How ad curation is maturing

In its most basic concept, curation can be traced back to the earliest ad networks, with several industry figures laying claim to its invention, from high-profile pioneers to under-the-hood stalwarts.

Shane Shevlin, CEO of Bedrock, notes how much of the debate around ad tech curation stems from the fact that the industry developed at a break-neck pace.

“You had a lot of companies that were doing it, but without necessarily calling it curation,” he says, recalling his time as an IPONWEB-exec in the 2010s when the ad tech firm helped outfits such as Experian, which (formally) entered the curation space with its purchase of Audigent, evolve their ad offering.

“A lot of agencies, in particular, did not like the idea of someone they have partnered with already to get access to their data reselling it back to them inside a PMP,” observing how the “very different rules” of the contemporary era mean the practice is more mainstream.

Much of this shift in attitudes is the result of Big Tech platforms now commanding the lion’s share of online media budgets, which themselves account for more than 50% of all ad spend as the 2010s segwayed into the current decade.

Andrew Casale, CEO of Index Exchange, observes how the genesis of sell-side ad curation in its current guise can largely be traced back to the late 2017/18 period, as signified by AT&T’s Xandr — a.k.a. the former Google competitor and ad tech pioneer, AppNexus — introduced services such as Xandr Curate, as part of its “Community Garden” strategy.

For many, this formed part of a wider mood shift whereby actors attempted to maintain control in the ascendant digital media landscape, with Casale further explaining how his operations’ recent deals with companies such as Chalice and Cognitiv represent a further evolution of the dynamics.

He further explains how his company, which evolved from an ad network to a supply-side platform in the mid-2010s, started this approach, whereby partners plug their audience segments into Index’s platform began when it first helped Target launch Roundel.

Such dynamics can be interpreted as value-creation in programmatic media trading evolving from when it was formerly the domain of demand-side platforms and opening it up to other players. Such has been the success of sell-side ad curation that some of the most storied names of the ad-supported web have thrown their hats in the ring in the guise of Google and Yahoo in recent months.

Some have theorized that Google’s recent entry into the fray may be a bid to position itself to maintain further relevance should it be forced to sell any of its assets as part of the ongoing antitrust trial, as its own DSP may need a means of connecting with as many ad exchanges as possible.

Chris Kane of Jounce Media notes how sell-side ad curation is now “table stakes,” adding how many providers of such services are quick to frame them as empowerment tools, whereby agencies can work with third parties to better demonstrate their value proposition. Similarly, Yahoo’s Adam Roodman recently told Digiday how “choice” would be at the core of how his own company’s DSP would pitch its offering to prospects and clients, media agencies in particular, at this year’s CES.

Meanwhile, Adam Heimlich, CEO of Chalice, notes how developments, such as his outfit’s partnership with Index Exchange, could prove a landmark for effectiveness, and transparency, given how much of the historic “murkiness” of ad tech was the result of its inefficiencies.

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“Sales teams from SSPs would come into agencies selling deals with publishers [many of whom also have concerns around historic curation practices], and then dress them up as SPO,” he recalls. “This [use of AI Tools] is much better for effectiveness for big advertisers,” he says, adding that it provides them with better insights as to how their data is put to work.

However, with increased competition drawing much attention to historic sell-side ad tech and away from the historic powerbrokers, DSPs, won’t there be a backlash? Well, the consensus answer is “likely,” with many interpreting The Trade Desk’s recent purchase of Sincera as part of a wider strategy to minimize its rise.

In a conversation with Digiday earlier this week, IAB Tech Lab CEO Anthony Katsur noted how a big part of the industry standards body’s priorities this year would be geared toward building a framework to facilitate this ongoing trend; just another sign that the industry hasn’t heard the end of this phrase; even if some of its most powerful players attempt to halt it.