Brian Zaben

🚀 I am absolutely thrilled  to share that I have joined Analytic Partners as their new VP, Commercial Analytics Ambassador. 🚀 I bet at least a few of my friends, colleagues, family members or followers are thinking, “WTF is a Commercial Analytics Ambassador?”  🤔 This post is for you. ❓ What is Commercial Analytics ❓ Commercial Analytics is the evolution of media mix modeling. To summarize 70 years of history into 19 words: factors broadened, latency decreased, frequency increased, algorithms advanced, presentations become platforms and use case expanded to additional C-level roles. ❓ What is my new role ❓ My role is to tell this story, help executives understand where their organization fits in this 70-year journey, and accelerate their modernization. Simply put: if you are investing in econometrics today, it should be a commercial analytics approach. If not, it’s time to put it on your roadmap. So if you are a fan of econometrics, causal inference modeling, algorithmic aversion or most importantly quantifying large investments that seem to defy measurement, consider giving me a follow.  I’m suspicious there is a lot of great stuff to come. 🙌  

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This shift from third-party to first-party data is seismic. Ad companies must invest in transformation to adapt, either by acquiring firms with first-party data capabilities or by revamping their own tech. It's a make-or-break moment, but those who invest wisely could secure their future in the evolving ad landscape. #DataDrivenAdvertising #DigitalTransformation #Advertising

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First-party data could be the key to solving signal loss, but mid-size brands need better tools. Fullthrottle.ai's new generative AI-powered "Audience Library" makes it easier to segment and activate first-party data, improving targeting and conversions. 🤖💡📊 Learn more here: https://lnkd.in/gezzHm9F

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Check out this AdExchanger piece by TrueData's own David Berman! Learn about factors impacting data collection across the internet that you should pay attention to and strike a balance between accuracy and scale to reach your audience effectively. https://lnkd.in/gDmdRiRB

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Basis Technologies and Comscore are helping agencies stay on top of industry trends. Nicci Leichtman, SMZ’s VP of Performance Marketing, shares her insights on how this integration could impact full-service agencies like SMZ. To learn more, visit https://lnkd.in/gY3W76Wz #Comscore #Basis #SMZAdvertising #SMZers #Media #Advertising

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The Trade Desk reported another very strong quarter last night, outperforming the digital ad market as it has done every quarter for the last few years. As CEO Jeff Green pointed out in the earnings call, TTD is privileged to work with many of the world's leading marketers and agencies in helping them make the most of every advertising dollar. With that focus on value and innovation for our clients, TTD expects to continue to outperform the market.

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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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✅🖥️ AdExchanger (11/8): “Well, without breaking out new revenue metrics, The Trade Desk divulged some interesting tidbits about their business. For instance, while the company doesn’t disclose CTV revenue, CEO Jeff Green said CTV is now the largest media channel for TTD. CTV has flipped the equation on web display and mobile. Similarly, a year ago, Criteo finally reported retargeting revenue as less than half of its total. The Trade Desk is touting its long-held ambition to have more CTV than banner ads. Currently, video ads, which encompass CTV, are close to 50% of TTD’s overall business. Soon, TTD will be primarily a video ad buyer. “It’s hard not to be bullish about CTV when it’s both our largest channel and our fastest growing,” Green said. And while CTV and retail media have been staples of every Trade Desk quarterly report for years on end, Green also put the focus on a few new opportunities, now that CTV has matured into the business, not just a rhetorical goal. The other premium media channel for programmatic to unlock is live sports, Green said. “I expect over the coming years to see programmatic spot markets and sports become best friends,” Green said. Live sports are counterintuitive for programmatic advertising. Those spots tend to have a very high premium and go to sponsors, rather than an open auction. But, Green said, “because (live sports inventory) is often scarce and often highly sought out by brands, and it changes very quickly, it really is built for programmatic advertising.” ⬇️ #streaming #ctv #ott #livesports #avod #fast #tvos

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🔥 Political CTV ad spend is ramping up as we near the election. Our VP of Sales Operations, Clelia Zattoni, shares with AdExchanger, "political ad spend drives saturation and inflates CPMs, particularly for local and regional businesses caught in political hotbeds. For example, we had to guide a furniture advertiser to reallocate their budget away from [specific] ZIP codes and congressional districts to avoid the rising CPM costs driven by political ad buys." Read more about how political buyers should warm up to CTV here: https://hubs.li/Q02QtVkf0

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“If you understand who your loyal customers are and who is buying your competitor's product, you have a really rich target to go after.” Catch Larry Allen, VP and GM of Data and Addressable Enablement at Comcast Advertising, as he discusses the importance of data in making strategic decisions and more in the latest episode of The Community Exchange Podcast—available now. 🎤 https://lnkd.in/dXtfkgmi Larry and Matthew Scott Goldstein (msg) cover a lot in this episode:  – Improvements and advancements in measurement and attribution,  – The changes coming to CTV in the next 5 years, – How to use AI to optimize ad placement, – The strategies behind Amazon and Hulu’s successful advertising activities,  – Stories from their time together at Tacoda. And more. Catch the full episode anywhere you listen to podcasts, or on our website at https://lnkd.in/dXtfkgmi Spotify: https://lnkd.in/d6FVkc5K Youtube: https://lnkd.in/dMbrjvhn Watch past episodes and learn more about the podcast here: openweb.com/podcast/  New episodes every week. Stay tuned for more great conversations. 🚀

