contextualization and value will be a very interesting and active space in 2011.

Art Shaw, CEO, Epic Media Group

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I would say that you can always count on change. For instance, looking back at some of the predictions made about 2010, some came true but others did not. I do think that for 2011 advertising spending will continue to funnel towards digital, that privacy and fraud concerns will still be front and center on everyone’s minds, and that the industry will continue to change or perhaps consolidate. I also believe that more and more traditional branded advertisers will work with service providers like us to maximize their online campaigns. It is tough for advertisers and agencies to catch up with technology and optimization at this stage and so they will need to rely on strong partnerships.

Greg Skipper, director of network strategy, Advertising.com

Continual blurring of the lines and further consolidation in the display space, specifically among ad networks, agency trading desks, DSPs, and ad serving technologies. Technology companies will become the primary (acquisition) target of established media and agency holding companies as this will allow them to keep as much of the advertising value chain in-house.
Convergence of digital mediums. Ongoing innovation (e.g. evolving platforms, operating systems, browsers and devices) and faster adoption rates in the mobile space will bring mobile and display even closer.

Gal Trifon, CEO, MediaMind

Data for targeting and optimization will exceed other assets in its importance, as ad exchanges become more liquid and accessible.
Advertisers and their agencies will pay more attention to access and leverage of their data by others and will push for greater transparency and controls by their buy management and inventory brokerage partners.
Social, mobile and digital video will accelerate their growth and further enhance the fragmentation of digital media and grow the demand for cross channel campaign management.
Cross-channel campaigns will become a standard for premium brands who look to communicate with consumers wherever they are and with greater consistency of messaging and data. Solutions that offer efficiency and maximize performance I multi-channel campaigns will benefit.

Bill Wise, CEO, MediaBank

DSPs, targeted ad networks, and ad exchanges have tackled some of the biggest problems in media buying, but the industry as a whole still has a lot more ground to cover… To start, so much innovation has gone into the spot market display business, which is a ton of ad inventory, but a very tiny percentage of total ad spend. The telling trend is the advertisers’ interest to not use context as a proxy for audience, to move dollars from the upfront market to the spot market with a level of predictability, and to manage marketing with accountability and as a P&L. We are banking that 2011 is the year we start to take all of this DNA and advanced solutions and extend past digital and into other mediums. Media consumption is holistic and across multiple mediums- TV, print (yes, print is still alive and still 2-3x larger than digital spend), out of home, spot, search, display and mobile. Ad spend and technology solutions should also be across mediums. I believe DSP’s and exchanges will migrate across mediums as well in 2011.

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