Daily March 17

Most digital display ads will be executed next year, accounting for 91% of spend in what should be good news for all parties involved in ad tech. But with great power comes great responsibility. And in an industry where “accountability” is a near-constant catchcry from any given conference stage, that means audits, as marketers demand assurances that a media dollar spent is a dollar invested. Read more below.

• The 4A’s urges ‘simplicity’ as advertisers demand transparency on things like dynamic take rates or the intricacies of content verification.
• Publishers spend time ruminating over the last two years of the pandemic in this Digiday+ Media Briefing.
• Fender is turning up the volume on its marketing riffs on TikTok to get in front of new guitar players using educational and inspirational content.
• A survey of agency and publishing professionals suggests a five-day, 9 to 5, in-person work model will not be a thing of the future, according to recent Digiday+ research.
• Black creators sign an open letter to Twitch demanding improved safety and moderation tools.
• “CMOs like shiny objects a little too much,” said John Connors, founder and CEO of Boston-based full-service agency Boathouse Group.

From our sister site, WorkLife:

• Command-and-control management styles have had to make way for new forms of modern leadership. But how do you rid yourself of it entirely?
• As Chief People Officer at Quantcast, it’s Valerie Junger’s role to balance workers’ desire for flexibility with the boss’ mandate to return to the office three days a week.