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Google 🍪 announcement + Oracle 💰 settlement signal a shift to Consumer-centric advertising. The recent #adtech developments at #Google and #Oracle may seem disconnected at first, but they signify a significant shift towards consumer-centric advertising. Alongside Apple, these tech giants are embracing privacy concerns and strategically repositioning themselves by prioritizing consumers. This move aims to reduce risks and drive growth by empowering consumers, advocates, and next-gen companies to innovate new approaches in place of legacy adtech. The ripple effect is evident, with companies like Amazon and Meta expected to follow suit to mitigate the legal and financial risks highlighted in the coverage of Oracle's recent settlement. I transitioned from retail and ecommerce to adtech two decades ago with a vision to revolutionize advertising by attacking the inefficiencies of offline methods adopted in the digital realm. Seemed like an easy fix but it turned out to be a long slog. I also saw the inherent risk from cookies that hold adtech together to this day. Now it seems the consumer is finally getting a seat at the advertising table, and they don't like cookies or spam. For advertising and publishing businesses, the time is ripe to pivot towards alternative strategies in alignment with this evolving landscape. Seeking expert guidance to navigate these transformations could be the key to staying ahead in this dynamic environment. DM me for a chat or simply to chew the fat :) Google announcement - https://lnkd.in/gu9a-wba Oracle coverage- https://lnkd.in/gA9H-Fey My take from 2013 - https://lnkd.in/gB8QCjF

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Great read from Vivek Sharma at AdExchanger: "Acquiring a new customer costs five to seven times more than retaining an existing one.” We see many clients starting to dig in more on the role of baseline - a key output of Slingwave MMM and other media mix models, and further segment out the components of returning customer retention vs new customer acquisition and the influence paid marketing efforts have on each. #customeracquisition #brandstrategy #digitalmarketing https://lnkd.in/e8Dh5VRE

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I posted the news of our investment yesterday but what I didn't say is how grateful I am to be part of a great team with great future. 🙏 I've been at many startups that didn't end up so well: 4charity (1 yr), GetConnected, Inc. (5 yrs), ecoATM Gazelle (1.5 yrs), HiWired (6 months - ouch!), ChoiceStream, Inc. (6 yrs) and now almost 7 years @ Alliant - The Audience Company. Perhaps 6th time is the charm! 🤷‍♂️ But we're not done here...we're just getting started!!! 😎 I know these are uncertain economic times for many people. Some companies aren't doing well and many peers and friends are unemployed. To you, things might look bleak and posts like mine can feel deflating. But I think posts like this should actually be good news. If you're looking for a job in Adtech BD and sales, please stay tuned! DM me if you're in market so we can at least start a dialogue as we wind down the year. I have one open job posting for a Adtech Platform Sales Director now and hopefully more to come soon. Keep your head up if you're looking for a job...2025 is around the corner! #adtech #growth #hiring

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What's really behind the sell-side curation craze? 🧐 AdExchanger’s Anthony Vargas spoke with Permutive co-founder and CEO Joe Root to better understand the programmatic market dynamics driving the intense interest in curation: 🔎 Why are CPMs and CPAs going up while performance is going down? 🔎 How should publications approach their curation GTM? 🔎 Does curation enable supply-path optimization? 🔎 Is a DSP backlash coming?  🔎 Is the open web still a viable concept? Answers to these questions and more ➡️ https://lnkd.in/eXW6gE-v

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OUTBRAIN Outbrain is nearing a deal to acquire or merge with Teads, owned by Altice. The negotiations are advanced but not yet finalized, and the deal could still fall through or face competition from another bidder. Article: https://lnkd.in/g8sPp9kY

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According to Advertiser Perceptions research, programmatic CTV ad spend utilizing retailer owned data will total $2.3B this year in the US, roughly 1/5 of all programmatic CTV spend. This market will triple by 2027. I'm looking forward to moderating a panel discussion about how advertisers, media owners, retail media networks, and tech providers are approaching this rapidly growing and evolving space at CTV Ad Days New York on November 13, featuring Jill Cruz, Jennifer Reichart Kisling, Kristin E., Suzanne Skop, and Jean-Yves Couleaud.

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According to these editors at AdExchanger, "The Trade Desk should wield its power more often because it's cleaning things up." Having said that, they also talk about how much smaller The Trade Desk really is compared to the digital ad giants such as Amazon and Google. Regardless, the long arc of every market moves toward transparency, efficiency and symmetrical data. Think about how much more efficient buying a stock today is vs 30 years ago. Back then you had to look the price up in the paper, call a broker, wait days for the trade to settle, pay $30 for the privilege, and check the paper every day to see how you're doing. Today we have real-time stock data, expert research, advanced products, and modeling tools, all at our fingertips. Digital ads will get there too. Just a question of how quickly.

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Last week, I posted about the dominance of a few retail media networks, particularly how a significant portion of retail media investment is concentrated among Amazon, Walmart, and Instacart. These networks excel in justifying always-on investments compared to more episodic promotional strategies. Not only have they proven their ability to capture and convert demand, but they’ve also made impressive strides in demand generation tools. For instance, Amazon Ads now offers highly targeted connected TV programs and enhanced insights into the consumer journey from discovery to conversion. As we look beyond these giants, what strategies should we consider for emerging networks? Is an always-on approach justified, or should we focus on key consumer moments? I’d love to hear your thoughts!

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This is the way to buy (and sell) media - with insight and strategy. https://lnkd.in/gE2nvBSD

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