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Salesforce And Adobe Lead Forrester DMP Wave With Embrace Of Privacy The DSP Market Shakeup Starts To Settle In Latest Advertiser Perceptions Report Salesforce To Buy Tableau For $15.7 Billion, Expanding Its Integration Toolkit Google’s DV360 Starts Selling Linear TV Inventory For The First Time Xandr Rebrands AppNexus DSP To ‘Xandr Invest,’ Gives It Exclusive Access To AT&T Data Should Google Be Broken Up? And Four Other Burning Questions As The DOJ Begins Its Antitrust Investigation Weborama Makes Late Bid For The Sizmek Ad Server And DCO Roku Vet Jim Lombard On How Tetra TV Gains Inventory And Trust As A CTV Ad Network How Sizmek DCO Fits Into Amazon’s Ad Platform Play

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When Picking Partners, Think Like An Investor

by AdExchanger // Posted on Thursday, June 13th, 2019 at 12:05 am.

"Data-Driven Thinking" is written by members of the media community and contains fresh ideas on the digital revolution in media.

Today’s column is written by John Nardone, CEO at Flashtalking.

In the wake of Sizmek’s bankruptcy filing and pending acquisition of its ad server and dynamic content optimization solution by Amazon, there’s been no shortage of post-mortem analyses of how and why things went wrong.

Of course, hindsight is always 20/20 when it comes to this sort of upheaval, but the magnitude of the Sizmek bankruptcy – and the number of concerned companies that have had to carefully consider their next moves – underscores a deeper underlying deficiency within our industry.

Many brands, agencies, publishers and vendors simply aren’t asking the questions necessary to confirm that prospective partners are reliable in the long term. That anybody in the ad tech ecosystem is surprised by Sizmek’s filing is unfortunate, but it should at least represent a long-overdue wake-up call for our industry.

Don’t Take CTV Results At Face Value

by AdExchanger // Posted on Thursday, June 13th, 2019 at 12:04 am.

"On TV And Video" is a column exploring opportunities and challenges in advanced TV and video.

Today’s column is written by Ronan Higgins, CEO at TVadSync.

When buyers place their bets on a new tactic, they are eager to get insights to help determine if their campaign worked. Connected TV (CTV) is no different. This new entrant to the digital advertising portfolio is already commanding major test budgets. And reports often come back saying that it’s working.

Not so fast. These reports are exciting, but can’t be taken at face value. For advertisers, it’s better to take a “goldilocks” approach to measuring CTV. Start out testing a few options and see what makes the most sense for their personal needs to get it just right.

Metrics that are too hot

The first issue many advertisers run into is getting starry-eyed over quality metrics. For example, CTV looks really good when measured against metrics such as viewability and completed views.

CTV offers a captive audience, even more so than on linear TV where people can channel surf, and certainly more than on YouTube with its short skippable videos. If someone’s got the Hulu app open, they’re usually committed to what they’re watching.

A Big Day For Publisher-Ad Tech Hybrids; Momentum For Facebook Watch

by AdExchanger // Posted on Thursday, June 13th, 2019 at 12:03 am.

Here’s today’s AdExchanger.com news round-up… Want it by email? Sign up here.

Publishing Tech

Wednesday was a big day for hybrid ad tech/publisher businesses. TheStreet, a stock market news site, was acquired by Maven for $16.5 million. Read the release. Maven was founded by ad industry vets after doing a reverse recapitalization of a public shell company. But Maven needs to increase users and impressions so the platform can attract other media companies. And the quickest way to do that is to buy publishers. Venture capital-backed companies are taking a similar approach (though with looser purse strings). Minute Media, known mostly as a sports social publisher, announced a $40 million investment, bringing its total to $120 million. Read the release. That’s a hefty number for a startup sports news company. Part of what Minute Media’s backers like is that it makes a third of its revenue from ad tech and influencer marketing software subscriptions.

