Digiday Publishing Summit: Prices rise Aug. 5

Hear from execs at The New York Times, Thomson Reuters, Trusted Media Brands and many others

SECURE YOUR SEAT

Digiday’s Oral History of Ad Tech podcast, episode 2, with Ari Paparo

This is part of a series that explores the once lucrative and tumultuous ad tech industry. More from the series →

Subscribe: Apple PodcastsSpotify

There are few better placed to critique and narrate the history of the digital media landscape, never mind the sub-sector of ad tech, than Ari Paparo.

The serial entrepreneur and “first influencer of ad tech” — sorry @AdtechGod — now helps to demystify and humanize the often dry milieu of digital media PR in his missives over at Marketecture.

This week, he speaks with Digiday reporter Ronan Shields in the second installment of Digiday’s Oral History Of Ad Tech in a conversation that focuses on the state of the industry during the opening decade of the 21st century. His insights include:

  • The hustle that was ad tech in the 1990s
  • Paparo’s input to DoubleClick’s turnaround, and eventual sale to Google
  • The incredible business model of ad networks in the 2000s
  • How the rise of the ad exchange became the fall of the ad network
  • And just who invented what in ad tech

In the coming weeks, Digiday’s History of Ad Tech, produced by Digiday Media’s audio producer Sara Patterson, lifts the lid on some of the key undercurrents in ad tech over the last 20 years with Seb Joseph, senior news editor, and Ronan Shields, senior reporter, advertising technology, in conversation with some of the key players during that time.

Subscribe to the Digiday podcast now on Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.

https://digiday.com/?p=528468

More in Podcasts

The creator economy heat check: What’s hot (and not) for the rest of 2025

What’s in, what’s out, and who’s getting paid in the creator economy as 2025 unfolds—plus AI regulation fallout and the latest on M&A in media.

Why the CTV ad industry needs to prioritize more native ad formats, with Walton Isaacson’s Albert Thompson

The agency executive discussed the state of CTV ad products in a live Digiday Podcast recording held during Digiday’s CTV Advertising Strategies event in New York City.

‘Embrace your chaos’: How creator Brandon Edelman is trying to plan for the future

While creators are now key to marketing budgets, their longevity in the fast-paced digital world is a pressing concern. This episode explores how TikToker Brandon Edelman is navigating that challenge, building a sustainable career by diversifying his content and focusing on brand partnerships.