Ad Tech Briefing: The AI-powered reallocation of margin is just more of the same

That sentence is as relevant in the mid-2020s as it was in the mid-2010s and the prior decade, although it begs the question: Is there anything different this time around?

The short answer is, “Well, some things…” But for a more thorough examination of the matter, let’s revisit what sources have been telling Digiday in recent weeks.

There has been effusive talk of AI-driven media optimization and the growing sophistication of brand safety tactics, not to mention the shifting dynamics between buy- and sell-side platforms.

While these dynamics have been in development for some time, what’s brought this to a boil recently is Scope3’s March 13 introduction of its AI-powered brand safety tools and ad curation capabilities.

Of course, this launch is particularly notable given Scope3 CEO Brian O’Kelley’s role in developing programmatic advertising, which underlines these broad industry trends.

Given the well-documented shortcomings in the brand safety industrial complex — whether it’s the tech itself or its misapplication, the results are all that matters — and the (seemingly persistent) scourge of MFA, improvements are clearly needed. The motivations and resulting outcomes are where the chattering classes have had their fun in recent weeks.

Relegation of the DSP?

As Digiday noted earlier in the week, the curation aspects of Scope3’s launch, which was undertaken with both DSPs and SSPs, denote how the sell-side is gaining more control compared to earlier years. 

Several sources, all of whom requested anonymity in a nod to the increasingly febrile atmosphere, note how moving the ‘decisioning layer,’ i.e., which players really decide where the dollars go, closer to the sell-side is significant. 

“It relegates DSPs to the transaction layer, meaning their job is to manage finance,” said one such source, noting opinions on what Scope3’s launch means for SSPs are divided. “After all, doesn’t an AI-driven decisioning layer commoditize them, so just how do you differentiate?”

Whether this will fuel further (distressed) consolidation among the ad tech middlemen is unclear, but several sources tell Digiday the current dynamics will lead to a proliferation of “frankenstacks” in the future.

For some, AI-driven filtering and curation technologies enable DSPs and SSPs to play a greater role in media activation; more specifically, they grant them more potential to redirect ad budgets away from walled gardens.

However, according to several sources approached by Digiday in recent weeks, such developments lead to more wariness on the publisher side — arguably the kernel of value in the ad-driven internet economy. 

“Really, when you look at it, it’s just the reallocation of [profit] margin, now there’s just some AI added to the marketing glitter,” added one source. “An SSA [super signal aggregator] is just a third-party data broker by a new name.” 

Publisher sources tell Digiday that such margins are seldom directed toward them, even if the ad tech middlemen publicly champion the cause of a free and empowered press. 

Browser wars

Elsewhere this week, Digiday discussed candid disclosures from collaborators in Google’s Privacy Sandbox, with sources revealing it was something of a chicken-and-egg situation as the industry waits on what Chrome’s user-consent prompt will look like.

Such observations highlight the power of Big Tech providers, such as Google or even Apple, with its Safari browser. With this in mind, we can appreciate the importance of IAB Tech Lab publishing its open-source Trusted Server framework this week.

Anthony Katsur, CEO of IAB Tech Lab, telegraphed such efforts when speaking with Digiday earlier in the year. And in a further statement, he stated its importance, “Enough is enough. The digital media industry has been playing defense for too long — watching browsers dictate the rules while publishers lose revenue.”

If you feel strongly on any of the issues discussed above, then feel free to get in touch – no PR pitches please.

What we’ve heard

“This is more about the power of Mediaocean across the holdco than the failed execution of TTD [The Trade Desk].”

— Industry commentator Matt Barash discusses what has influenced the recent stumble by the industry’s largest independent DSP.

What we’ve covered

Google’s Privacy Sandbox continues in limbo

• “We saw this opportunity to build middleware infrastructure for the Protected Audiences API (PAPI) on their behalf,” said Barry Adams, Criteo evp and BidSwitch GM.

Advertisers put SSPs and curators under the microscope

• “While we may not see the exact publisher payout, we can break apart tech, audience, and platform fees from working media spend,” said David Nyurenberg, director of video product development and innovation at Rain the Growth Agency.