Headwinds And Tailwinds

Facebook said the number of users tuning into Watch on a monthly basis has doubled since December 2018 to 720 million. The platform rakes in 140 million daily viewers who watch at least one minute per day, up from 75 million people in December. And it has added new content partnerships with international networks, like “The Voice Germany,” “Germany’s Next Topmodel” and highlights from the Cricket World Cup. Next it will add more original shows in a bid to compete with YouTube. But Facebook, already under regulatory scrutiny, will have to be wary of extremism, depravity and otherwise brand-unsavory content common in user generated videos as it wades deeper into YouTube territory, Reuters reports. More. Related: Facebook’s CFO David Wehner said adding a clear history capability, set to launch in 2019, will have a negative impact on its ad business. “Privacy is a headwind for us in 2019,” he said. Variety has more on that.

Adjust Closes $227 Million Round With An Eye On Consolidation

by Allison Schiff // Posted on Wednesday, June 12th, 2019 at 4:27 pm.

Adjust raised $227 million in funding – and there’s no need to adjust your screen on the amount.

The monster round, announced Wednesday, brings the Berlin-based mobile measurement company’s total funding to $250 million. It was led by new investors Eurazeo Growth, Morgan Stanley Alternative Investment Partners and Sofina, and existing investor Highland Europe.

Previously, Adjust raised modest Series A, B and C rounds between 2013 and 2014 totaling around $30 million.

So, why raise so much and why raise now?

The mobile advertising opportunity, which includes attribution, has grown rapidly, but with a handful of smaller players such as AppsFlyer, Kochava and of course Adjust all vying for dominance, consolidation is necessary, said Adjust CEO and co-founder Christian Henschel.

App marketers spend something like 30% of their day dealing with repetitive tasks across platforms and logging in and out of different systems, and it’s a drag.

Adjust made two acquisitions over the last year to try to centralize some of those processes: data aggregation platform Acquired.io and bot detection solution Unbotify.

Simulmedia Raises $29 Million Series E, With Continued Focus on Linear TV

by Sarah Sluis // Posted on Wednesday, June 12th, 2019 at 4:00 pm.

Simulmedia, one of the OGs of data-driven TV, raised $29 million in Series E funding Wednesday.

The funding will go toward research and development as Simulmedia connects to more inventory sources beyond national linear advertising, including local advertising and OTT from authenticated apps from broadcast and cable companies. The cash will also put the profitable company in a stronger position in a fast-growing market.

“We know there is more competition coming,” said Simulmedia CEO Dave Morgan. “Every major digital platform needs to find a way to get into the TV ad ecosystem.”

While its digital competitors, including Xandr and The Trade Desk, adapt their DSPs to buy connected TV inventory, Simulmedia is keeping its focus on data-driven linear.

“Our marketplace operates as a DSP for linear TV and OTT. We’re already there,” Morgan said, meaning buyers can already activate, optimize and measure campaigns on its platform. Instead of competing with CTV DSPs, it wants its platform to be complementary.

Simulmedia is staying the course because linear is where the TV ad dollars reside, Morgan said. Linear comprises the vast majority of the nearly $80 billion TV market, so it makes sense to focus on linear TV even though he expects it to decline over the next five to 10 years.

Podcast: Is Programmatic Good For Publishers?

by Zach Rodgers // Posted on Wednesday, June 12th, 2019 at 3:34 pm.

The first slur against programmatic, dating to about 2008, was that RTB stood for “race to the bottom.” In the same year Jeff Zucker, then CEO of NBCU, decried the trade of “analog dollars for digital dimes.” Since then programmatic’s reputation – and its associated revenue value to media companies – has improved dramatically.

But there is new grousing afoot.

Brian O’Kelley, who built the first exchange, recently said on this podcast, “It’s unclear if it actually is better from a yield perspective than the old way.” And a new academic study appears to throw cold water on programmatic’s value. A group of researchers tried to put a value on the revenue lift associated with “targeted advertising” by observing revenue from pages that contained tracking code. They concluded that value may be as low as 4%. [Read the paper and a sharp critique of it penned by CafeMedia EVP Paul Bannister.]

The DSP Market Shakeup Starts To Settle In Latest Advertiser Perceptions Report

by James Hercher // Posted on Wednesday, June 12th, 2019 at 11:06 am.

The demand-side platform (DSP) market has been in flux for the past few years, with the crowded field thinning into a handful of contenders that are “in the money,” said Kevin Mannion, chief strategy officer at the market research firm Advertiser Perceptions.

And the DSP market is finally hitting that homestretch.

In the latest Advertiser Perceptions DSP report, a quarterly benchmark based on surveys of more than 400 brand and agency executives, a group of larger DSPs have separated from the pack.

