Data + Privacy

Take your sunglasses off for this one. Fresh off the POSSIBLE conference in Miami, our reporters debrief on how the marketing industry addressed the subject du jour, AI. Plus: the topics that were conspicuously absent from the conference.

In a largely creative industry like advertising, performance marketing can seem a bit soulless. Algorithms, tracking and optimization can help us reach targets quicker and more efficiently. But the creative used in performance campaigns can often look or feel … off. When there are metrics to hit and placements to fill, creative often takes a […]

Programmatic infighting reached a new peak last fall, as LinkedIn flame wars erupted over transaction IDs. OMD Worldwide Chief Media Officer Ben Hovaness, leader of a new programmatic peacekeeping group, talks through the org’s goal to encourage more conversation and less conflict.

By now, most ad tech professionals should be familiar with California’s data broker registration requirements under the Delete Act.  Any entity that is a “business,” as defined by the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA), and that knowingly collects and sells to third parties the personal information of a consumer with whom the business does not […]

With everything else going on in 2026, at least we don’t have Google’s “Privacy Sandbox” to worry about. The high-profile project is over. Or is it?  Not quite. Now, instead of one browser introducing its own ad features while the others sit back, browser vendors are collaborating to move ads under browser control piece by […]

With RFPs in flux, diverse-owned media companies are finding ways to use their data to improve reach. Plus: Why we’re in retail media’s “potty-training” phase.

Connected TV demand is strong, budgets are growing and premium inventory continues to command attention. Yet, for publishers, the growth of CTV has complicated how deals get done. That’s because CTV never fit cleanly into campaign execution models built for RTB-based trading. Programmatic trading introduced efficiency for commoditized inventory, but CTV has always been defined […]

Every company wants an AI-powered product. So what do they all look like? From A/B testing and media optimization to agentic interfaces for customers, we give a rundown on AI’s most popular applications in ad tech.

We used to have a saying at the first agency I worked for: “Money flows to new.”  Back then, “new” meant things like QR codes, mobile video and social media. Then, tech really took off and programmatic advertising, augmented reality and data-driven insights became the new “new.” AI was also a thing, but it wasn’t […]

What has four wheels and a tech stack so savvy it can geo-target customers, prove performance in real time and deliver a 45 percent boost in retail foot traffic? We’re talking LED billboard trucks, those small but mighty screens on wheels you couldn’t miss if you tried — and that’s exactly the idea.