Alex Levin

I enjoy being able to discuss these topics to drive the ad tech industry forward. Want to know how to make this work for your business or media property? I have a few tricks up my sleeve if you want to get all Copperfield. 😏

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NEW IAB REPORT: Connected TV (CTV) Ad Format Landscape: How Standardization Can Drive Programmatic Growth and Innovation 📲 https://okt.to/xCgsr1 As #CTV viewership and ad spending soar, it’s clear that the lack of standardization across platforms is stifling the industry’s potential. IAB’s new report explores how innovation in immersive, interactive ads can improve the experience for both advertisers and viewers, fostering a mutually beneficial ecosystem, and offers a comprehensive overview of established and emerging CTV ad formats while highlighting the urgent need for #standardization.

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What should the marketing community do about problematic ad placements? If the fundamentals are missing or broken, then it's almost impossible to do anything more complicated on top of that. The most basic function of an ad agency, going back to letterpress days, has been tear sheets -- inform the brand decision-maker about the context in which their ad ran. When the web advertising business has trouble doing that, and an advertiser doesn't get a comprehensible report about what they're sponsoring, then it's first priority to fix. The agency has a responsibility to make it clear to the client where their ad is running, and the adtech scene has the responsibility to give them the tools to do it in a clear and practical way. And yes, the agency's responsibility to inform the client about what they're sponsoring is more important, not less, in situations where the client would prefer to pretend not to see what they're sponsoring.

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As viewer habits continue to shift on Connected TV (CTV), advertisers must do everything to not fall behind. Streaming services now account for 41.4% of TV viewing, meaning there’s a significant opportunity to rethink marketing and ad strategies in this space. Balancing ad load is a necessity. While a slight decrease in ads per hour is encouraging, it’s important to avoid overwhelming viewers. With viewing sessions increasing nearly 7% year-over-year, this is a prime opportunity for brands to engage audiences more effectively. Transitioning budgets from linear to CTV is not just strategic but necessary. #CTV #Advertising #MarketingStrategy #ViewerEngagement #Marketing

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A fair and well researched piece this morning. (No I was not a source.) Buried in it is this line. "though a far cry from reports of Oracle Advertising earning more than $2 billion in 2022" It's fair to wonder how Business Insider, came up with the wildly outlandish $2bb+ figure. My supposition is they talked to a single, misinformed employee and never bothered to verify the number. All of this makes the case for the open internet. A niche publisher, AdExchanger comes to market with a well researched thought out piece where the author James Hercher clearly interviewed multiple sources, verified his facts and presents the reader with a clear picture of the machinations behind the curtain. Meanwhile, the Business Insider pieces seem slapdash, sensational and poorly researched. Ironically one would think the larger, more resourced publication would have higher ethical journalistic standards. The reason I bring this up is 2-fold: ▶ This is a subject I have relatively strong knowledge in. Therefore, I am more able to separate facts from falsehoods. Understanding how poor BI's (pay gated) reporting is on the subject is concerning. In the scope of global life, this is a small story. But it's instructive as to the priorities of the modern newsroom. ▶ Independent publishing, which seems to be, in this case, vastly superior to pay-gated big publishing, is at serious risk with the pending demonetization of Chrome. As someone who has built a career in the industry, it's clear that the goal of maintaining a free, open internet is imperative. Lastly, I would encourage the Business Insider newsroom to take a look at their oversight and practices. I doubt that the individual authors of the Oracle Advertising stories are intentionally publishing false information. There is likely a culture that prioritizes speed over facts and clearly a focus on sensational headlines over thoughtful journalistic integrity. I hope as the business matures they can take a more ethical approach. https://lnkd.in/eR-EMUJ6

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With recent events it feels as if an old conversation has re-ignited when it comes to both adtech and martech. When Oracle made a significant announcement a few weeks back people started talking again. From the sidelines, the opinions spread far and wide as to why Oracle's ad business was going to be no more. By all accounts high-level commentary suggested that the ad business was just not aligned with the future vision. However.... The convergence of both AdTech and MarTech appears to be a logical evolution, there are handful of fundamental, yet common components. This means that the convergence seems logical with positive outcomes to be gained as a result, even though the Oracle news may pose a different view. Some key drivers of this convergence are: ⏺ Role of First-Party Data ⏺ Impact of Consumer Data Privacy Legislation ⏺ Emergence of Privacy Enhancing Technologies (PET's) Article: https://lnkd.in/gKQVEevy and credit: Jonathan Mendez from Neuralift AI #customerdata #privacyenhacingtechnology #dataprivacy #adtech #martech

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#SGE has officially arrived! Get insight on the new Google search experience and how your brand can take control in Intero Digital's article:

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In the latest installment of the Data Insights series, my co-host Jeniece Wnorowski of Solidigm and I had the privilege of speaking with Ariel Pisetzky, VP of IT and Cyber at Taboola. We did a deep dive into how AI and data are not just transforming but truly redefining the world of ad placement. Ariel shared how Taboola’s mission — to connect people with content they may like but never knew existed — is powered by AI-driven algorithms that process massive amounts of data in real-time. As someone deeply involved in micro-targeted paid media, I was thrilled to learn how Taboola is using AI to make ad placements smarter, more efficient, and precisely aligned with business goals. This conversation left me excited about the future of ad tech and I can't wait to see where innovators like Taboola take us next. https://hubs.ly/Q02LktPq0 #AI #AdTech #DigitalTransformation #Innovation #DataDriven

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Had a great, data-driven discussion with Scott Breitenother, CEO of the Brooklyn Data Co. (a Velir company). He shares some great tips for anyone seeking to make better use of #data and #dataanalysis within their organizations. Check out our new interview! #data #dataanalysis

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Thrilled to launch PubMatic's inaugural "Executive Dialogues" video with Sarah (Warner) Harms of Roku. In this series, I discuss how we are innovating to build a better digital advertising supply chain with a multitude of ecosystem partners.

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10 years after the ANA transparency study and resulting controversy, I find it fascinating that the industry is fast embracing principal-based trading by agencies. On one hand, agencies have no choice to follow suit or be left behind - and these proprietary trading products can create real competitive advantage for agencies and better outcomes for clients. On the other hand, it certainly calls for greater transparency and traceability into planning, measurement and optimization methods given the commercial incentives and potential misalignments. I love this industry! https://lnkd.in/d2TwjHnB

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Good points here... “It could effectively double the energy usage of ad tech, when measured from a network bandwidth and CPU perspective...” (The double adtech thing makes sense. PAAPI ads are closer to no-cookie ads than to old-fashioned cookie ads from a publisher revenue POV, so web sites are going to try some other user addressability plus PAAPI as a fallback—which means double adtech battery drain for users who leave "Privacy Sandbox" turned on. Turning this stuff off will probably become an item in listicles of battery saving tips.)

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Interested in understanding the intricacies of Attention in advertising? Curious about its correlation with clicks, memories, and driving sales? 🤔 Check out this insightful video where the CEO of Lumen Research Ltd delves into their attention model, a framework that we at Teads also heavily leverage. #Advertising #Attention #Marketing #Sales #Teads #LumenResearch

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Brand safety and suitability protection is a performance driver - not a cost. Smart companies lean into smart tools to make it happen.

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Auditable AI(TM) for targetable look-alike audiences that outperform today's black-box AI alternatives, in market today. Come see it to believe it!

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It’s upfronts week, with many of the big TV networks, from NBCUniversal, to Fox to Disney, and Warner Bros. Discovery hosting their annual presentations. Streaming giants Netflix and Amazon are also joining the festivities.   Measurement is emerging as an important part of this upfronts season, as advertisers are searching for more than just scale — they want to tie measurement and attribution data back to business results — meaning there is a bigger focus on the full loop from reach to conversion. Add in all the jockeying to be the dominant measurement currency and there’s a lot to talk about - with perhaps nothing more foundational than #identityresolution (especially for the connected household). It was a pleasure to join Chris Brooklier from The Trade Desk to talk about all of these things--and how Blockgraph is playing the important role of "data draino" unclogging the pipes of addressable television (credit Jonathan Heller). #householdidentity #measurement #attribution #signalloss #connectedTV #privacy

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A recent Wall Street Journal article by Isabella Simonetti (gifted link below) reveals that TV networks are embracing their aging viewership and challenging the notion that younger demographics are the most valuable targets for advertisers. With the median age of viewers now in their 50s and 60s (MTV viewers average 51 years old!) for many networks, executives argue that reaching consumers based on their purchasing habits, rather than age, is the key to effective advertising. Older viewers often have more disposable income, are less sensitive to price increases, and are still making brand decisions. By focusing on the mass-market reach of TV and targeting people likely to buy a product, regardless of age, media buyers are adapting to the changing landscape of television viewership. As media and entertainment professionals, it's crucial to recognize the importance of this demographic shift and adapt our approaches accordingly. What do you think about this? #advertising #consumerhabits #mediastrategies #mediaproduction

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Laurel Rossi speaks the truth. I don't think anyone can argue the link between consumer attention and results. And as Laurel points out, when advertising engages consumers, brands benefit across the entire marketing funnel. When we launched TRUSTX eight years ago, we understood the power of attention and built 100% viewability into the core of our display advertising marketplace. Why? Because it's impossible for a person to pay attention to an ad they can't see. And from day one, our promise to advertisers has been that they'll get better results when they buy media across the premium publishers connected to TRUSTX. Let me reinforce Laurel's pitch with two TRUSTX client-provided performance metrics. >> 2.5x lower CPA: That's how much less an automotive brand spends with TRUSTX vs. other supply-paths to the same publishers to drive a request for a test drive. >> 25% better engagement rate: A global technology brand tells us that TRUSTX delivers the lowest cost per engaged visit and highest engagement rate across all their DCO exchanges. As a supply-side exchange, we can't directly measure full funnel results. But I can tell you that when you put together highly engaging premium content and 100% viewability, there can be no doubt in the results. Laurel is spot-on.

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