AdExchanger took a look at the top players and the second tier of DSPs that are chasing growth and sustainability in the market.

Display & Video 360 dominates but ad ID restrictions could change that

In Advertiser Perceptions’ first report using the rebranded DV360, formerly DoubleClick for Advertisers, Google remains head honcho among DSPs.

Despite Google’s seemingly unstoppable momentum, some marketers expect a shake-up when Google pulls its ad ID from programmatic campaigns, a policy that’s live in Europe and expected to roll out worldwide next year.

How the Google policy would impact the DSP market is hard to predict, Mannion said, because buyers are divided and unsure of the effects.

Highsnobiety CEO Explains Why The Media Brand Made The Leap To Commerce

by Sarah Sluis // Posted on Wednesday, June 12th, 2019 at 12:05 am.

Highsnobiety curates and recommends the latest sneakers, streetwear and men’s fashion to its readers. Now David Fischer, the founder and CEO of the 14-year-old media brand, is using that expertise to create its own ecommerce, direct-to-consumer business.

Highsnobiety’s first product “drop” in May, a partnership with Prada’s streetwear imprint “Linea Rossa,” sold out of the $750 sneakers and $1,980 jackets. Five more drops are scheduled for this summer with other partners. And Highsnobiety will launch its own private-label sneaker and streetwear business.

Fischer envisions a brand where people who buy Highsnobiety products become more voracious readers of its content and identify with its brand more strongly – a true win-win for both sides of the business.

“The beauty is how the two sides of the business will fuel each other,” he said. “People buying and wearing products all adds to the brand.”

Fischer talked to AdExchanger about Highsnobiety’s journey to launch its own products.

Identity: Too Big To Fail?

by AdExchanger // Posted on Wednesday, June 12th, 2019 at 12:05 am.

"Data-Driven Thinking" is written by members of the media community and contains fresh ideas on the digital revolution in media.

Today’s column is written by Nancy Marzouk, founder and CEO at MediaWallah.

Without a doubt, identity is the capability du jour. It seems like identity is everywhere, and a slew of new identity players – plus more than a few legacy companies that have re-emerged as identity solutions – are riding the wave.

But I can’t help but feel déjà vu. So many times our incredibly talented industry has solved for a significant problem, only to end up on the all-too-familiar path from exciting promise to oversold innovation.

If we’re not careful, identity could meet a similar fate – and a similar backlash. We can’t afford to let that happen. Identity holds the potential to solve almost every major problem that marketers have faced, from omnichannel measurement to cross-channel targeting and the holy grail of one-to-one customer conversations at scale. It’s too big of an opportunity to squander on bubble thinking.

Hulu Tries TV-Style Negotiation; Old Brands Can't Burn Cash Like A DTC

by AdExchanger // Posted on Wednesday, June 12th, 2019 at 12:03 am.

Here’s today’s AdExchanger.com news round-up… Want it by email? Sign up here.

Hulu Steals The Show

Hulu is taking a page from the TV sales playbook by offering lower rates to buyers who commit large budgets ahead of time, Variety reports. Hulu was one of the only ad-supported streaming video players at the upfronts, TV’s annual sales and programming period. Competing with the Disney- and Comcast-owned streaming service could be an issue for smaller networks. “Advertisers are moving first to get deals done with the owners of the most-watched programming, including late-night shows and sports telecasts. That has left some of the owners of lesser-watched cable networks grappling to get the same rate increases their broadcast rivals have secured.” Hulu sells based on its audiences as opposed to its shows, and it's adding subscribers unlike cable networks. And it has a strong pitch on data and creative impact. More.

DTC Wait-And-See

Incumbent brands are figuring out what they want to buy, build and learn from direct-to-consumer (DTC) upstarts. In a Q&A with eMarketer, Samsonite/Tumi Chief Digital Officer Charlie Cole notes the advantages and disadvantages of incubating DTC subsidiaries. He says many venture-backed DTC startups “have carte blanche to burn tens of millions – if not hundreds of millions of dollars.” Traditional brands must balance revenue and profit requirements against DTC marketing costs and potential market share losses. “If you want to compete, you may have to change your definitions of near-term success to allow for long-term viability,” he said. More.